Catoosa County License Hearing Guide
How to request your Administrative License Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a DUI arrest.
Last verified: September 5, 2026
30-Day Deadline
You have exactly 30 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
You have 30 calendar days from a Catoosa County DUI arrest to act on your license. File a hearing request with a $150 fee, or waive the hearing and install an ignition interlock for a limited permit. Miss the deadline and you lose the right to challenge the suspension, and if the arrest was for refusing the test, it's a hard 12 months with no work or hardship permit.
Guard the yellow DDS 1205 form the officer gave you. Your physical license is gone, and that paper is your only proof you can legally drive for the next 45 days. Keep it in the car.
Catoosa County has no DDS office of its own. The nearest one is in Rock Spring, to the south, or you can go to Dalton. For anything routine, set up a DDS online account or use the DDS 2 GO app so you can check your license status without a trip or the long wait on the 1-800 line.
A second suspension you might not see coming
If the DUI involved a crash, an older driver, or heavy prescription medication, the officer or court can ask the DDS to review your fitness to drive. The DDS mails a medical form that a doctor has to complete and return within 30 days. Miss that and your license is revoked on medical grounds, completely separate from the DUI case.
After a conviction
Reinstatement is $200 by mail or online, $210 in person, plus an SR-22 from an insurer and proof of the 20-hour Risk Reduction course, a fixed $360. A school in Ringgold off I-75 Exit 348 runs the 20 hours over Tuesday-through-Friday evenings and also does the clinical evaluation the assessment can trigger.
The interlock
The local installer in Ringgold is primarily a car audio shop, so you have to book a dedicated appointment through Smart Start's scheduling line rather than walking in. Continuous alcohol monitoring, if a judge orders it, is available from a Ringgold provider, with a regional company doing mobile installs across the Chattanooga area as a backup.
Last updated: September 5, 2026
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