---
title: "What if my first Rhode Island DUI was 7 years ago?"
description: "If the prior is more than 5 years old, the new case may be charged as a first offense for sentencing purposes even though the prior remains on your record. The prosecutor may still try to use the..."
url: https://riduiguy.com/faq-items/what-if-my-first-rhode-island-dui-was-7-years-ago/
date: 2026-05-23
modified: 2026-05-23
author: "The RI DUI Guy"
type: faq
lang: en
---

# What if my first Rhode Island DUI was 7 years ago?

If the prior is more than 5 years old, the new case may be charged as a first offense for sentencing purposes even though the prior remains on your record. The prosecutor may still try to use the prior; the defense can argue against second-offense treatment based on the time gap.

What if my first Rhode Island DUI was 7 years ago?(https://riduiguy.com/author/riduiguy/)2026-05-23T02:26:01-04:00