--- title: "Thanksgiving 2026 DUI Enforcement in Los Angeles: CHP Patrols, Checkpoints and Your DMV Deadline" description: "Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26. The CHP's holiday crackdown made 1,281 DUI arrests statewide last year. Here is what to expect on Los Angeles roads, what you have to do at a checkpoint, and the 10-day DMV deadline that starts the moment you're arrested." url: "https://www.thehfirm.com/blog/thanksgiving-dui-enforcement-los-angeles-2026" site: "H Law Group" published: "2026-11-10T17:00:00.000Z" --- # Thanksgiving 2026 DUI Enforcement in Los Angeles: CHP Patrols, Checkpoints and Your DMV Deadline Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26. The CHP's holiday crackdown made 1,281 DUI arrests statewide last year. Here is what to expect on Los Angeles roads, what you have to do at a checkpoint, and the 10-day DMV deadline that starts the moment you're arrested. Category: DUI Law Author: Nima Haddadi -- California DUI and criminal defense lawyer Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, and the long weekend is one of the heaviest stretches of DUI enforcement on the California calendar. The simplest advice is still the best: if you've been drinking, don't drive. Book the rideshare, pick a sober driver, or stay where you are. For anyone who does end up in the back of a patrol car, this post covers what to expect from the CHP and local police over the holiday, what you are and aren't required to do at a stop, and the DMV deadline that most people miss because nobody tells them about it. ## The CHP's Thanksgiving crackdown, by the numbers Every Thanksgiving the California Highway Patrol runs a Maximum Enforcement Period, putting every available officer on the road for the holiday weekend. In 2025 it ran from 6:01 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, and ended with [1,281 DUI arrests statewide](https://canyonlakeinsider.com/chp-thanksgiving-weekend-crackdown-results-in-1281-dui-arrests/), along with 21,280 speeding citations, 718 of them for drivers going over 100 mph. Arrest counts have climbed three years running: | Thanksgiving period | CHP DUI arrests statewide | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 2023 | 1,047 | Fox40, citing CHP | | 2024 | 1,113 | Contra Costa News, citing CHP | | 2025 | 1,281 | Canyon Lake Insider, citing CHP | The CHP had not announced its 2026 schedule when this was published. In recent years the period has started at 6:01 p.m. on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and run through Sunday night, so plan on Wednesday, Nov. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 29. We'll update this post when the CHP confirms. ## LAPD checkpoints and saturation patrols The CHP handles freeways and unincorporated areas. Inside the city, the Los Angeles Police Department posts its DUI checkpoint and saturation patrol schedule each week on the [LAPD newsroom](https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/). Its 2026 notices list each checkpoint by date and cross streets, usually running from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., and the department says locations are picked based on local DUI crash and arrest data. Locations can change or be canceled on short notice. Other agencies in L.A. County, including the Sheriff's Department and city police in places like Long Beach and Santa Monica, run their own operations, so a clear route through the city doesn't mean a clear route home. Our guide to [DUI checkpoints in California](/dui/dui-checkpoints) explains how they're supposed to be set up. ## What you have to do at a checkpoint, and what you don't Sobriety checkpoints are legal in California as long as they follow the guidelines the California Supreme Court set in Ingersoll v. Palmer (1987): supervisors pick the location, cars are stopped on a neutral pattern, the stop is brief, and the checkpoint is clearly marked. Within those rules, here is how the stop usually works. - You have to stop and show your license and registration if asked. - You don't have to answer questions about where you've been or how much you've had to drink. A polite "I'd rather not answer questions" is enough. - Field sobriety tests (walking a line, standing on one leg, following a pen with your eyes) are voluntary. Our page on [field sobriety tests](/dui/field-sobriety-test) explains why they are hard to pass even sober. - The handheld roadside breath test, called a preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) test, is also voluntary for most adult drivers, and [Vehicle Code 23612](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=23612) requires the officer to tell you that. The exceptions are drivers under 21 and people on probation for DUI. - After a lawful DUI arrest, California's implied consent law requires a chemical test of your breath or blood. Refusing at that point carries its own penalties, starting with a one-year license suspension for a first refusal. Our [breathalyzer test guide](/dui/breathalyzer-test) covers the difference between the two tests. Turning off before a checkpoint is not a crime by itself. Making an illegal U-turn or crossing a double yellow line to do it gives an officer a reason to stop you anyway. ## If you're arrested: the 10-day DMV deadline A DUI arrest in California starts two separate cases. The criminal case goes through the court. The license case goes through the DMV, and it moves much faster. You have [10 days from the arrest to request a DMV hearing](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-education-and-safety/dmv-safety-guidelines-actions/administrative-hearings/). If you don't, the DMV suspends your license automatically when the temporary license on your pink notice runs out, 30 days after the arrest. Over a holiday weekend that clock is easy to lose. The 10 days include Thanksgiving and the weekend, and DMV offices close for the holiday. An arrest on Wednesday night, Nov. 25, gives you until Saturday, Dec. 5. DMV phone lines and offices keep business hours, so waiting until the last weekend is a bad bet. Our [DMV deadline calculator](/tools/dmv-deadline-calculator) works out the date for you, and our post on [missing the 10-day deadline](/blog/missed-10-day-dmv-hearing-deadline-dui) explains what can still be done if it has