California DUI cases come with their own vocabulary. The terms below are the ones that come up most often, defined in plain language. Many link to a deeper guide or a free tool if you want to go further. For the broader picture, see the California DUI FAQ or browse the full DUI library.

Administrative Per Se (APS)
The DMV's automatic license suspension that follows a DUI arrest, separate from the criminal court case. It is triggered by the arrest itself under Vehicle Code 13353.2. You have 10 days to request a hearing to contest it. See the DMV hearing deadline calculator.
APS Set-Aside
A win at the DMV hearing. If the hearing officer sets aside the Administrative Per Se action, the suspension is canceled and your license is returned, separate from whatever happens in the criminal case.
Arraignment
Your first court appearance in the criminal case, where the charges are formally read and you enter a plea. Many DUI defendants do not have to personally attend if represented, because the attorney can appear on their behalf for a misdemeanor.
BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration)
The percentage of alcohol in your blood. The standard legal limit in California is 0.08 percent, 0.04 percent for commercial drivers, and 0.01 percent for drivers under 21. A reading of 0.15 percent or higher is treated as an aggravating factor.
Bail / Own Recognizance
Bail is money or a bond posted to secure release while a case is pending. Own recognizance, or OR, is release on a written promise to appear without posting money. Most first-offense DUI defendants are released without significant bail.
Bench Warrant
An order from the judge for your arrest, issued most often when a defendant fails to appear in court. Resolving a bench warrant promptly, ideally through your attorney, is important because it can lead to an arrest at any time.
Blood Split
Your right to have a portion of your blood sample preserved and independently retested by a defense laboratory. A split test can reveal fermentation, contamination, or an inaccurate result.
Brady Material
Evidence favorable to the defense that the prosecution is constitutionally required to disclose, named after the case Brady v. Maryland. In DUI cases this can include an officer's misconduct history or problems with the testing equipment.
CDL Disqualification
The loss of commercial driving privileges that follows a DUI for a commercial license holder. A first offense brings a one-year federal disqualification under 49 CFR 383, and a second can be a lifetime disqualification, separate from the personal license suspension.
Chemical Test
The evidentiary breath or blood test given after a lawful DUI arrest, governed by the implied consent law. Refusing it carries license and sentencing consequences, unlike the voluntary roadside tests.
Continuance
A postponement of a court date. Continuances are routine and are often used by the defense to obtain discovery, prepare motions, or negotiate, and they generally do not hurt the case.
Discovery
The exchange of evidence before trial. In a DUI case the defense uses discovery to obtain the police report, the chemical test records, calibration and maintenance logs, dispatch logs, and any audio or video.
Diversion
A program that lets some defendants complete requirements and have the charge dismissed. Standard misdemeanor DUI is statutorily excluded from most diversion, but mental health diversion under Penal Code 1001.36 and military diversion can apply in the right cases.
Drug Recognition Expert (DRE)
An officer with special training who performs a 12-step evaluation to determine whether a driver is impaired by drugs and which category of drug is involved. The evaluation is central to marijuana and drug DUI cases and is open to challenge.
Dry Reckless
A reduction from a DUI to plain reckless driving under Vehicle Code 23103, without the alcohol designation. Unlike a wet reckless, a dry reckless is not a priorable alcohol offense, which makes it a more favorable outcome when it is available.
DS-367
The form a California officer completes after a DUI arrest. It serves as the officer's sworn report and the temporary license and notice of suspension. It is the document that starts the DMV's 10-day clock.
DUID
Driving under the influence of drugs, charged under Vehicle Code 23152(f). Because there is no per se limit for most drugs, these cases turn on proof of actual impairment. See marijuana and drug DUI.
Expungement
A court order under Penal Code 1203.4 that sets aside a conviction after probation is completed, releasing you from many of its consequences. It helps with employment and background checks but does not erase the DUI for DMV priorable purposes.
Felony DUI
A DUI charged as a felony, which happens with injury under Vehicle Code 23153, a fourth or subsequent offense within 10 years, or a prior felony DUI. See when a DUI is charged as a felony.
