DUI vs. DWI: What Each State Calls Impaired Driving

What the acronyms stand for

Each expansion below is the conventional reading. The literal phrase in a state's statute can differ — some “DWI” states write “driving while impaired”, others “driving while intoxicated” — so the state page and its cited statute carry the exact wording.

• DUI — driving under the influence. Used by 34 jurisdictions: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming.
• DWI — driving while intoxicated, or driving while impaired. Used by 9 jurisdictions: Arkansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Texas.
• OWI — operating while intoxicated. Used by 5 jurisdictions: Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Wisconsin.
• OUI — operating under the influence. Used by 2 jurisdictions: Maine, Massachusetts.
• OVI — operating a vehicle under the influence. Used by 1 jurisdiction: Ohio.

Does the name change the penalty?

Not across state lines. A DWI in one state and a DUI in another are each that state's standard impaired-driving offense; comparing them means comparing the two statutes, not the labels. The state-by-state comparison table puts the BAC limits, first-offense penalties, license actions, and interlock rules side by side for exactly that purpose.

Within a single state, though, a second term can name a distinct related offense — for example a lower-BAC impairment tier or an under-21 offense — with its own penalties. The table records only each state's primary term; where a state uses more than one, its page explains how they interact and which statute governs each.

Primary term by state