Apache County License Hearing Guide
How to request your MVD Implied Consent Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a DUI arrest.
Last verified: July 12, 2026
15-Day Deadline
You have exactly 15 days from your arrest to request a hearing. Miss this deadline and your license is automatically suspended. No exceptions.
Enter your arrest date to see your deadline:
If You Request in Time
- • Temporary permit until hearing
- • Chance to keep your license
- • Gather evidence for defense
If You Miss the Deadline
- • Automatic 90-180 day suspension
- • No hearing, no appeal
- • Starts after waiting period
How to Request Your Hearing
Online Request
Fee: Typically $50-$125
Available: 24/7
Instant confirmation
Phone Request
Fee: Same as online
Hours: Business hours only
Expect hold times
Information You'll Need
From Your Notice:
- • Driver License Number
- • Date of Arrest
- • Arresting Agency
- • Arresting Officer Name
Personal Information:
- • Full Legal Name
- • Current Address
- • Date of Birth
- • Phone Number & Email
After You Request
Temporary Permit
ImmediateDrive legally until your hearing
Hearing Notice
20-40 daysDate, time, and format mailed to you
Prepare Defense
Before hearingGather evidence, hire attorney
Attend Hearing
Scheduled dateUsually phone or video
Decision
Same dayWin: keep license. Lose: suspension starts
Temporary Permit
Immediate
Drive until hearing
Hearing Notice
20-40 days
Date mailed to you
Prepare
Before hearing
Gather evidence
Attend Hearing
Scheduled
Phone or video
Decision
Same day
Win or suspension
What to Expect at the Hearing
Most hearings are by phone or video
You usually don't need to travel. When you receive your hearing notice, it will specify whether it's phone, video, or in-person.
Duration
30-60 minutes typically
Who's There
You, your attorney (optional), state attorney, hearing officer
What They Review
Probable cause for stop, proper arrest procedure, test validity
Evidence That Can Help
- Dashcam or bodycam footage showing procedural errors
- Breathalyzer calibration records (if not current)
- Witness statements about your sobriety
- Medical conditions affecting field sobriety tests
Should You Hire an Attorney?
With an Attorney
- Can subpoena arresting officer
- Knows how to challenge evidence
- Uses hearing to strengthen criminal defense
- Higher success rate at hearings
Without an Attorney
- State has experienced attorney present
- May not know proper objections
- Can't effectively cross-examine officers
- Lower win rate statistically
If You Lose Your Hearing
Losing the hearing isn't the end. You still have options to maintain limited driving privileges:
Ignition Interlock
Drive with device installed
Occupational License
Limited driving for work/essentials
Arizona DMV Office
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Guides
If your license reinstatement requires a road skills test, the St. Johns MVD office can't help you. It's a video-assisted "TeleMVD" location with no capacity to administer one; you'll have to travel to Show Low or Safford instead.
The 15-Day Deadline
An officer who serves you an Admin Per Se affidavit at arrest seizes your physical license on the spot; the yellow copy becomes a temporary permit good for 15 days. Request an Executive Hearing within that window and the suspension is stayed, meaning you keep driving until the hearing date, often months out. Miss the 15 days, and the suspension, typically 90 days, becomes automatic on day 16 with no further options.
Where to Handle License Business
The St. Johns TeleMVD, at US 180 mile marker 369.4, connects you to a technician by video for most transactions, but doesn't offer road tests. There are no major Authorized Third Party MVD providers based in the remote parts of Apache County itself; the nearest are in Show Low, Flagstaff, or the Phoenix metro area. AZMVDNow.gov handles the basics remotely: checking suspension status, paying the $20 reinstatement fee, and ordering a duplicate license.
If You Need an Interlock
Installers serve the county from Springerville (Smart Start, QuickStart) and St. Johns (Intoxalock), with Show Low as a fallback if the local shop is booked. Winter in the White Mountains is a real hazard for these devices — extreme cold can drain a parked car's battery overnight, and a dead battery gets logged as a tamper or power-disconnect violation rather than treated as an ordinary mechanical failure. Ask specifically about a cold-weather model with a sleep mode or a detachable head unit if the vehicle sits outside through the winter.
Last updated: July 12, 2026
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