Coweta 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
The most dangerous deadline in a Coweta County DUI comes before the first court date. The officer takes the physical license at arrest and issues a DDS Form 1205, a permit for 45 days. From the arrest date, the driver has 30 calendar days to act. Do nothing and the license suspends automatically on day 46, and for a chemical test refusal that's a hard 12-month suspension with no limited permit and no early reinstatement.
There are two mutually exclusive ways to stop it. File an appeal for an ALS hearing using DDS Form 1206 with a $150 fee. That keeps the temporary permit valid until the hearing, which is held by an administrative law judge, not the criminal court, and where the arresting officer carries the burden of proving the stop and arrest were lawful and the implied consent warning was read right. If the officer doesn't show or can't meet that burden, the suspension is dropped. The other option is to waive the hearing and install an ignition interlock: put the device in within 30 days, bring the installation certificate to the Newnan DDS office, and pay a $25 permit fee. The interlock stays on for 120 days if the driver took the test and failed it, or a full 12 months if they refused.
The Newnan DDS office is at 87 Newnan Station Drive. It's closed Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, open Tuesday through Friday until 6 p.m. That three-day weekend closure is worth building into the 30-day math.
Interlock installation in Newnan is handled through several shops. Smart Start installs through an affiliate on Highway 154, LifeSafer operates on Tower Way and advertises same-day installation, and Intoxalock installs at a shop on Greenville Street. Installation runs $70 to $150, then $70 to $80 a month for the lease and calibration.
Last updated: September 5, 2026
Top Rated Coweta County DUI Attorneys
When facing a DUI charge in Coweta County, finding local, experienced representation is critical. Below is our curated list of verified DUI defense attorneys serving Coweta County, GA.