already passed. | | DMV license case | Criminal court case | | --- | --- | --- | | What it decides | Whether your license is suspended | Whether you're convicted, and the sentence | | Deadline to act | 10 days from arrest to request a hearing | Your arraignment date on the citation or bail paperwork | | Who decides | A DMV hearing officer | A judge, or a jury at trial | | What happens if you do nothing | Automatic suspension after 30 days | A bench warrant if you miss court | The first day after an arrest matters most. Our guide to [the first 24 hours after a DUI arrest](/blog/first-24-hours-after-dui-arrest-california) walks through it step by step, and our [DMV hearing page](/dui/dmv-hearings) explains what happens at the hearing itself. ## A DUI this weekend could carry a new 2027 warning California's new DUI laws take effect Jan. 1, 2027, about five weeks after Thanksgiving. The penalty changes in AB 1546, including the new [felony option for a third DUI](/blog/third-dui-felony-california-2027), apply only to offenses committed on or after that date, so a Thanksgiving arrest is still sentenced under current law. One change is different. [Braun's Law (SB 907)](/blog/brauns-law-2027-california-dui-plea-deals) attaches the Watson murder advisement to pleas that reduce a DUI to a lesser charge, such as a wet reckless, and that requirement is tied to when the plea is entered. Most DUI cases take more than five weeks to resolve. A Thanksgiving arrest that ends in a reduced plea in 2027 is likely to come with that warning on the record. Our overview of [the new California DUI laws for 2027](/new-california-dui-laws-2027) covers all four bills. ## Getting home without driving Rideshare surge pricing on Thanksgiving weekend is real, and it is still a fraction of what a DUI costs. Our [DUI cost breakdown](/dui/cost-of-dui) shows how quickly fines, fees, DUI classes and insurance increases add up. If you're hosting, offering a couch is cheaper for everyone. If you're out, decide how you're getting home before the first drink, not after the last one. ## Frequently asked questions ### When does the CHP's Thanksgiving DUI enforcement start in 2026? The CHP hadn't announced its 2026 hours when this post was published. In recent years its Maximum Enforcement Period has run from 6:01 p.m. on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, which this year would be Nov. 25 through Nov. 29. The CHP usually confirms the dates in a press release the week of the holiday. ### Are DUI checkpoints legal in California? Yes. The California Supreme Court upheld sobriety checkpoints in Ingersoll v. Palmer (1987), provided they follow set guidelines such as neutral selection of cars, a supervisor-chosen location, and clear warning signs. A checkpoint that ignores those guidelines can be challenged in court. ### Do I have to take a breathalyzer at a DUI checkpoint? The roadside preliminary alcohol screening test is voluntary for most drivers 21 and older who are not on DUI probation, and the officer must tell you that. After a lawful arrest, refusing the chemical breath or blood test is different: it triggers a license suspension and can be used against you in court. ### How long do I have to request a DMV hearing after a DUI arrest? Ten days from the date of arrest. If you don't request a hearing in time, the DMV suspends your license automatically when your 30-day temporary license expires. Holidays and weekends count toward the 10 days. ### Do the new 2027 DUI laws apply to a Thanksgiving 2026 arrest? The tougher repeat-offender penalties in AB 1546 apply only to offenses on or after Jan. 1, 2027. Braun's Law is tied to the date a plea is entered, so a 2026 arrest that ends in a reduced plea in 2027 may include the new murder advisement. ## Sources - [CHP Thanksgiving weekend crackdown results in 1,281 DUI arrests](https://canyonlakeinsider.com/chp-thanksgiving-weekend-crackdown-results-in-1281-dui-arrests/), Canyon Lake Insider, Dec. 1, 2025 - [CHP makes 1,113 DUI arrests during Thanksgiving weekend enforcement](https://contracosta.news/2024/12/03/chp-makes-1113-dui-arrests-during-thanksgiving-weekend-enforcement/), Contra Costa News, Dec. 3, 2024 - [CHP makes over 1,000 arrests during Thanksgiving maximum enforcement period](https://fox40.com/news/california-connection/chp-arrests-over-1000-people-during-2023-thanksgiving-maximum-enforcement-period/), Fox40 - [LAPD Newsroom: DUI checkpoint and saturation patrol notices](https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/), Los Angeles Police Department - [Vehicle Code section 23612 (implied consent and PAS advisement)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=23612), California Legislative Information - [Administrative hearings](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-education-and-safety/dmv-safety-guidelines-actions/administrative-hearings/), California DMV - [Ingersoll v. Palmer (1987) 43 Cal.3d 1321](https://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/ingersoll-v-palmer-30801), Supreme Court of California Resources, Stanford Law School ## About Nima Haddadi Nima Haddadi is a leading California DUI and criminal defense attorney with deep expertise in handling complex cases. Known for strategic defense and courtroom strength, he is a trusted choice for clients facing DUI, felony, and misdemeanor charges. --- ## Contact H Law Group - Phone: (888) 499-4948 (phones answered 24/7) - Email: info@thehlawgroup.com - Free consultation: https://www.thehfirm.com/free-consultation - Contact form: https://www.thehfirm.com/contact-us ### Offices - Los Angeles Branch: 714 W Olympic Blvd, Suite 803, Los Angeles, CA 90015 -- (213) 463-5888 - San Diego Branch: 600 W Broadway, Suite 700, San Diego, CA 92101 -- (619) 257-6655 - San Jose Branch: 333 W San Carlos St, San Jose, CA 95110 -- (408) 547-9982 - Orange County Branch: 2030 Main St, Suite 1300, Irvine, CA 92614 -- (949) 356-9818 - Riverside County Branch: 41593 Winchester Rd, Suite 200, Temecula, CA 92590 -- (951) 327-7161 - Santa Barbara Branch: 1117 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 -- (888) 499-4948 ### Disclaimer This website provides general legal information only and does not create an attorney-client relationship. For legal advice about your specific situation, contact H Law Group directly.