Field Sobriety Tests (FST)
The voluntary roadside exercises, such as the walk-and-turn and one-leg stand, used to gather evidence of impairment. You may decline them with no license penalty.
Great Bodily Injury (GBI)
A significant or substantial physical injury. A great bodily injury finding under Penal Code 12022.7 adds years to a felony DUI sentence and can count as a strike, so its presence is heavily contested with medical records.
Gross Negligence
A reckless disregard for the safety of others, more serious than ordinary carelessness. In a fatal DUI it is the difference between vehicular manslaughter and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and it carries far greater exposure.
Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN)
The eye test in which an officer looks for involuntary jerking of the eyes as they follow a moving object. It is one of the standardized field sobriety tests and depends heavily on correct administration.
Ignition Interlock Device (IID)
A breath-testing device wired to a vehicle's ignition that prevents it from starting if alcohol is detected. California requires it for DUI convictions under Vehicle Code 23575.3. See the IID requirement checker.
Implied Consent
The California rule that, by driving, you have agreed to submit to a chemical test if lawfully arrested for DUI. Refusing the test after a lawful arrest carries a longer suspension and a possible enhancement.
Implied Malice
The mental state that supports a second-degree Watson murder charge in a fatal DUI: knowing that driving while impaired is dangerous to human life and doing it anyway. It is what separates a DUI murder from manslaughter.
Mandatory Minimum
The least sentence a court can impose for a given offense. Some DUI penalties, such as the jail time for driving on a DUI-suspended license or certain enhancements, are mandatory, which is why defeating the charge or enhancement matters.
Misdemeanor DUI
The standard charge for most California DUIs, including typical first, second, and third offenses under Vehicle Code 23152. It carries probation, programs, fines, and license consequences, but not state prison.
Motion to Suppress (1538.5)
A defense motion under Penal Code 1538.5 to exclude evidence obtained through an unlawful stop, detention, or arrest. If granted, the prosecution often loses the evidence it needs, which can end the case.
No Contest (Nolo Contendere)
A plea that has the same effect as a guilty plea in the criminal case but cannot be used as an admission of fault in a related civil lawsuit. It is common in DUI cases that involve an accident.
Observation Period
The continuous 15-minute period during which an officer must watch you before an evidentiary breath test, to ensure no burping, belching, or regurgitation contaminates the sample with mouth alcohol. A broken observation period is a common challenge under Title 17.
PAS (Preliminary Alcohol Screening)
The handheld roadside breath device used during the investigation, before arrest. For drivers 21 and over it is generally voluntary, like the field sobriety tests, and is not the same as the evidentiary chemical test.
Penalty Assessment
The mandatory add-ons that multiply a base court fine. A DUI base fine of a few hundred dollars becomes a much larger total once state and county penalty assessments are applied.
Per Se
Latin for "by itself." The 0.08 percent per se law makes it a crime to drive with that blood alcohol level regardless of actual impairment. The DMV's Administrative Per Se action is the license suspension triggered by that same standard.
Pitchess Motion
A motion to obtain an officer's confidential personnel records when there is reason to believe the officer has a history of misconduct, such as dishonesty or excessive force. It can produce powerful impeachment evidence.
Plea Bargain
A negotiated agreement in which the prosecution offers a reduced charge or sentence in exchange for a plea. Most DUI cases resolve this way, for example a reduction to a wet reckless.
Pretrial Conference
A court date before trial where the defense and prosecution discuss the case, exchange discovery, and negotiate. Most DUI cases are resolved at this stage rather than at trial.
Priorable Offense
An offense that counts against you if you are charged again within a set period. A California DUI or wet reckless is priorable for 10 years, so a new DUI within that window is treated as a second offense. See how priors affect a charge.
Probable Cause
The level of proof an officer needs to make a lawful arrest: facts that would lead a reasonable person to believe a crime was committed. A DUI arrest made without probable cause can be challenged, and the resulting evidence suppressed.
Probation
The supervised period after a DUI conviction, usually informal for a misdemeanor, during which you must obey conditions such as completing a program and not driving with any measurable alcohol. Violating it can bring new penalties.
