Texas insurance glossary
DUI
In Texas, DUI is a separate offense for a driver under 21: operating a motor vehicle in a public place with any detectable amount of alcohol in the system.
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code § 106.041 is the section, and the “any detectable amount” standard is what separates it from DWI.
Elsewhere in the country the two abbreviations are used interchangeably, which is why they arrive in Texas conversations meaning whatever the speaker’s home state meant by them. In Texas they are two charges with two different tests, and an adult accused of intoxicated driving is charged under Penal Code § 49.04.
Either can end in a license suspension, and a suspension is what reaches an SR-22.
Sources: Tex. Alco. Bev. Code § 106.041 — driving under the influence by a minor; Tex. Penal Code ch. 49 — intoxication offenses, including § 49.04. Verified .
A definition, not legal advice and not a quote. Rules and figures change; confirm your own situation against the source named above, or with us, before you act on it. Last checked .
Where this is handled
A definition does not file anything. When the suspension date is closer than the research, one independent agency on FM 1959 can transmit the SR-22 to the DPS and tell you what the state wants before you pay anyone anything.