Athena DUI Academy & Family Enrichment is a Georgia DDS-certified DUI school in Athens, RRP Cert #10432. The program costs $360, and you can take it live online or in person at our office on Athens West Parkway.
The official name of DUI school is the DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program. If a judge, a probation officer or the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) told you to complete "Risk Reduction" or "RRP," this is the course, and this page takes you from the court order to the day you reinstate.
What is the Risk Reduction Program?
DDS describes Risk Reduction as an intervention program required by law, with two parts you must finish to earn your Certificate of Completion.
- The assessment. A 130-question screening, called the NEEDS assessment, that looks at your alcohol and drug use and how it affects your driving. You do this first.
- The intervention course. The 20-hour class, taught over several sessions in a group using the DDS-approved Prime for Life curriculum. It covers alcohol, drugs and their effects on driving.
DDS says the whole 20-hour course takes less than a week in most cases (see how long DUI school takes in Georgia).
Who needs DUI school in Georgia?
According to DDS, the program is for people convicted of any of these:
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI)
- Possession of illegal drugs
- Underage possession of alcohol while operating a motor vehicle
- Boating Under the Influence (BUI)
We cover the non-DUI cases in Risk Reduction for drug possession, underage alcohol and BUI. Your court order or DDS record is the final word on what your case requires.
From court order to reinstatement: step by step
Here is the path for the most common case, a first DUI at age 21 or older. Other situations are covered further down.
- Read your sentence and your DDS notice. Your court paperwork says whether DUI school is a condition of your sentence and any deadline. Keep the Official Notice of Suspension DDS sends; you'll need it to reinstate.
- Check your record in DDS Online Services. DDS says the fastest way to see your exact reinstatement steps is to sign in to Online Services or the DDS 2 GO app, once the court has reported the conviction.
- Register with a certified school. DDS only accepts certificates from schools on its certified list; ours is RRP Cert #10432. Under DDS Rule 375-3-3-.05 the course only counts if it was taken and completed after the violation date.
- Sign your contracts. DDS rules require a written contract for each component, with a copy given to you before any service begins.
- Complete the assessment. It's processed at least 30 minutes before your first session. Under DDS policy an assessment is valid for one year; start the course within that year or you pay for a new one.
- Attend all 20 hours. DDS Rule 375-5-6-.15 requires the school to schedule every session within four weeks, with no more than two sessions in one day. You sign the class roll at the start of each session.
- Receive your Certificate of Completion. Keep the original. When needed, we send a copy to your court, probation officer or clerk at no extra cost.
- Wait out the 120 days, then apply to reinstate. For a first DUI in five years at age 21 or older, DDS suspends the license for 12 months but lets you apply after 120 days. Mail your original certificate, the Official Notice of Suspension and full payment ($200) to DDS Validation Unit, P.O. Box 80447, Conyers, Georgia 30013, or bring them to a Customer Service Center and pay $210. DDS says partial payments are not accepted.
- Keep your SR-22 on file. Since September 2025, DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24 requires an SR-22 insurance certificate filed and maintained for three years from the conviction date to reinstate a DUI suspension. Your insurer files it.
Our license reinstatement guide goes deeper on the DDS side, and this article covers starting class before your court date.
Timeline: what happens when
| Milestone | What the official sources say |
|---|---|
| At the stop | Implied consent applies. Refusing the state's test brings a suspension of at least one year and, DDS says, no limited permit if you're convicted of a first DUI. |
| At conviction | The court reports the conviction to DDS. First DUI in five years at 21 or older: 12-month suspension. The court may complete Form DDS-1126 if you appear eligible for a limited permit. |
| Days 1 to 120 | Take the assessment and the 20-hour course, which must finish within four weeks of its first session. A limited permit may be available for a first offense; DDS decides. |
| Day 120 | Earliest date to apply for reinstatement with your certificate, your notice and the fee. |
| Three years from conviction | End of the SR-22 requirement under Rule 375-3-3-.24. |
| Five and ten years | DDS counts prior offenses within five years to set the suspension, and requires a clinical evaluation after two DUI convictions within ten years. |
How much does DUI school cost in Athens, and what else will you pay?
DUI school costs $360 at Athena and at every other certified program in Georgia, because the price is set by law. The other fees below go to DDS or come up only in some cases.
| Fee | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment component (130-question screening) | $100 | The school |
| Intervention component (20-hour course) | $235 | The school |
| Workbook | $25 | The school |
| DUI school total | $360 | The school |
| Reinstatement, first DUI age 21+ | $200 by mail, $210 in person | DDS |
| Limited driving permit, if eligible | $32 (up to one year); $10 renewal; $20 replacement | DDS |
| Replacement Certificate of Completion | Up to $20 | The school |
If paying all at once is hard, qualifying students can take class now and pay later through Stripe. For the full picture, see how much DUI school costs in Georgia.
The four-week window and the attendance rules
DDS Rule 375-5-6-.15 sets the rules every certified school must follow for the 20-hour course.
- Four weeks, two sessions a day at most. All sessions must be completed within four weeks, with no more than two sessions in a single day.
- All 20 hours, no exceptions. No student may be admitted late or dismissed early from any session.
- Class size. A course needs at least five paid contracts and no more than 40 students. If fewer than five show up for the first session, the school may teach, cancel or reschedule.
