Horry County License Hearing Guide
How to request your Administrative License Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a DUI arrest.
Last verified: September 4, 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
A DUI in Horry County suspends a license by two different clocks depending on what happened at the roadside. Refuse the breath test entirely and the suspension runs six months. Submit and blow 0.15% or higher and it's 30 days instead. Either way, the arresting officer hands over a blue "Notice of Suspension" form on the spot, and the back of that same form is the petition for a hearing to fight it.
The window to file is exactly 30 days from the date on that notice, mailed to the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings headquarters in Columbia — an absolute deadline with no flexibility. The $200 filing fee has to be a cashier's check or certified money order; a personal check gets rejected outright, and if that rejection comes back after the 30-day window has closed, the right to a hearing is simply gone. Filing on time doesn't restore driving privileges by itself, either — a driver has to separately apply for a Temporary Alcohol License, an extra $100, to legally drive while the case is pending.
One tactic actually favors the defense here: the OMVH's subpoena power. A defense attorney can compel both the arresting officer and the Datamaster DMT operator to appear at the hearing, and if either one is a no-show, which happens fairly often given shift changes and staff turnover, the state can't meet its burden of proof. The hearing officer typically rescinds the suspension by default when that happens.
South Carolina's ignition interlock mandate now applies to any DUI, DUAC, or felony DUI conviction. Horry County's coastal side has little automotive infrastructure, so installers cluster inland and around Myrtle Beach's commercial corridor: ADS Ignition Interlock operates out of West Tire & Auto Repair on Pine Island Road, Simple Interlock runs a dedicated location on Lichen Court with online appointment booking, and Smart Start services the broader Myrtle Beach region.
Last updated: September 4, 2026
Top Rated Horry County DUI Attorneys
When facing a DUI charge in Horry County, finding local, experienced representation is critical. Below is our curated list of verified DUI defense attorneys serving Horry County, SC.