Jefferson 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
You have 10 business days from your arrest or notice to request an administrative hearing in writing to contest the license suspension. This is the civil case run by the Department of Safety, and it is completely separate from the criminal charge. A phone call does not count. It has to be a written request to the Administrative Procedures Division. Miss the window and the suspension is automatic and permanent for its term, even if the criminal DUI is later dismissed.
When your license is taken at the arrest, you usually get a paper permit good for only 7 calendar days. Drive after it expires, before a restricted license is in hand, and you pick up a separate charge for driving on a suspended license.
The Jefferson County Clerk's driver services counter at 760 Justice Center Drive, Suite A in Dandridge, (865) 397-2935, handles basic renewals only. It is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 to 10:30 a.m. For a reinstatement or to process a restricted license, you go to the full-service Morristown Driver Service Center at 1551 East Morris Blvd, Suite 2, (423) 587-7044.
A restricted license takes an Order for Restricted Driver License, Form SF-0680, signed by the judge, an SR-22 filed by a high-risk insurer, and a reinstatement fee of about $65. The signed order has to be filed at a Driver Services Center within exactly 10 days. The SF-0680 lists the specific addresses you are allowed to drive to, for work, school, probation, and medical treatment. Driving anywhere else, or at other times, is a criminal violation. The SR-22 is filed electronically by the insurer, and the state rejects any restricted license application without that filing already on record.
Interlock installation is available in the county. Hanover Wrecker Service at 925 TN-92 in Jefferson City installs both Intoxalock and LifeSafer, Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with same-day appointments if scheduled ahead. Kodak Auto at 3715 Douglas Dam Rd in Kodak, (865) 978-6082, is an Intoxalock location closer to the Sevier County line. The device reports the install directly to the state, and the restricted license will not issue until it does. You can also find a licensed installer through this site's directory.
If the court orders continuous alcohol monitoring, usually on a repeat offense, a high test result, or a specific bond condition, that runs through a court-approved monitoring provider. A SCRAM ankle unit reads transdermal alcohol around the clock and reacts to household products like hand sanitizer and mouthwash, so daily habits have to change.
Two recent Tennessee Supreme Court cases, State v. Reynolds and State v. Henry, drew a hard line between the implied-consent statute and the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement for an actual blood draw. Challenging the suspension and the chemical test is technical work.
Last updated: September 4, 2026
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