Brazos County ALR Hearing Guide

The single piece of paper that keeps someone legally driving after a Brazos County DWI arrest is a flimsy sheet of thermal or copy paper, and losing it creates a genuine crisis. When an officer confiscates a physical license after a refused or failed test, they hand over a DIC-25, which doubles as a 40-day temporary driving permit. It's easily destroyed in a wash or misplaced by someone who's had a very bad night, and without it there's no ID to enter an impound lot, board a flight, or even get past courthouse security, let alone drive.

The 15-day cliff

A driver has exactly 15 days from the arrest date to request a hearing contesting the suspension, and missing it by even a day makes the suspension automatic on the 40th day, with no appeal available afterward. A refusal carries a 180-day suspension; a failed test over 0.08 carries 90 days.

File online if you can

The DPS online portal is the most reliable filing method because it generates an immediate confirmation receipt; fax and mail work too but carry more risk of something going wrong in transmission. The request needs specific data straight off the DIC-25, including the arrest date, the arresting agency, and the driver's license number, which is exactly why losing that paper makes filing harder.

The backlog works in the defendant's favor

Requesting a hearing puts an automatic stay on the suspension, and in Brazos County the docket for these hearings, heard by State Office of Administrative Hearings judges, typically runs 90 to 120 days out. During that entire stretch, the DIC-25 keeps the defendant legally driving, effectively extending the original 40-day window by months while the underlying criminal case works through its own separate timeline.

If the license does get suspended

An Occupational Driver's License is a lawsuit filed against the state in county or district court, and Brazos County judges enforce it strictly: prepaid SR-22 high-risk insurance, a petition spelling out specific hours and routes for work, school, or errands, and roughly $300 in filing fees before the SR-22 cost. It's also common practice locally for judges to require an ignition interlock as a condition of the ODL even when it wasn't required for the original bond, closing off what would otherwise be a way to avoid the device entirely.

Getting the physical card back

Reinstatement costs $125, best paid online through Texas.gov. The local DPS office in Bryan runs strictly by appointment, and slots are typically booked 3 to 6 months out. A limited batch of same-day appointments opens online around 7:30 to 8 a.m. each morning, and getting one means logging in at exactly that time, the same way concert tickets disappear in minutes. Walk-ins are turned away.