Impaired Driving in Saskatchewan: Roadside Suspensions, Interlock, and Appeals

Saskatchewan runs three separate roadside administrative suspension tracks under The Traffic Safety Act, a 3-day to 90-day warn-range suspension, an indefinite suspension tied to a criminal-level reading or refusal, and a zero-tolerance track for drivers 21 and under, and a driver has 90 days to appeal any of them to the Highway Traffic Board.

Information last verified on 2026-08-15. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Three Roadside Tracks, Not One

Saskatchewan's Traffic Safety Act, SS 2004, c T-18.1, gives peace officers three separate roadside administrative suspension powers. Each is immediate on service of a notice, none requires a criminal charge or conviction first, and all three can run alongside a separate Criminal Code prosecution over the same incident.

The three tracks are keyed to how a driver tested: a warn-range track under section 146 for a reading below the criminal threshold, a criminal-level and refusal track under section 148 for a reading at or above the criminal threshold or a refusal to be tested, and a zero-tolerance track under section 150 for novice drivers and anyone 21 or younger.

Warn-Range Suspensions (Section 146)

Section 146 applies at a confirmed blood alcohol concentration of 40 mg or more per 100 mL of blood, commonly called the warn range. A parallel provision, section 146.1, applies the same suspension scheme to a refusal of a field sobriety test.

The suspension length depends on how many "designated notices" (a defined term covering prior suspensions and impoundments under several related sections) the driver has had in the preceding 10 years:

• No prior designated notice: 3 consecutive days
• One prior designated notice: 21 consecutive days
• Two or more prior designated notices: 90 consecutive days

If a person under 16 was a passenger in the vehicle, section 146(4.1) raises those periods to 7, 30, and 120 days.

Criminal-Level and Refusal Suspensions (Section 148)

Section 148 applies at a confirmed reading of 80 mg or more per 100 mL, drug impairment, a combined alcohol-and-drug reading, or a refusal to comply with a Criminal Code breath or blood demand. This track works differently from the other two. Under section 148(5), once the driver is charged with the matching Criminal Code offence, the suspension is not a fixed number of days. It runs indefinitely, until the prosecution is stayed or withdrawn, or the driver is acquitted or convicted.

A driver suspended under this track may apply to have the licence reinstated early, before the criminal case is resolved, by paying the prescribed reinstatement fee and enrolling in the SGI Ignition Interlock Program (section 148(6)). For the higher-BAC or refusal sub-category, section 148(7) requires a 90-day suspension floor before that early interlock reinstatement becomes available.

Zero-Tolerance for Novice and Younger Drivers (Section 150)

Section 150 applies to two groups: drivers in the Graduated Driver's Licence program, and anyone 21 years of age or younger, whether or not they hold a Saskatchewan licence. The threshold is not a lowered numeric limit. It is any detectable alcohol at all in the driver's body.

The suspension periods are:

• No prior designated notice: 60 consecutive days
• One prior designated notice: 120 consecutive days
• Two or more prior designated notices: what the Act's own text, at section 150(5)(a)(iii), sets as 18 consecutive months

These periods are longer than the general warn-range tiers above, even though the triggering threshold (any alcohol) is lower than the warn-range threshold (40 mg or more). That is a deliberate design choice in the Act, not an error.

A discrepancy worth flagging directly. saskatchewan.ca's own official driver-appeals page describes the third tier of this novice track as a "1-year" suspension, in its list of what can be appealed to the Highway Traffic Board. The Act's own operative text says 18 consecutive months, not 12. Both are official government sources, and this article treats the Act's own statutory text as the governing figure for the suspension's actual length, since it is the operative legal text rather than a summary list. If you are relying on this figure, confirm your specific suspension length directly with SGI or the Highway Traffic Board rather than assuming either number.

Vehicle Impoundment

Impoundment travels with each suspension notice above:

• Warn-range track (s.146): 3, 7, or 14 consecutive days by occurrence count, rising to 7, 30, or 60 days if a person under 16 was a passenger
• Criminal-level and refusal track (s.148): 30 consecutive days for straight impairment or a refusal-adjacent charge under 160 mg, and 60 consecutive days for a refusal under section 320.15 of the Criminal Code or a reading of 160 mg or more
• Zero-tolerance track (s.150): 3, 7, or 14 consecutive days by occurrence count, the same schedule as the warn-range track, rising to 7, 30, or 60 days with an under-16 passenger, even though the licence-suspension days for this track are far longer

No official towing or storage fee schedule was found in the Traffic Safety Act Fees Regulations. Towing and storage costs are billed by the private facility that holds the impounded vehicle, not fixed by a government rate.

Ignition Interlock Program

SGI administers the Ignition Interlock Program referenced throughout the Act. When it is required or available depends on the track:

• After a criminal conviction (section 148.1), interlock participation is a condition of reinstatement, and the required term scales with prior convictions and BAC reading: 1 year for a first offence under 160 mg, 2 years for a first offence at 160 mg or more or a refusal or combined charge, 3 years for a repeat offence under 160 mg, 5 years for a repeat offence at 160 mg or more or a repeat refusal, and 10 years for two or more prior convictions
• With 2 or more prior warn-range designated notices, section 146(9) makes a 1-year interlock enrolment a mandatory condition of reinstatement
• On the zero-tolerance track, interlock is an optional early-reinstatement path after 1 prior designated notice (120-day term) and becomes mandatory after 2 or more (1-year term)

Government-set fees under the Fees Regulation are a $105 interlock program application fee, a $175 interlock appeal fee, and a $175 interlock exemption application fee. Installation and ongoing monthly device costs are set by the program's private vendors, not by government regulation, and no official schedule for those costs was found. Do not assume a specific device-rental figure without checking with SGI or the vendor directly.

