Lamar County License Hearing Guide
How to request your Administrative License Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a DUI arrest.
Last verified: September 6, 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
Lamar County has no DDS office. The nearest is in Thomaston, in Upson County, at 281 Knight Trail, open Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday mornings, closed Sunday and Monday. Tuesdays are the busiest because it's the first day open after the weekend; a mid-week morning is faster. Anything that touches your DUI, a Form 1205 hearing, reinstatement, a limited permit, gets handled there.
A DUI arrest starts a civil case against your license, run by the Department of Driver Services, separate from the criminal case.
The 30-day deadline
If you refused the state's test, or blew 0.08 or higher, the officer took your license and gave you a DDS 1205 form. That's a permit to drive for 45 days and the notice of a pending one-year suspension. You have 30 days from the arrest to request an administrative hearing with a $150 fee. Miss it and the hard one-year suspension takes effect on the 46th day.
DUI school, evaluation, and interlock
A conviction requires the 20-hour Risk Reduction course before license reinstatement, and there's a certified school in Barnesville, so you can complete it without commuting to Griffin or Macon. It has an assessment component and an intervention component. The class directory on this site lists options.
A clinical evaluation by a state-approved provider is a separate requirement, often for first offenders too depending on the judge. If it recommends treatment, you complete a multi-week counseling program before your license can be reinstated.
For a second DUI within five years, or a limited permit after a refusal, an ignition interlock may be required. There's a local installer on Veterans Parkway in Barnesville. You return every 30 days for a data download and calibration, and missing that appointment is reported to probation as a violation. Georgia's approved brands include Intoxalock, Smart Start, and LifeSafer.
A conviction also requires an SR-22 certificate before reinstatement, filed with the state electronically by your insurer.
Last updated: September 6, 2026
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When facing a DUI charge in Lamar County, finding local, experienced representation is critical. Below is our curated list of verified DUI defense attorneys serving Lamar County, GA.