Richmond County DDS ALS Hearing Guide
How to appeal your Administrative License Suspension (ALS) and protect your driving privileges after a DUI arrest.
Last verified: September 5, 2026
10-Day Deadline
You have exactly 10 business days from your arrest to appeal your Administrative License Suspension (ALS). Miss this deadline and your license is automatically suspended. No exceptions.
Enter your arrest date to see your deadline:
If You Appeal in Time
- * Hearing scheduled at 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 Appeal Your ALS
In Georgia, you appeal your Administrative License Suspension by filing a request with the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS). The hearing is conducted by the Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH), not in criminal court.
File Through Attorney
Why: Must be filed properly with DDS
Deadline: Within 10 business days
Handles both ALS appeal and criminal case
File Pro Se (Self)
Where: Georgia DDS
What to File: ALS Appeal Request + $150 fee
Method: Online, mail, or in person
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 (you should have received this)
- * 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 with interlock)
- 2nd:3-year suspension (limited permit after 120 days)
- 3rd+:5-year suspension (no limited permit for 2 years)
Refused Chemical Test
- 1st:1-year hard suspension (no limited permit)
- 2nd:3-year hard suspension (no limited permit)
- 3rd+:5-year hard suspension (no limited permit)
Important: 10-Year Lookback
Georgia looks back 10 years for prior DUI offenses. A second offense within 10 years carries significantly harsher penalties per O.C.G.A. § 40-5-67.1.
What to Expect at the Hearing
ALS appeals are heard by OSAH
The Office of State Administrative Hearings conducts Georgia ALS hearings. This is separate from your criminal court case and typically held via telephone or video.
Duration
30-60 minutes typically
Who's There
You, your attorney, hearing officer, possibly arresting officer
What They Review
Probable cause for stop, proper test procedures, implied consent reading
Evidence That Can Help
- Dashcam or bodycam showing procedural errors
- Intoxilyzer 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
- DDS has experience against you
- 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
Drive with device installed
Limited Permit
Work, school, medical, treatment
Georgia DDS Augusta Office
For license reinstatement after suspension ends, or questions about your driving record:
FAQ
Related Guides
A Richmond County DUI arrest starts a case against the license that the criminal court judge does not control. The officer takes the physical license and issues a DDS Form 1205, a paper permit good for 45 days. But the driver has 30 calendar days from the arrest to either request a hearing or apply for an ignition interlock permit. Miss that and the suspension goes hard, which for a test refusal means a full year with no permit of any kind.
The hearing request can't be filed at the Augusta DDS office. It has to be mailed to the Department of Driver Services headquarters in Conyers with a $150 fee paid by check or money order. Sending the form without the payment gets it rejected automatically, and by the time that's sorted out the deadline has usually passed. Send it certified mail with a return receipt, because a form that gets lost is the same as one never filed.
Reinstatement and other in-person license work run through the Augusta DDS Customer Service Center at 3423 Mike Padgett Highway, which is closed Sundays and Mondays. That closure makes Tuesdays the busiest day of the week there.
The interlock permit is the other path: waive the hearing, install an approved device, pay a $25 permit fee, and keep driving. Two companies dominate the Augusta market, Intoxalock and SmartStart, and Intoxalock in particular installs through local mechanic shops rather than its own centers, so a device problem can leave the shop pointing at the software and the call center pointing at the install. The devices draw power even when the car is off, and a car that sits more than two or three days, especially in cold weather, can end up with a battery too dead to start, which the device logs as a tamper. Clearing that lockout costs $50 to $75 plus a tow.
Court-ordered SCRAM alcohol monitoring, if imposed, is administered through the circuit's misdemeanor probation contractor and runs about $10 to $12 a day, roughly $300 to $360 a month, plus an installation fee. It can't be submerged, and alcohol-based lotions or cleaning products can trigger a reading the defendant then has to explain.
Sources
Last updated: September 5, 2026
24/7 Legal Support
Need a DUI Attorney in Richmond County?
Get connected with experienced DUI attorneys who know Augusta courts and can fight for the best outcome.