Under 21 and the Not-a-Drop Act

Key points

1. Under 21, buying, possessing or drinking alcohol is illegal.

   Source: Handbook p. 52

   “If you are under the age of 21, it is illegal to purchase, possess, and drink alcoholic beverages.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 52

2. Not-a-Drop: under 21 with any measurable alcohol means all privileges denied for 6 months for a first offense.

   Source: Handbook p. 52

   “a person under 21 years of age driving with any measurable amount of alcohol in their body will have all driving privileges denied for six months for a first offense.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 52

3. A second offense within 10 years means 2 years, or until age 21 if longer.

   Source: Handbook p. 52

   “A second or subsequent offense within 10 years of a prior denial will result in losing driving privileges for two years or until they reach 21, whichever is longer.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 52

4. Someone without a license yet will still be denied or suspended.

   Source: Handbook p. 52

   “An individual who has yet to be issued a license will be denied or suspended even though they have yet to obtain a license.”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 52

5. Ages 13 to 20 convicted of alcohol possession or consumption lose the license for 1 year, then 2 years for repeats.

   Source: Handbook p. 52

   “An individual between the ages of 13 and 20 who are convicted in court for possession or consumption of alcohol or for being in a bar and being underage will have their driver license suspended for one year for the first offense and two years for the second”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 52

6. Under 21, a test refusal revokes the license for 2 years or until 21, whichever is longer.

   Source: Handbook p. 53

   “If under 21, the license will be revoked for two years or until 21 whichever is longer for the first offense”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 53

7. Reinstating after Not-a-Drop requires a substance abuse assessment or a Prime For Life DUI class.

   Source: Handbook p. 52

   “The division will also accept evidence of completion of a Prime For Life DUI class instead of an assessment”
   Utah Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 52

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Utah practice test

1. 1. A 19-year-old drives in Utah with measurable alcohol in their body and receives a first Not-a-Drop offense. How long are driving privileges denied?

   1. For 30 days
   2. For 90 days
   3. For six months
   4. For eighteen months
   Show answer

   For six months. A first Not-a-Drop offense brings a six-month denial of all driving privileges for someone under 21 who drives with measurable alcohol. The 90-day choice understates that period; this rule is not a short warning suspension. In a situation involving a 19-year-old leaving a party, the useful cues are the driver’s age and the presence of alcohol, rather than whether the person appears drunk. Plan transportation that does not put that person behind the wheel.

2. 2. After an earlier Not-a-Drop denial, an 18-year-old commits another offense within 10 years. Which period applies under Utah’s repeat-offense rule?

   1. Six months from the new offense
   2. Two years or until age 21, whichever is shorter
   3. Two years or until age 21, whichever is longer
   4. One year regardless of age
   Show answer

   Two years or until age 21, whichever is longer. Utah compares a two-year loss of privileges with the time remaining until the person reaches 21 and uses whichever is longer. For an 18-year-old, reaching 21 can take longer than two years, so selecting the shorter period reverses the rule. The prior denial within ten years is the cue that this is a repeat case. Do not apply the six-month first-offense period simply because the latest incident involved only a small measurable amount of alcohol.

3. 3. Under Utah's Not-a-Drop Act, what happens to a driver under 21 caught driving with any measurable amount of alcohol for a first offense?

   1. A written warning is issued
   2. A $100 fine with no license action
   3. The license is revoked for 18 months
   4. All driving privileges are denied for six months
   Show answer

   All driving privileges are denied for six months. The Not-a-Drop Act provides that a person under 21 driving with any measurable amount of alcohol in their body will have all driving privileges denied for six months for a first offense. A second or subsequent offense within 10 years of a prior denial results in a longer loss. The 18 month figure belongs to refusing a chemical test, not to Not-a-Drop, and there is no warning or fine only outcome. Reinstatement requires an assessment or a Prime For Life class.

Source: the Utah Driver Handbook, Section 10: 21 and Under. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.