Chesterfield County License Hearing Guide

Refuse a breathalyzer in Chesterfield County, or blow a .15% or higher, and the arresting officer suspends the license right there on the spot, issuing a Notice of Suspension that starts a 30-day clock to fight it.

That fight goes through the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings in Columbia, not any local court. The hearing request has to arrive within those 30 calendar days along with a $200 fee, and missing the deadline means losing the right to challenge the suspension permanently, regardless of what happens later in the criminal case. Certified mail with a return receipt is the safest way to prove timely filing for anyone mailing the request in. Hearings themselves feel less like a courtroom than a conference room, run by an administrative hearing officer rather than a judge, with satellite locations available in Chester and Florence so a Chesterfield County resident isn't always required to travel to Columbia.

Once the hearing request is filed and the receipt is in hand, the next move is applying for a Temporary Alcohol License, which costs an additional $100 through the SCDMV and restores unrestricted driving until the hearing officer rules. Win the hearing, and the TAL gets exchanged for a standard reinstated license. Lose it, and the TAL is revoked, with the full suspension taking effect. Since these hearings function differently from criminal court, a defendant should show up ready to present real evidence, records, testimony, that the arresting officer lacked probable cause or skipped required procedure during testing, since the SCDMV carries the burden only once it initiates the suspension in the first place.

As of August 2025, every attorney handling one of these hearings has to file exclusively through the OMVH's electronic system. Anyone without a lawyer is exempt and can still file the traditional way. And as of November 2024, walk-in filers at the Columbia office can pay by credit card instead of hunting down a cashier's check or money order, though that convenience mostly helps someone able to make the drive to the capital in person.

The Chesterfield SCDMV branch sits at 100 Laney Street, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, with a later 9:30 a.m. start on Wednesday.

Under the state's 2024 All Offender Law, an ignition interlock device is now required for any DUI conviction, regardless of BAC, before driving legally again. The county itself has thin coverage for installers: Smart Start operates out of Joyner Law Firm on Market Street in Cheraw with same-day installs often available, and Intoxalock has locations at T&J Motors in Hartsville and on Cheraw Street in Bennettsville, both a short drive outside the county. Installation typically runs $70 to $150 depending on the vehicle's wiring, with monthly leasing and reporting fees around $3 a day. SR-22 filing is handled electronically between the insurer and the SCDMV, so no local office visit is required there either.