Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program

To participate in the Program you must:

• apply to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles and be accepted into the Program. Acceptance is not automatic, and there are fees for being in the Program
• have an interlock ignition device installed in your vehicle
• go to Addiction Services for rehabilitation, counselling and education. This includes the 'Driving While Impaired' education program, a risk assessment, evaluation for alcohol or drug use, and counselling sessions. While you are in the Program, you must meet with an Addiction Services counsellor within 10 days of your first device inspection, and then every 60 days
• meet all other Program eligibility requirements and conditions
• otherwise be eligible for a driver's license.

Learn more about eligibility for the program: Service Nova Scotia - Alcohol Ignition Interlock

If you are eligible for and apply to participate in the Program, the Registrar of Motor Vehicles will look at the following factors in deciding whether you will be accepted:

• your driving history, especially alcohol-related incidents, whether or not you were convicted under the Criminal Code
• any information about you provided by Addiction Services
• any information about your participation in an alcohol rehabilitation program
• any medical or other information relevant to your ability to drive and be in the Program.

An interlock device is an alcohol breath-screening device installed in your vehicle's ignition system. You blow into the device, which measures blood alcohol levels. The vehicle will not start if your reading is above 20 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. You must have the device inspected at least once every 60 days. The information it records is used to decide whether you can stay in the Program and when you can leave it.

The Program is:

• Optional for:
  • First-time impaired drivers who are assessed by Addiction Services as low- or medium-risk to re-offend
• Mandatory for:
  • Drivers who want to get their license back and are:
    • repeat and high-risk impaired drivers*
    • convicted of impaired driving causing bodily harm or death
    • convicted of an alcohol-related impaired driving offence, if the Registrar decides after a hearing that a child under 16 was in the vehicle
    • required to participate by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles.

*If you have had 4 or more suspensions for alcohol-related impaired driving, you may be able to apply to the Program after a 10-year wait. To qualify, you must have had no moving traffic convictions in the past 10 years and must not have driven while you were prohibited. The process has several steps:

First, ask the Registrar for an eligibility screening. You must include a criminal record check and a driving record (abstract) from the past year, and a medical fitness report from the past 6 months. You need a driving abstract from every province or other place you lived or worked in the past 10 years.

If the Registrar thinks you might be eligible, you must get a risk assessment from an Addiction Services counsellor within 6 months. It must give you an overall low-risk rating.

If the Registrar then tells you that you can apply to the Program, you must apply within 6 months.

If you are turned down at either step, you must wait at least 1 year before trying again.

If you are accepted, you must have the device installed within 1 year of your acceptance letter. If you do not, you will have to apply again.

*A person convicted of impaired driving causing bodily harm or death cannot join the Program until their suspension period is over. They must then take part in the Program to get their licence back.

You must wait the following time before you can join the Program. The wait starts on the date of your most recent suspension. A court can order a longer wait time.

• 1st suspension: no wait, unless a court orders one;
• 2nd suspension: 3 months;
• 3rd suspension: 6 months; and
• 4th or later suspension: 10 years.

However, you can start the application process and required Alcohol Assessment before this time elapses.

The minimum time you must be in the Program depends on your situation:

1st suspension: the time left in your 1-year suspension (or 1 year if you are assessed as high-risk)

2nd suspension: 2 years

3rd suspension: 3 years

4th or later suspension: 5 years

Impaired driving causing bodily harm or death: 2 years after your suspension ends (5 years for a 2nd offence)

A child under 16 was in the vehicle: an extra 12 months

For more information, see the Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program User's Handbook (a Nova Scotia government publication), or call (902) 424-5851 or 1 800 898-7668. Some government materials may not yet show the new rules that started on October 19, 2026. If something seems different, check with the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

You must apply to be released from the Program. Your application must include a recommendation from Addiction Services that supports your release. The Registrar can extend the minimum period. In determining whether to allow someone to exit the program, the Registrar will consider:

• results of reports from the interlock service provider
• how often the vehicle was operated by the driver
• any incidents or reports of alcohol-related driving
• any other information or factor the Registrar considers relevant.

Yes. The Registrar of Motor Vehicles may dismiss a person from the Program at any time for any reason.
If you are dismissed:

• You will get a written notice that explains why you were dismissed.
• Your driving privilege is suspended again. You must have the interlock device removed at your own cost.
• You must wait at least 90 days before you can re-apply to be accepted back into the Program.
• Time already spent in the Program will not count, and you will have to restart your minimum time period if you are accepted back into the Program, unless the Registrar decides otherwise.

You pay the service provider for installing, inspecting and removing the interlock device. There are also government fees. These include $34.35 to apply to the Program, $455 to enrol in the Driving While Impaired Program, and a fee to get your licence reinstated. These costs are on top of the other costs of an impaired driving conviction, such as legal fees, court fines and higher insurance premiums. Fees change, so check with the Registry of Motor Vehicles and Addiction Services for current fees.

It is an offence to:

• Tamper with an ignition interlock device, or drive a vehicle in which the device has been tampered with
• Not have your interlock device inspected at least once every 60 days.
• Ask someone else to give a breath sample so you can start the vehicle or keep it moving.
• Drive any vehicle other than the one(s) with your interlock device installed.
• Help someone with an interlock restriction on their licence start their vehicle or keep it moving by blowing into the interlock device for them.
• Allow someone with an interlock restriction on their licence to drive a vehicle that does not have their interlock device installed.

Fines for these offences can be up to $2,000 for a passenger vehicle, or up to $5,000 for a commercial vehicle. If you are in the Program, the Registrar can also dismiss you or make you stay in the Program longer. Fine amounts change, so check with the Registry of Motor Vehicles for current amounts.