Henry County License Hearing Guide

The clock that decides whether a Henry County DUI defendant keeps driving is 30 days, not the 45 printed on the DDS-1205 permit. Within 30 calendar days of the arrest, the driver has to request an Administrative License Suspension hearing, which costs $150 and stops the suspension from taking effect, or waive the hearing and install an ignition interlock to get a limited permit for work, school, and treatment. Do nothing and the license suspends automatically on day 46 for a full year. Georgia widened this window from 10 days to 30 back in 2017, which gives more room to decide but doesn't change how final the deadline is.

Reinstatement and in-person license business for Henry County residents run through the DDS Customer Service Center at 619 Tanger Boulevard in Locust Grove. It's closed Sundays and Mondays, open Tuesday through Friday until 6 p.m. and Saturday mornings. Sitting next to the Tanger outlet mall, it draws heavy traffic and long waits, especially on Saturdays. The kiosks there only handle simple renewals; a reinstatement needs a counter agent.

The court can also order continuous alcohol monitoring, usually a SCRAM ankle bracelet that samples sweat for alcohol every 30 minutes, along with GPS monitoring for higher-risk defendants. In Henry County the cost falls entirely on the defendant: a $25 activation fee plus $40 a day, which comes to $280 a week, and it has to be paid a week ahead. Falling behind on those payments counts as a violation of release conditions and can send someone back to jail, not for drinking, but for not paying.