4. May I drive in my home state now?
The answers to any questions about adverse consequences in another state, due to a Sonoma County DUI arrest, conviction or DMV suspension, require knowledge about your home state law. Therefore you must always seek the advice of a DUI 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 Sonoma County DUI conviction or a Santa Rosa DMV suspension. For example, you will learn that there are usually two separate and independent proceedings in a typical DUI case: Sonoma County criminal court and Santa Rosa DMV. Some states typically do nothing to your home state license if the California DMV suspends your privilege to drive here, but they may act against your home state driver license immediately upon receiving notice if you actually get 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 California. 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).
Therefore it is very, very important to fight or navigate carefully through the court and DMV proceedings in order to try to avoid a Sonoma County conviction or Santa Rosa DMV suspension. Click on Ten Tips For the First 48 Hours After Arrest and Ten Tips For Fighting A DUI 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 Sonoma County DUI lawyer about your specific case.