Galveston County License Hearing Guide
How to request your Administrative License 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 Galveston County DWI arrest to request a hearing to keep your license. There are no hardship exceptions, no appeals, and no judicial overrides for missing it. Blow the deadline and your license suspends automatically on the 40th day, and that's final. File on time and the suspension is stayed until an administrative judge actually rules, which can be months.
Don't trust the mail
The request has to be received by DPS in Austin within 15 days, not just postmarked, so mailing it is a gamble. Fax it instead, to the number DPS lists on its ALR request form (512-424-2848), and keep the transmission confirmation sheet as proof it arrived. You can also email a PDF to driver.improvement@dps.texas.gov or use the online portal. The portal is picky: your driver's license number has to be exactly eight digits, and the request has to carry your full legal name, date of birth, and license number or it bounces.
The hearing is a discovery tool
Hearings are run by the State Office of Administrative Hearings. DPS has to prove the officer had reasonable suspicion for the stop, probable cause for the arrest, and that you failed or refused the test. Subpoena the arresting officer. If they don't show, DPS can't meet its burden and you win, keeping your license. If they do show, your attorney gets to cross-examine them under oath, and that transcript can be used to impeach the officer later at the criminal trial.
Interlock and monitoring
Judges in the County Courts at Law routinely order an ignition interlock, with the data going to the Adult Probation Department. National vendors here work through local shops: Intoxalock through Kwik Kar and Broadway lube shops on the island, Smart Start through shops in Bacliff and Dickinson, LifeSafer in League City. If you're a HOPE Drug Court participant or don't own a car, a judge may order a SCRAM ankle monitor instead, fitted and calibrated by one court-approved provider on the island, which runs a few hundred dollars a month, all on you.
Education and reinstatement
A first offense means a 12-hour DWI education class; a repeat offense means the longer, multi-week intervention program. Certified providers operate near the Justice Center and in Texas City; see the class directory on this site. Once the suspension ends, the license isn't valid again until you file an SR-22 through your insurer and pay the state reinstatement fee, currently $125.
Last updated: September 7, 2026
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