Underage drinking is discussed in the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS).

Section 30- 89 (a) of Connecticut General Statutes states that it is unlawful for a minor (under the age of 21) to purchase, or attempt to purchase or to make a false statement in connection with the attempted purchase of alcohol. The sanction is a fine of $200-$500.

Section 30- 89(b) states that any minor who possesses any alcoholic liquor on public or private property shall, for a first offense, have committed an infraction and, for any subsequent offense, be fined not less than two hundred dollars or more than five hundred dollars.

The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) can also take action against your license for underage drinking whether it happened in or out of a motor vehicle. They note that the reminder that Connecticut General Statute 30-89(b) makes it illegal for a minor to possess alcohol, in or out of a motor vehicle, and any conviction under this statute will result in a fine and suspension of the minor’s operator’s license for 30 to 60 days.

It would appear it is under section 14-111e of the CGS that they are allowed to suspend your license. Section 14-111e is titled Suspension or delay of issuance of operator's license for misuse of license to procure liquor. Subsection (a) notes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall suspend, for a period of up to one hundred fifty days, the motor vehicle operator's license or nonresident operating privilege of any person under the age of twenty-one who has been convicted of a violation of section 30-88a involving the misuse of an operator's license or section 30-89 involving the purchase and possession of alcoholic liquor by a minor.

The Connecticut DMV could give you more information about the driver's license suspension and what you will need to do after your 30 days to reinstate it.

A suspension for underage drinking may affect your insurance rates depending upon your insurance carrier's rating system. Drinking while under the age of 21 can be considered serious by an insurance provider even if you were not in the car at the time of the citation since it shows risky behavior by you and thus may pose more of a risk to them to insure, especially since you are a young driver that already statistically makes you more of a risk to the insurance carrier.

If your rates do rise you can click here for your car insurance needs.