Erath 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 15-day deadline to fight a Texas license suspension is absolute, but for a DWI built on a forced blood draw, filing too early can backfire. If the officer confiscates the license on the spot, the clock runs from the arrest. But when the case involves a blood test, the actual notice of suspension isn't mailed until the state lab returns results, which can take weeks or months, and submitting an ALR hearing request before that notice goes out can get the request administratively rejected. The practical move is to wait for the mailed notice itself before filing, then move immediately.
The deadline and the mail trap
A refused or failed test (0.08 or higher) triggers a DIC-25 notice of suspension, which doubles as a temporary driving permit. The hearing request has to reach DPS within 15 calendar days of that notice, and it's free to file, whether through the online ALR portal or by fax to the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Miss it, and the suspension takes effect automatically on day 40. If DPS mails the notice rather than handing it over at arrest, Texas law presumes it was received five days after mailing — regardless of whether it actually reached the defendant. DPS has no duty to track down a current address; a notice sent to whatever address is on file with the state satisfies due process, which quietly suspends the licenses of people who moved and never updated it.
Why requesting the hearing is worth it beyond the license itself
Because ALR is a civil proceeding, the burden sits on DPS to show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the stop and arrest were lawful. That gives the defense a chance to subpoena the arresting officer and force them to testify under oath well before the criminal trial, effectively free discovery that locks in the officer's account for later cross-examination in county court.
The DPS office and the 9:30 trick
An Occupational Driver's License, ID update, or other DPS transaction in Stephenville means visiting the office on East Road, and the state's appointment system runs weeks out for standard bookings. New and canceled slots reliably open in the online scheduler at 9:30 a.m. on weekdays — checking right at that time, rather than whenever it's convenient, is the difference between waiting a day and waiting a month.
Last updated: September 13, 2026
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