Bastrop 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 12, 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 license suspension after a Bastrop County DUI arrest doesn't announce itself. Fail a breath test at 0.08 or higher, or refuse one, and the officer takes the physical license and hands over a DIC-25, a temporary permit that also functions as the notice of suspension. From that date, there are exactly 15 days to request a hearing contesting it. Miss the window and the suspension takes effect automatically on the 40th day, a quiet administrative action with no additional warning, and it catches a lot of people off guard who assumed the criminal case would take priority.
The hearing itself
Bastrop County falls under the Austin regional office of the State Office of Administrative Hearings, but showing up in person is rarely necessary anymore. Most ALR hearings now happen by Zoom or phone, which saves the drive but requires reliable internet, a working camera, and enough comfort with the platform to actually participate. Discovery, meaning the police report and any video, isn't handed over automatically. The defendant or their attorney has to request it separately from DPS.
If the suspension goes through
A suspended driver who needs to get to work, school, or handle household essentials can apply for an Occupational Driver's License. That means filing a petition with the court, obtaining SR-22 insurance, paying the clerk's filing fees, and getting a judge to sign off. All together, the ODL process typically adds several hundred dollars in fees and insurance costs on top of whatever else the case is already costing.
Last updated: September 12, 2026
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