Atascosa County ALR Hearing Guide
How to request your Administrative License Revocation (ALR) Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a DWI arrest.
Last verified: September 13, 2026
15-Day Deadline
You have exactly 15 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
The office that handles a driver's license in Atascosa County has nothing to do with the hearing that decides whether it gets suspended. The Jourdanton DPS office on Campbell Avenue issues and renews licenses, but it doesn't touch Administrative License Revocation cases — those go to the State Office of Administrative Hearings, based out of San Antonio or run entirely by teleconference. Showing up at the local office to contest a suspension gets a driver nowhere.
The 15-day deadline
A breath test over 0.08, or a refusal to test at all, means the officer takes the physical license on the spot and issues a DIC-25 — a temporary permit. From the arrest date, there are exactly 15 days to request a hearing contesting the suspension. Miss it and the suspension takes effect automatically 40 days after arrest: 90 days for a failed test, 180 for a refusal. There's no flexibility built into that clock.
If the suspension goes through anyway
A suspended driver who needs to get to work, school, or handle essential household duties can petition for an Occupational Driver's License, usually filed in the same court already hearing the criminal case. That requires an SR-22 insurance certificate and a certified copy of the driving record. Once a judge signs the order, it functions as a license in its own right until DPS processes the physical card.
Getting an appointment
The Jourdanton DPS office runs strictly by appointment, booked through the state's online scheduler — walk-ins aren't accepted. Anyone anticipating a suspension, an ODL, or a reinstatement should get that appointment on the calendar early rather than waiting until the deadline is close.
Last updated: September 13, 2026
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