Comal 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
Comal County falls under DPS's San Antonio enforcement zone for ALR matters, and there's a direct regional email, alrsanantonioz@dps.texas.gov, for subpoena and administrative questions related to a hearing. Using it instead of routing everything through Austin headquarters can cut through a real amount of the systemic backlog that slows down the central office.
The 15-day window
A DWI arrest triggers a civil case against the driver's license that runs entirely separate from the criminal charge. The officer hands over form DIC-25 at the time of arrest, and that starts a strict 15-calendar-day clock to request a hearing. Miss it and the license suspension takes effect automatically on day 40, with no appeal for the missed deadline itself.
File it online for proof
Requests go to Texas DPS in Austin by online portal, mail, or fax, and there's no fee to request the hearing itself. The online portal is the safest choice because it generates an immediate digital timestamp proving the request went in on time; a mailed request offers no such certainty if the 15th day happens to fall on a weekend or holiday.
The backlog works in the defendant's favor
Once the hearing is requested, the suspension is paused until the State Office of Administrative Hearings actually rules, and that can take up to 120 days given current scheduling backlogs. That means months of continued, legal driving while the case is pending, plus time to arrange for an occupational license if needed, and it opens the door to forcing the arresting officer to testify on the record before the criminal trial ever starts.
Getting an appointment afterward
If the license does end up suspended, dealing with an occupational license or reinstatement means an in-person visit to the New Braunfels DPS office, and thanks to the area's rapid population growth, standard appointments can be booked out six months in advance. A limited number of same-day walk-in slots exist, but they go fast, so arriving well before the 8 a.m. opening is the only realistic way to claim one.
Last updated: September 12, 2026
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