Fort Bend County ALR Hearing Guide

How to request your Administrative License Revocation hearing and protect your driving privileges.

Last verified: September 7, 2026

15-Day Deadline

You have exactly 15 days from your arrest to request an ALR hearing. Miss this deadline and your license is automatically suspended. No exceptions.

Enter your arrest date to see your deadline:

Your deadline will appear here

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 40 days after arrest

How to Request Your Hearing

Fastest Method

Online Request

Fee: $125 (credit card)

Available: 24/7

Instant confirmation

Go to DPS ALR Portal
Alternative

Phone Request

Phone: (512) 424-2600

Fee: $125 (credit card)

Hours: Mon-Fri 8AM - 5PM

Expect long hold times

Information You'll Need

From Your DIC-25 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

1

Temporary Permit

Immediate

Drive legally until your hearing

2

Hearing Notice

20-40 days

Date, time, and format mailed to you

3

Prepare Defense

Before hearing

Gather evidence, hire attorney

4

Attend Hearing

Scheduled date

Usually phone or video

5

Decision

Same day

Win: keep license. Lose: suspension starts

What to Expect at the Hearing

Most hearings are by phone or video

You usually don't need to travel to Austin. 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), DPS attorney, administrative law judge

What They Review

Probable cause for stop, proper arrest procedure, chemical 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

For the rare in-person hearings:

State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), 300 W. 15th Street, Austin, TX 78701 • (512) 475-4993

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

  • DPS has experienced attorney present
  • May not know proper objections
  • Can't effectively cross-examine officers
  • Lower win rate statistically
Find DWI Attorneys in Fort Bend County

If You Lose Your Hearing

Losing the ALR 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

Texas DPS Office

For license reinstatement after suspension ends, or to get an occupational license:

Address
4000 Jackson Ave, Austin, TX 78731
Get Directions
Phone
(281) 219-4500
Hours
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

FAQ

Related Guides

Court Process
Criminal case timeline
Bail & Bond
Getting released

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.

Smart Start is the shop probation officers default to, with a Sugar Land location on Voss Road plus sites in the Missouri City and Rosenberg area. Intoxalock and LifeSafer 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.

Sources

Last updated: September 7, 2026

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