Reasonable Suspicion
The lower standard an officer needs to make a lawful traffic stop: specific facts suggesting a violation or crime. A stop made without reasonable suspicion is unlawful, and evidence from it may be suppressed.
Reinstatement
Restoring your driving privilege after a suspension. It generally requires paying a reissue fee, filing an SR-22, and showing enrollment in or completion of the DUI program.
Restitution
Money a court orders a defendant to pay to compensate a victim for losses, such as property damage or medical costs in a DUI collision. It is separate from court fines.
Restricted License
A limited driving privilege that lets you drive for specific purposes, or with an IID, during a suspension. Eligibility depends on the offense and on meeting conditions such as SR-22 and program enrollment. See the restricted license calculator.
Retrograde Extrapolation
The calculation prosecutors use to estimate your blood alcohol level at the time of driving from a later test result. It relies on assumptions about absorption and elimination rates that a defense expert can challenge, and it is central to the rising blood alcohol defense.
Rising Blood Alcohol
A defense based on the fact that alcohol is still being absorbed after drinking, so your BAC at the time of driving may have been lower than at the time of testing. See the rising BAC defense.
Sentencing Enhancement
An additional penalty added to the base sentence for an aggravating fact, such as a high BAC, a refusal, a child passenger (VC 23572), excessive speed (VC 23582), or injury. Defeating an enhancement can substantially reduce exposure.
SR-22
A certificate of financial responsibility your insurer files with the DMV to show you carry the required coverage after a DUI. It is usually required for 3 years and raises premiums. See the SR-22 duration calculator.
Statute of Limitations
The deadline by which charges must be filed. A California misdemeanor DUI generally must be charged within one year of the offense, and a felony within three years.
Stay of Suspension
A hold that pauses a license suspension. Requesting a DMV hearing within 10 days stays the Administrative Per Se suspension so you can keep driving while the hearing is pending.
Title 17
The California regulations that govern how breath and blood tests must be collected, stored, and analyzed. When officers or labs do not follow Title 17, the reliability of the chemical result can be challenged.
Trombetta Motion
A motion to dismiss or to exclude evidence based on the government's failure to preserve material evidence, such as a breath sample, named after California v. Trombetta. It is one tool for attacking lost or destroyed DUI evidence.
VC 23152
The core California DUI statute. Subsection (a) covers driving under the influence, subsection (b) covers driving with a BAC of 0.08 percent or more, and subsection (f) covers driving under the influence of drugs.
VC 23153
The statute for DUI causing injury, a wobbler that can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony. See DUI causing injury.
Vehicle Impound
The towing and storage of a vehicle after a DUI arrest. Under Vehicle Code 14602.6 a vehicle can be impounded for up to 30 days in certain cases, and impound and storage fees add to the cost of a DUI.
Watson Advisement
The warning, given at a DUI conviction, that driving under the influence is dangerous and can kill. After receiving it, a driver who later causes a fatal DUI crash can be charged with second-degree "Watson" murder rather than a lesser homicide.
Wet Reckless
A reduced charge under Vehicle Code 23103.5, negotiated down from a DUI. It carries lighter penalties but still counts as a priorable alcohol offense for 10 years. Try the wet reckless calculator.
Wobbler
An offense that can be filed as either a felony or a misdemeanor at the prosecutor's discretion, and that a judge can later reduce under Penal Code 17(b). DUI causing injury is the most common DUI wobbler.
Wobbler Reduction (PC 17(b))
A motion under Penal Code 17(b) to reduce a charged felony wobbler, such as a DUI causing injury, to a misdemeanor. See reducing a felony DUI under 17(b).
Work Release / AWP
Alternatives to jail in which a defendant performs supervised labor (Alternative Work Program) or reports to a facility on weekends instead of serving continuous custody. Availability depends on the county, the offense, and the judge.
Zero Tolerance
The rule under Vehicle Code 23136 that makes it unlawful for a driver under 21 to drive with a BAC of 0.01 percent or more, leading to a license suspension. See underage DUI and zero tolerance.

Put these terms to work

Knowing the vocabulary is a start; the result depends on how the facts of your case line up. Get a free written case analysis below, or call me directly. You may also want the first 10 days after a DUI and the DUI court process step by step.