DeKalb County DDS Administrative Hearing Guide
How to appeal your Administrative License Suspension (ALS) and protect your driving privileges after a DUI arrest in Georgia.
Last verified: September 5, 2026
10-Day Deadline
You have exactly 10 business days from your arrest to request an Administrative License Suspension (ALS) hearing with DDS. Miss this deadline and your license is automatically suspended on day 46. No exceptions.
Enter your arrest date to see your deadline:
If You Appeal in Time
- * Hearing scheduled before OSAH
- * Chance to keep your license
- * May get limited permit faster
If You Miss the Deadline
- * Automatic 1-year suspension
- * No hearing, no appeal
- * Starts on day 46
How to Request Your DDS Hearing
In Georgia, you request your Administrative License Suspension hearing through the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS). The hearing is conducted by the Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH), not criminal court.
File Through Attorney
Why: Must be filed properly with DDS
Deadline: Within 10 business days of arrest
Handles both ALS appeal and criminal case
File Pro Se (Self)
Where: Georgia DDS online or by mail
What to File: DDS Form DS-1205
Cost: $150 filing fee
Not recommended - legal complexity
What the Hearing Officer Will Consider
Grounds for Appeal:
- * Officer lacked reasonable suspicion for stop
- * Improper administration of chemical test
- * Officer failed to read implied consent notice
- * Testing equipment not properly calibrated
Documents to Gather:
- * DDS Form 1205 (permit/suspension notice)
- * Citation and ticket copies
- * Any police reports available
- * Witness information
Georgia ALS Suspension Periods
Failed Chemical Test (0.08+ BAC)
- 1st:1-year suspension (limited permit after 30 days)
- 2nd:3-year suspension (limited permit after 120 days)
- 3rd+:5-year revocation (no limited permit for 2 years)
Refused Chemical Test
- 1st:1-year suspension (limited permit after 30 days with IID)
- 2nd:3-year suspension (limited permit after 18 months)
- 3rd+:5-year revocation (no limited permit)
Important: 10-Year Lookback
Georgia looks back 10 years for prior DUI offenses. A fourth offense within 10 years is a felony under O.C.G.A. 40-6-391.
What to Expect at the Hearing
ALS hearings are conducted by OSAH
The Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH) conducts these hearings, not the criminal court. This is a civil proceeding separate from your criminal DUI case.
Duration
30-60 minutes typically
Who's There
You, your attorney, hearing officer, possibly arresting officer
What They Review
Probable cause for stop, implied consent procedures, test validity
Evidence That Can Help
- Dashcam or bodycam 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 challenge stop legality
- Knows how to challenge test procedures
- Can negotiate limited permit faster
- Handles both ALS appeal and criminal case
Without an Attorney
- State has experienced prosecutors
- May not know proper legal arguments
- Harder to get limited permit
- Lower success rate statistically
If You Lose Your Appeal
Losing the ALS appeal isn't the end. You still have options to maintain limited driving privileges:
Ignition Interlock Device
Drive with IID installed
Limited Driving Permit
Work, school, medical, treatment
Georgia DDS Customer Service Center
For license reinstatement after suspension ends, or questions about your driving record:
FAQ
Related Guides
The DDS-1205 form from a DeKalb County DUI arrest is a temporary license good for 45 days, but the number that matters is 30. Within 30 days of the arrest, the driver has to either request an administrative hearing or commit to an ignition interlock. Do neither and the license suspends automatically once the permit lapses, a full year with no work permit at all if the arrest involved a breath test refusal.
Requesting the hearing means a $150 fee and a letter to the Department of Driver Services in Conyers. It pauses the suspension and buys leverage: DeKalb defense attorneys routinely use the hearing to negotiate directly with the arresting officer, trading a guilty plea in the criminal case for the officer dropping the license suspension. The other path is to skip the hearing, install an interlock right away, apply for the limited permit within the same 30 days, and pay a $25 permit fee. That guarantees the ability to drive, restricted to work, school, and medical trips, and avoids the gamble of losing the hearing.
Reinstatement, once DUI school and fines are done, costs about $210 for a first offense and is handled at the DDS center at 2801 Candler Road in Decatur. That office is closed Sundays and Mondays, which catches people off guard. If the stop involved speeds over 75 mph on a two-lane road or 85 on a highway, Georgia adds a separate $200 Super Speeder fee that has to be cleared before reinstatement.
DUI school is a two-part Risk Reduction Program: a 130-question assessment for about $100, then a 20-hour course for about $260. The schools are private and scattered around the county.
An interlock has to be installed and then serviced monthly at a provider's shop. Smart Start operates on Candler Road near the DDS office, and LifeSafer, Intoxalock, and A-1 Interlock all serve DeKalb. One recurring problem: the device pulls a small amount of power even with the car off, and on an older battery or in cold weather that can be enough to prevent a start. Driving the car daily keeps the battery up, and a power-failure lockout can mean paying for a reset code.
Sources
Last updated: September 5, 2026
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