Putnam County License Hearing Guide
How to request your Administrative License Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a DUI arrest.
Last verified: September 3, 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
A DUI arrest starts a second case against your license, run by the Tennessee Department of Safety and completely separate from the criminal charge. If you failed the chemical test or refused it, you have 10 business days from the arrest or the notice to formally request an administrative hearing in writing. Mail it to the Department of Safety, Driver Improvement Section, PO Box 945, Nashville, TN 37202, or fax it to 615-242-3480 or 615-253-3104, allowing 48 hours for faxed documents to process. Keep the transmission receipt. A phone call to the Cookeville Driver Services Center does not count, and missing the deadline forfeits the right to contest the suspension no matter how the criminal case ends.
For a restricted license, which lets you drive to work, school, and court-ordered treatment during the revocation, the steps have to be done in a set order and inside a 90-day window. Get a certified Order for Restricted Driver License from the General Sessions judge. Get proof of SR-22 insurance from your carrier. If the judge required an ignition interlock, get the installation certificate. Then bring all of it in person to the Cookeville Driver Services Center at 4600 South Jefferson Avenue, 931-528-5669, open weekdays 8:30 to 5:00. Miss the 90-day window and you lose your progress and start over.
An interlock is required if you want a restricted license after a DUI with a BAC of 0.08 or higher, and you pay for the lease, installation, and monthly calibration. Cookeville has several certified shops. One Intoxalock installer on Minnear Street opens at 7:00 AM for calibration appointments before work, and there is another on Fountain Circle. A Smart Start installer on East Spring Street sits close to the Justice Center but closes at 4:00 PM, and there is another on East Borden Street.
The SR-22 is not a document you carry. Your insurer files it electronically with the state, your premium goes up sharply, and if it lapses the restricted license is revoked right away.
Last updated: September 3, 2026
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