Reinstatement Fees and Required Programs

The Fees Regulation sets a $75 reinstatement fee for a driver suspended under the criminal-level track (section 148). Depending on the specific track and occurrence tier, reinstatement can also require completing a DWI course ($170) or the Alcohol and Drug Education Program ($450). Which combination applies depends on the individual case, so treat these as the government's published fee schedule rather than a single flat total.

Insurance Consequences: Not Confirmed

SGI's own consumer-facing pages describing suspension reinstatement and any insurance-related consequences of an impaired-driving suspension could not be opened for this article. They load as JavaScript-driven pages rather than readable text, and repeated attempts through several methods were unsuccessful. This article cannot state whether, or by how much, an impaired-driving suspension affects an SGI Auto Fund premium. Confirm this directly with SGI before assuming any specific cost.

Commercial Drivers

A full search of the Traffic Safety Act's text found no provision setting a separate or lowered blood alcohol threshold specifically for commercial or Class 1 licence holders, unlike the named zero-tolerance rule for novice and younger drivers above. Whether a separate regulation, or a federal instrument such as the National Safety Code, imposes something commercial-specific was not confirmed either way in this research and is not addressed here.

Appealing a Suspension: The Highway Traffic Board

A driver has 90 days from receiving the notice of suspension to appeal to the Highway Traffic Board (HTB), reachable at 1-855-775-8336. The filing fee is $175, paid at an SGI motor licence issuer. Appeals can be heard in person, before a three-member panel in Regina or Saskatoon, or in writing, before a two-member panel.

Both the warn-range and zero-tolerance suspension tiers, and the indefinite suspension under the criminal-level track, are eligible for HTB appeal. A restricted driver's licence cannot be appealed, and financial hardship is not a factor the Board will weigh. The Board's decision is mailed within a week of the hearing and is final; it cannot be appealed further.

Criminal Charges Remain Possible

A Saskatchewan roadside suspension is a separate, administrative track from a Criminal Code prosecution under Part VIII.1, and having one does not prevent or replace the other. A driver can face both an administrative suspension and, separately, a criminal charge over the same incident, with its own mandatory minimum fines and driving prohibition. For the criminal-side numbers, including fine amounts and prohibition lengths, see impaired driving in Canada and DUI penalties in Canada.

Related Resources

For how a neighbouring province structures a broadly similar but differently-timed scheme, including a suspension track that does not escalate the same way, see DUI and impaired driving in Manitoba. For fighting a ticket generally, see fighting a traffic ticket in Canada, and for the graduated licensing rules a novice driver is also subject to, see graduated licensing in Canada. For the criminal-record consequences of a conviction, see criminal record check in Canada, travelling with a criminal record, and felony equivalence in Canada. Court records tied to a Saskatchewan charge are covered at court records in Saskatchewan.

Disclaimer

This article is informational only and is not legal advice. Saskatchewan's Highway Traffic Board appeal deadline is strict: 90 days from receiving your notice of suspension, with no further appeal after the Board decides. Several figures in this article are genuinely unresolved by any primary source found during research: the discrepancy between the Act's 18-month third-tier novice suspension and saskatchewan.ca's '1-year' description of the same tier, the cost of installing and leasing an interlock device, any SGI insurance-premium consequence of a suspension, and whether a commercial-driver-specific alcohol threshold exists outside the Act itself. Confirm current fees, deadlines, and consequences directly with SGI, the Highway Traffic Board, or a licensed lawyer, and speak to a lawyer promptly after any roadside suspension or criminal charge.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the three roadside suspension tracks in Saskatchewan?

A warn-range track (section 146) for a blood alcohol reading of 40 mg or more per 100 mL, a criminal-level and refusal track (section 148) for a reading of 80 mg or more or a refusal to test, and a zero-tolerance track (section 150) for novice drivers and anyone 21 or younger, triggered by any detectable alcohol at all.

How long is a first warn-range suspension in Saskatchewan?

3 consecutive days for a first designated notice in the preceding 10 years, rising to 21 days for a second and 90 days for a third or later. Those periods rise to 7, 30, and 120 days if a person under 16 was a passenger.

How long does a criminal-level suspension last in Saskatchewan?

It is not a fixed number of days. Once the driver is charged with the matching Criminal Code offence, the suspension under section 148 runs indefinitely until the prosecution is stayed, withdrawn, or resolved by an acquittal or conviction.

How long do I have to appeal a Saskatchewan roadside suspension?

90 days from receiving the notice of suspension, to the Highway Traffic Board, for a $175 filing fee. The Board's decision is mailed within a week of the hearing and cannot be appealed further.

Does Saskatchewan have a zero-tolerance rule for young or novice drivers?

Yes. Anyone in the Graduated Driver's Licence program, or 21 or younger regardless of licence status, is suspended for any detectable alcohol at all, for 60 days, 120 days, or what the Act's own text sets at 18 consecutive months on a third or later occurrence. Saskatchewan.ca's appeals page separately describes that third tier as '1-year,' a discrepancy this article does not resolve.

How much does the SGI Ignition Interlock Program cost in Saskatchewan?

Government-set fees are a $105 application fee, a $175 appeal fee, and a $175 exemption application fee. Installation and monthly device costs are set by private vendors, not government regulation, and no official schedule for those costs was found.

Will a Saskatchewan roadside suspension raise my insurance?

This could not be confirmed. SGI's own consumer-facing pages describing any insurance-related consequences of a suspension were not accessible for this article. Confirm directly with SGI before assuming any specific cost or surcharge.

Is there a separate alcohol limit for commercial drivers in Saskatchewan?

No provision setting a separate or lowered threshold for commercial or Class 1 licence holders was found in the Traffic Safety Act itself. Whether a separate regulation or a federal instrument addresses this was not confirmed.