There are two situations in which most state laws allow police officers to confiscate your driver's license should you be arrested for drunk driving. The first situation is if you refuse to take a blood, breath, or urine test as lawfully requested by the officer. The second situation is if you agree to take the test and fail it. If either of these two situations occurs, the officer is empowered to take your license at that time. The citation for drunk driving will sometimes constitute a temporary license to allow you to get your affairs in order. Upon the expiration of this temporary driver's license, your license will be considered revoked or suspended and, should you continue to drive, you could be subject to additional penalties including possible fines and imprisonment. Depending on the criminal charges brought against you in a hearing, your license may be suspended for up to a year. Certain cases of hardship may allow you to drive to and from work only with a business permit. However, this must be decided upon in a separate hearing and these special permits are often difficult to obtain. For more information, contact an attorney or law enforcement agency.