Allen County License Hearing Guide
How to request your Administrative License Suspension (ALS) Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a OVI arrest.
Last verified: October 2, 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
Ohio DMV Office
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Guides
The appeal deadline for an Administrative License Suspension runs 30 days from the initial court appearance, and the appeal has to go to Lima Municipal Court directly, not the BMV office. There's no separate filing fee beyond the standard civil/motion charges. A critical detail many defendants miss: filing the appeal doesn't automatically pause the suspension. A separate motion requesting a "Stay of ALS" has to be filed too, or the suspension stays fully active while the appeal is pending, and driving in the meantime risks a Driving Under Suspension charge on top of everything else.
A skilled defense attorney scrutinizes BMV Form 2255 closely at this stage. The appeal is limited to four narrow questions — reasonable grounds for the stop, a properly requested chemical test, proper advisement of implied-consent consequences, and whether the test was actually refused or failed — but if the officer didn't read the statutory warnings correctly, didn't sign the affidavit before a notary or deputy clerk, or missed the 48-hour filing deadline, a judge can void the suspension outright. The burden falls on the defendant to prove the defect by a preponderance of the evidence.
A Real Piece of Good News: The Fee Dropped
House Bill 37, known as Liv's Law, actually lowered the BMV reinstatement fee from the long-standing $475 down to $315 — a genuine, if modest, financial break for anyone working through an OVI suspension.
The hard suspension periods themselves remain unforgiving. A refusal carries a full one-year suspension with a 30-day hard-suspension blackout where literally no driving privileges exist; a positive test brings a 90-day suspension with a 15-day hard suspension. Municipal judges have zero authority to grant occupational, medical, or educational privileges during either blackout window — planning alternate transportation for that stretch isn't optional.
The local Title Bureau of Lima / Deputy Registrar License Agency sits at 419 N. Elizabeth St., Suite A, open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Last updated: October 2, 2026
Top Rated Allen County OVI Attorneys
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