Phillips County License Hearing Guide
How to request your Express Consent Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a DUI arrest.
Last verified: September 24, 2026
7-Day Deadline
You have exactly 7 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
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Guides
Seven calendar days. That's the window to request a hearing and keep driving after a DUI arrest in Phillips County, and missing it by even one day makes the license revocation automatic and final.
The clock starts differently depending on the test. A breath test failure or a refusal starts the 7 days on the arrest date itself. A blood test starts the 7 days from the date the Department of Revenue mails the Notice of Revocation, since lab results take longer to come back. Either way, the arresting officer hands over an Express Consent Affidavit and Notice of Revocation on the spot, sometimes called the "Yellow Sheet." It doubles as a temporary driving permit valid for exactly 7 days, which is also the deadline to act.
Refusing the test outright carries its own penalty on top of the standard revocation: a mandatory one-year suspension and a Persistent Drunk Driver designation, a status Colorado treats more harshly in future proceedings than a straightforward per se failure at 0.08 or above.
Requesting a hearing has to go through the state DMV directly, not the Phillips County Clerk's office, which has no authority over license matters at all. The nearest full-service Driver License Office is in Sterling: 714 W. Main St., open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., phone (303) 205-5600. That office handles hearing requests, reinstatement, and probationary "Red License" issuance. Reinstatement runs faster with an appointment, since walk-ins aren't guaranteed a hearing officer on the spot.
Once a suspension requires an ignition interlock, Phillips County breaks the usual rural Colorado pattern. Most rural counties amount to an interlock desert, with the nearest certified installer 50 or more miles away. Holyoke has one right in town: a local shop is a certified installer, handling installation, monthly calibration, and removal without anyone having to drive to Sterling or Fort Morgan. Installation runs around $150, with a monthly lease of roughly $70 to $100 plus a $25 to $30 calibration fee, putting the annual cost at over $1,200 for the device alone. If Holyoke doesn't work for some reason, Sterling has a second certified installer and another provider's presence in the region as backups.
Last updated: September 24, 2026
Top Rated Phillips County DUI Attorneys
When facing a DUI charge in Phillips County, finding local, experienced representation is critical. Below is our curated list of verified DUI defense attorneys serving Phillips County, CO.