10. Will my home state license be affected?
As discussed above in Question #4, the answers to any questions about consequences in another state of a Mendocino County DUI arrest, conviction or adverse DMV action, require knowledge about your home state law. Therefore you must always seek the advice of an attorney licensed in your home state, or the state which issued your license, about such consequences before and after any suspension or conviction.
This is especially true because different states vary widely in how they react to a Mendocino County DUI conviction or a Santa Rosa DMV suspension. For example, remember that there are two separate proceedings in a typical DUI case, Mendocino County criminal court and Santa Rosa DMV; some states typically do nothing to your home state license if the DMV suspends your privilege to drive here, but may act against your home state license if you suffer a court conviction. As a general rule, according to the Interstate Driver License Compact, one can anticipate that your home state will act against your license the same as if the California conviction occurred at home. (CVC 15023).
However, understand that your home state can only act against your license if your home state knows about an adverse action in Mendocino County. It is possible a state may never find out, or may decide not to act in a particular case. It is always wise to carefully examine any notice you receive from your home state licensing agency and consult with an attorney there.
In addition, California is only directed to inform your home state of this incident if a conviction actually occurs (CVC 15022) or if DMV actually suspends or revokes your driving privilege here (CVC 13552). This is why it is so very important to fight or carefully navigate through the court and DMV proceedings with a local DUI lawyer in order to try to avoid a Mendocino County conviction or Santa Rosa DMV suspension before California reporting requirements are triggered. Click on Ten Tips For the First 48 Hours After Arrest and Ten Tips for Fighting a DUI Arrest on this site for a more detailed discussion of how to avoid adverse consequences in your home state by avoiding adverse results here first. Consult with a Mendocino County DUI lawyer about your specific case.