- Sign in every time. You sign a DDS-format class roll at the start of each session.
- Accommodations. Schools must provide reasonable accommodations for students who are disabled or need help reading or writing.
What happens if you miss a session
DDS's FAQ is blunt: students who arrive late can expect to be denied entry, and students who are absent or leave early may need to start over at full cost. Refunds and make-ups are between you and the school under your contract.
The rule does allow make-ups for an excused absence: military duty, a personal medical emergency or one involving an immediate family member, or a death in your immediate family. Other absences may be excused at the owner's discretion, and a student with an excused absence may finish the missed sessions in another course. Call us before the session, not after.
Live online or in person: which counts?
Both of Athena's formats are the same certified program. DDS Rule 375-5-6-.18 lets certified programs teach through platforms like Zoom as long as the instruction is synchronous: real-time teaching and interaction, on a specific platform, at a specific time, with DDS notified at least 24 hours before class. Online, be settled with a working connection before class starts; the late-arrival rule still applies.
Self-paced online DUI courses won't work for your license. DDS says certificates from online DUI, alcohol or drug use risk reduction courses cannot be accepted for any purpose related to your driver's license or driving privileges. If a website offers a DUI class you can finish on your own time, or for less than $360, it isn't a Georgia-certified Risk Reduction Program. More in Can you take DUI school online in Georgia?
What to bring, and what to keep
- To reinstate: your original Certificate of Completion, the Official Notice of Suspension, full payment and, in person, proof of identity. If you never received a notice, DDS asks for your full name, date of birth, license number, address and Social Security number.
- Keep for years: your certificate, contracts, DDS receipt and SR-22 confirmation. Schools only keep records for three years, and a replacement certificate costs up to $20.
Special situations
Under 21
Georgia presumes a driver under 21 is DUI at a blood alcohol concentration of .02 or more. DDS's Driver's Manual says a first suspension is at least six months for a BAC under .08, and at least 12 months for .08 or higher or a refusal, with no limited permit either way. See Georgia DUI under 21.
Second DUI in five years
DDS says a second DUI conviction within five years brings a suspension of at least 18 months, with no driving at all for the first 120 days. After that "hard suspension" you may be eligible for an ignition interlock limited permit, which under Rule 375-3-3-.10 requires proof of the installed device, your Risk Reduction certificate and court authorization. Two or more DUI convictions within ten years also require a clinical evaluation to reinstate. See ignition interlock in Georgia.
You refused the test
A refusal suspension runs at least one year on its own, and DDS says it makes you ineligible for a limited permit if you're convicted of a first DUI. DUI school is still required.
Out-of-state license or out-of-state DUI
DDS says that if your privileges are suspended in another state for a DUI, you can't get a Georgia license until that state's requirements are met. DDS publishes DUI school guidelines by state and suggests calling (678) 413-8400 before you enroll in a class for another state.
Court-ordered vs. DDS-required
DDS's DUI chart notes that a court may order a clinical evaluation on a first DUI even though DDS doesn't require one, and your judge may set a DUI school deadline earlier than DDS does. Follow the stricter one.
If you're in Athens-Clarke County
From Athens-Clarke County and DDS pages as of this update. Confirm hours before you go.
- Municipal Court handles state misdemeanor traffic cases including DUI, underage possession of alcohol and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. 325 East Washington Street, Suite 170, Athens, GA 30601. Phone 706-613-3690; the court prefers email at municipalcourt@accgov.com.
- State Court hears misdemeanor cases including DUI and runs a DUI/Drug Court. 325 East Washington Street, Suite 425. Phone 706-613-3200, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
- Probation Services supervises misdemeanor probation for the local courts. 110 Bray Street, Athens, GA 30601. Phone 706-613-3911, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
- DDS Customer Service Center. DDS says its Athens center at 1505 US Highway 29 North closed on October 3, 2026, and its new Oconee center at 1627 McNutt Creek Road, Bogart, GA 30622 serves the area from October 6, 2026, Tuesday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, with reinstatements among its services. All DDS centers are closed on Mondays.
Key terms
- Risk Reduction Program: Georgia's legal name for DUI school; an assessment plus a 20-hour intervention course.
- NEEDS assessment: the 130-question screening DDS has approved as the assessment component.
- Certificate of Completion: the document a certified school issues once both components are done; DDS requires the original to reinstate.
- Limited driving permit: a restricted permit DDS may issue during a suspension for driving to work, school, medical care, treatment and court.
- Hard suspension: DDS's term for the first 120 days of a second-DUI suspension, when no driving privileges are available.
- Ignition interlock: a device that keeps a vehicle from starting at a blood alcohol concentration above 0.02; required for 12 months after a second DUI in five years.
- Implied consent: Georgia's rule that drivers must submit to state chemical tests; refusal brings a suspension of at least one year.
- SR-22: an insurance certificate your insurer files with DDS; required for three years from a DUI conviction.
How Athena handles it
Register online, where you sign up, pay and complete your DDS paperwork, or call 706.215.9661, Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm. You'll join the next scheduled class, live online or in person at 110 Athens West Parkway, Ste. C, Athens, GA 30606. You can't register and start class on the same day, so sign up early. When you finish, we send your certificate to the court, probation officer or clerk at no extra cost, and qualifying students can take class now and pay later through Stripe. Read what you learn in DUI school, or start with our complete guide to Georgia DUI school.