Grayson County ALR Hearing Guide

Requesting the ALR hearing does more than protect a license. Because the request pauses the automatic suspension while the State Office of Administrative Hearings docket, backed up as much as 120 days, works through its queue, a defendant can keep driving on the temporary DIC-25 permit for months past the original deadline. It also gives the defense its first shot at putting the arresting officer under oath, since DPS has to prove reasonable suspicion for the stop and probable cause for the arrest. If the officer skips the Zoom hearing, which happens, DPS can't meet its burden and the license is preserved automatically.

15 days, no exceptions

The clock starts the day the officer takes the physical license and hands over the DIC-25 notice. From there, the defendant has exactly 15 calendar days, not business days, to request a hearing. Miss it, and the suspension kicks in automatically on the 40th day after arrest, typically running 90 days to two years depending on prior history and whether a test was refused or failed. The DPS online portal is the safest way to file, since it produces an instant timestamped receipt; fax and certified mail work too but leave more room for something to go wrong.

If the suspension already happened

An Occupational Driver's License lets a suspended driver keep commuting to work, school, or medical appointments, capped at 12 hours a day, and requires carrying the judge's signed order, a travel log, and specific proof of insurance at all times. Getting one means petitioning the county court, and if a physical DPS office visit is needed along the way, for a replacement ID or reinstatement paperwork, know that DPS runs appointment-only. Walk-ins get turned away outside of the rare same-day cancellation.

The SR-22 trap almost nobody warns you about

Getting the ODL requires filing an SR-22, a certificate of financial responsibility. Calling your regular auto insurer to file it is a common and costly mistake: it flags the DWI arrest to the carrier, which often triggers an internal risk review and cancellation of the standard policy. Buying a separate, standalone SR-22 policy from a high-risk carrier keeps the primary policy untouched while still satisfying the state requirement.