Franklin 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
20-Day Deadline
You have exactly 20 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
When an officer takes your license after a DUI arrest, you get a paper permit good for only 7 calendar days. To keep the suspension from landing on day eight, you have to request an administrative hearing with the Department of Safety within 10 business days of the arrest. This is the strict window for a chemical test refusal or a failed test, not the 30-day window that applies to ordinary point suspensions. Miss it and you lose the right to contest the suspension entirely.
The request must be in writing. A phone call does not count. Send it to the Driver Improvement Section, 1150 Foster Avenue, Nashville, TN 37243, fax it to (615) 253-3104 or (615) 242-3480, or email Driver.Improvement@tn.gov, and allow 48 hours for processing. Keep proof of what you sent and when.
Franklin County splits its services. The county clerk at 1 S. Jefferson St in Winchester, (931) 967-2541, handles tags and titles. Anything to do with the license itself, including reinstatement and a restricted license, goes through the Tullahoma Driver Service Center at 307 Industrial Blvd, open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
A restricted license takes a signed Order for Restricted Driver License from the judge, an SR-22 filed by a high-risk insurer, a reinstatement fee, and, in almost every modern Tennessee DUI case, an installed ignition interlock. The interlock needs a recalibration every month, and a missed appointment or a reading above 0.02 is logged as a violation, sent to the state automatically, and can revoke the restricted license and trigger a probation violation warrant.
Three shops install the device. Dustys Auto and Diesel Solutions Garage at 1773 Bypass Rd in Winchester, (931) 278-6012, and CJ's Automotive and Tire at 1498 Sharp Springs Rd, (931) 266-0984, both handle Intoxalock. Radio Active at 210 S. Anderson St in Tullahoma, (931) 538-4320, handles Intoxalock and Alcohol Detection Systems. You can also find a licensed installer through this site's directory.
If the court orders continuous alcohol monitoring, usually through the Recovery Court, there is no SCRAM storefront in Winchester. It is set up through the judicial district's probation officers or a contracted state monitoring provider.
Last updated: September 4, 2026
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When facing a DUI charge in Franklin County, finding local, experienced representation is critical. Below is our curated list of verified DUI defense attorneys serving Franklin County, TN.