---
title: "What should someone do in the first 24 hours after a Chicago DUI arrest?"
description: "The first 24 hours after a Chicago DUI arrest are the most consequential window in the entire case. Illinois issues a Statutory Summary Suspension that takes effect automatically on the 46th day..."
url: https://chicagoduilawyer.net/faq-items/what-should-someone-do-in-the-first-24-hours-after-a-chicago-dui-arrest/
date: 2026-07-08
modified: 2026-07-08
author: "Chicago DUI Lawyer"
type: faq
lang: en
---

# What should someone do in the first 24 hours after a Chicago DUI arrest?

The first 24 hours after a Chicago DUI arrest are the most consequential window in the entire case. Illinois issues a **Statutory Summary Suspension** that takes effect automatically on the 46th day after arrest under 625 ILCS 5/11-501.1. A Chicago DUI lawyer typically prioritizes three actions inside that first day: preserve the bond paperwork and the **DS367 Notice of Summary Suspension**, request squad-car and body-cam video before agency retention windows expire, and calendar the deadline to file a Petition to Rescind. The Illinois criminal case and the Secretary of State administrative case run on separate tracks, so both need attention immediately. Skipping the administrative filing is the most common way defendants lose driving privileges they could have preserved.