Fort Bend 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 7, 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
You have 15 days from a Fort Bend County DWI arrest to request a hearing to keep your license. Miss it and the suspension starts automatically on the 40th day: 90 days if you failed the breath test, 180 if you refused it. This runs on its own clock, independent of the criminal case.
The officer took your plastic license and gave you a DIC-25, which is a temporary permit. The hearing request goes to the Texas Department of Public Safety and has to carry your date of birth, driver's license number, and date of arrest exactly right. A typo gets it rejected.
The hearing
Administrative license hearings are run by the State Office of Administrative Hearings. They used to be held in Richmond; now many are remote over Zoom or run out of a Houston hub, but the request itself is processed centrally. Whatever the format, treat a missed hearing as an automatic loss.
The occupational license
If the suspension goes through, you file for an occupational license in the same County Court at Law that has your criminal case, with its own separate filing fees, around $350 including the certified copy. You'll need an SR-22 certificate from your insurer, which tells them about the DWI and usually raises your rate, and often an ignition interlock even if the criminal court hasn't ordered one yet.
One certified installer is the shop probation officers default to, with a Sugar Land location plus sites in the Missouri City and Rosenberg area. Other certified providers also operate around Richmond and Sugar Land, some through partner shops. Watch the add-ons: calibration every 30 to 60 days at the same shop, unlock codes at $50 to $75 if the device locks the car, and a monthly device fee that's separate from the advertised daily rate. The device draws a small constant current, so an older battery in cold weather can die overnight and leave you with a lockout and a tow.
Reinstatement
When the suspension period ends, the license still isn't valid until you pay the $125 reinstatement fee to DPS. Pay it online. Mailing a check to Austin is slow and the license stays dead while it processes.
Last updated: September 7, 2026
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