Skip to main content
Intoxicated Driver Program Best Practices Guide

Section 1: Tribal Nation/County Roles and Responsibilities

Under Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 62.04, each Tribal nation under Wis. Stat. § 51.01(2c) and each county department under Wis. Stat. § 51.42 are responsible for administering the Intoxicated Driver Program (IDP) within their jurisdiction. This role is known as the IDP Coordinating Authority. The IDP Coordinating Authority is responsible for ensuring required services are available and implemented in accordance with all applicable state statutes and administrative codes.

Assessment agency

The IDP Coordinating Authority must designate a qualified assessment agency for their Tribal nation or county.

Assessment agency requirements are listed in Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 62.05.

The IDP Coordinating Authority should maintain a current, written designation of the approved IDP assessment agency serving their jurisdiction. This documentation should be reviewed at least annually to ensure that designated provider remains active, accessible to clients, and capable of meeting statutory requirements, including timeliness of assessments and adherence to Wis. Admin. Code chs. DHS 62 and DHS 75 where applicable.

Any changes to the assessment agency designation or service arrangements should be clearly documented and communicated to relevant partners, including DHS and DOT, to support continuity in driver safety plan approval and compliance tracking.

Driver safety plan providers

The IDP Coordinating Authority must ensure access to appropriate driver safety plan providers.

A driver safety plan provider may be:

  • An approved public treatment agency, an approved private treatment agency certified by DHS under Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 75 to provide substance use services or a comparable agency lawfully established for that purpose in another state.
  • A traffic safety school under Wis. Admin. Code ch. Trans 106 or comparable school established as a traffic safety school in another state.
  • A substance use treatment program administered by the federal veterans administration that is accredited by The Joint Commission or another nationally recognized health care accrediting body.

Designated coordinator

The Tribal nation or county board responsible for overseeing IDP must appoint a designated coordinator.

The designated coordinator serves as the primary point of responsibility for local IDP administration.

The designated coordinator is responsible for ensuring:

  • Assessments are completed within statutory timeframes.
  • Driver safety plans are developed and referred in accordance with Wisconsin Assessment of the Impaired Driver (WAID) criteria.
  • Required information is submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) in a timely and accurate manner.

This role also works with assessment agencies, driver safety plan providers, and the DOT to support client compliance and continuity of services.

Monitoring and oversight

The IDP Coordinating Authority must identify how ongoing monitoring and oversight of IDP operations will occur at the local level.

This responsibility may be fulfilled by the designated coordinator or through a broader structure, such as an Impaired Driving Interdisciplinary Committee or similar collaborative body. Tribal nations and counties should consider establishing an Impaired Driving Interdisciplinary Committee if the IDP requires coordinated oversight due to high OWI case volume, the involvement of multiple partners, local challenges, or no existing committee with the ability to address system coordination (examples: criminal justice coordinating committees or health and human services boards). Regardless of structure, there should be a clearly identified entity responsible for monitoring IDP processes, identifying system gaps, and supporting continuous improvement across assessment and DSP services.

The IDP Coordinating Authority is responsible for maintaining local procedures that align with Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 62 while allowing for implementation at the local level. This includes addressing access to services, such as assessment availability and timeliness, and ensuring that program administration supports both compliance and appropriate service placement.

Next - Section 2: Assessment Agency Roles and Responsibilities

Glossary