DWI Intervention (Repeat Offender)

What is the 32-hour DWI Intervention program?

Thirty-two hours of standardized intervention for people with more than one DWI, regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The state names it DWI Intervention and shortens it to DWI-I. Courts, probation officers and paperwork also call it the DWI repeat offender program. Those are all the same class.

TDLR describes it as a standardized program designed for offenders with multiple DWIs, and for others whose alcohol or drug problems their first-offender program did not address. It intervenes in an alcohol or drug abusing lifestyle to encourage entry into treatment where treatment is needed, and to prevent further substance abuse problems. The topics run past the law and into the habit: lifestyle issues, values, self-esteem, responsibility, the physiological and psychological effects of drugs, alcoholism and chemical dependency, how drug abuse affects family members, co-dependency, treatment options, 12-step groups, peer pressure, relapse prevention, problem solving and action planning.

Two hour counts circulate for this class, and both are real. TDLR sets the program at a minimum of 30 hours; the schedule we and other Texas providers publish is 32. If your own order prints an hour count, check it against the schedule before you book.

Who has to take the DWI repeat offender class?

Anyone punished under Penal Code section 49.09, the enhancement for a second or later intoxication offense. Article 42A.404 requires the judge to order that defendant into an educational program for repeat offenders as a condition of community supervision. A second DWI is a Class A misdemeanor carrying a minimum 30 days of confinement.

The count is what moves you between classes. One prior conviction for operating a motor vehicle, aircraft, watercraft or an amusement ride while intoxicated makes the new offense a Class A misdemeanor under section 49.09(a). Two priors, or one prior for intoxication manslaughter, make it a third-degree felony under 49.09(b). Either way you are punished under 49.09, and either way article 42A.404 sends you to this program rather than to the 12-hour DWI Education class.

A judge can lift the requirement, and only on a written motion showing good cause. Article 42A.404 lists what may be weighed: your school and work schedule, your health, how far you would travel to an in-person class, whether you live out of state or have no transport, and whether your internet service is good enough to finish a program online. The judge must waive it outright if you completed equivalent education in a residential treatment facility under article 42A.4045. Either finding is written into the judgment.

How much does DWI Intervention cost?

$260 at TruLynk, and that is the whole price of the 32 hours. No separate registration fee, and no charge for the certificate. Published prices for the same repeat offender program ran from $225 to $380 in August 2026.

Those figures are the published prices of three other Texas providers of the 32-hour program, and prices change, so treat the range as a guide rather than a quote. Compare on the total rather than on what it takes to start: one of the three advertises a $190 deposit against a $380 program.

The gap to the 12-hour class is not a markup, it is a different class. DWI Education is twelve hours of alcohol and drug education. DWI Intervention is close to three times the hours and goes past information into treatment referral, relapse prevention and action planning, because the state built it for people whose first-offender program did not reach the problem.

Can you take the 32-hour class online?

Yes, as a live class on Zoom with an instructor, not as self-paced modules. 16 TAC §90.48 is the rule that decides what online is allowed to mean, and it requires virtual, real-time, interactive presentation of the material with every participant on camera for the whole session. Thirty-two hours is several sittings, so the format decides whether you can finish.

Roll call is part of the rule, not a house policy. Nobody can be admitted whose audio and video are not confirmed working before the class begins, the classroom camera stays focused on the instructor throughout, participants stay on their own cameras except during breaks, and the provider has to supply bandwidth good enough for uninterrupted instruction.

Zoom also removes the geography. We teach all 254 Texas counties, so the distance to a classroom is not what decides which sessions you can take. What the format does not change is the hour count: thirty-two hours online is thirty-two hours, booked as dated sessions rather than worked through at your own pace.

DWI Education vs DWI Intervention: which one does your order mean?

Count the offenses. A first intoxication offense goes to the 12-hour DWI Education class under article 42A.403. A second or later one, punished under Penal Code section 49.09, goes to the 32-hour DWI Intervention program under article 42A.404. Twelve hours and thirty-two hours are not two versions of one class.

Read the words rather than the count when the two seem to disagree. Orders name programs: DWI Education, DWI-E or DUI class on one side; DWI Intervention, DWI-I, repeat offender program or 32-hour class on the other. If the name and your own count point different ways, your court or supervising officer settles it.

If your paperwork is not clear, text or call us a photo of it and we will name the class it points to before any money changes hands. TDLR licenses the two as separate programs, with separate curriculums and a separate instructor endorsement, and your order names which of them you have to complete. If you have already taken the other one, ask your court or supervising officer where that leaves you.

How the class runs

Sessions are instructor-led over Zoom, not self-paced video, and they run for the full scheduled time. You need a device with a camera and a quiet place to sit where you can be seen and heard. Arriving late, leaving early, or being away from the screen can mean a session does not count toward your hours.

What you get at the end

A state-issued Certificate of Completion once you finish the 32 hours and your balance is paid in full. We report your enrollment, attendance, and completion to the court or supervising authority named in your order, and to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation as required. Our privacy policy covers exactly what that reporting involves.

Before you enroll

Confirm with your court or probation officer that DWI Intervention (Repeat Offender) (DWI-I) is the program your order requires. Only they can decide whether a certificate satisfies it, and taking the wrong class is the most expensive mistake in this process. Have your order, cause or case number, and county to hand when you register.