After a checkpoint arrest
- Keep every document from the stop, booking and bond.
- Note what you remember about the checkpoint: location, time, signs or lights, how long you waited, which agency ran it.
- Check for a notice of suspension and the 30-day deadline. Calculate your deadline.
- Don't post about it.
- Get a free case review and mention that the stop was a checkpoint.
The video rule still applies
South Carolina requires the incident site to be recorded starting no later than the officer's blue lights, including field sobriety tests and the arrest, and the entire breath test procedure (S.C. Code § 56-5-2953). That applies to checkpoint arrests too.
Call anytime, or request a callback. A local DUI attorney can look at your paperwork and tell you which deadlines apply.
When and where checkpoints show up
Holiday weekends, peak summer nights and big event weekends on the Grand Strand bring more enforcement, including checkpoints and saturation patrols on routes like Ocean Boulevard, US-17 and US-501. Your paperwork, not the location, tells you which court has the case: find your court.
Visitors
A checkpoint arrest on vacation still creates a South Carolina case that can follow you home. See DUI on vacation in Myrtle Beach.
Frequently asked questions
Is a checkpoint DUI arrest treated differently from a regular stop?
The DUI case, penalties and license deadlines are the same. How the checkpoint was set up and run can be an additional issue for your attorney to look at.
Does the video recording rule apply at a DUI checkpoint?
Yes. South Carolina requires video of the incident site, including field sobriety tests and the arrest, and of the breath test procedure, for every DUI arrest.
I was arrested at a checkpoint on a holiday weekend. Does timing matter?
Busy weekends mean busy courts and travel plans that collide with court dates. A case review early helps you plan around both.
I was only a passenger at the checkpoint. Does this apply to me?
This site is for drivers facing DUI charges. If you received any paperwork, keep it and check what it requires.
Related guides
What happens after a DUI arrest
Booking, bond court in Conway, the video rule, your first court date and the license clock.
Read the guideRefused a breath test
Automatic 6 to 15 month suspension, the refusal can be used at trial, and how to get driving again.
Read the guideDUI on vacation in Myrtle Beach
Going home doesn't end the case. What happens with your home state, court dates and travel.
Read the guideWhich court is my DUI case in?
How to read your ticket, and addresses and phone numbers for every Horry County DUI court.
Read the guide