Hardin 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 12, 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
Hardin County doesn't have a driver's license office. The county Tax Assessor-Collector's office in Kountze handles vehicle registration and titling, but not license reinstatement or occupational licenses, so anyone needing an actual DPS service has to drive to the Beaumont Mega Center in neighboring Jefferson County, and that office is appointment-only. Walk-ins are turned away unless they land a same-day cancellation slot, which means showing up before dawn and waiting in line for a chance at one.
The 15-day window
An officer who takes your physical license after a failed or refused test hands you a Notice of Suspension, form DIC-25, which doubles as a temporary driving permit valid for 40 days. You have exactly 15 days from that notice to request a hearing contesting the suspension. Miss it, and the license is automatically suspended on day 40, no appeal.
Filing on time buys real time
Submit the request by written demand, fax, or the DPS online portal, and the suspension is stayed until an administrative law judge actually rules. Because the State Office of Administrative Hearings docket is chronically backed up, that ruling routinely takes 60 to 120 days to schedule. Filing the paperwork on time, in other words, can turn a 40-day permit into several months of continued legal driving.
The hearing is worth more than the outcome
Winning back the license outright is secondary. The real value is that DPS has to prove the traffic stop and arrest were valid, which means the defense gets to subpoena the arresting officer and cross-examine them under oath before the criminal trial even starts. Whatever inconsistencies or gaps come out on the record can be used later to challenge the officer's credibility or move to suppress evidence in the criminal case. Waiving the ALR hearing gives that up for nothing.
Blood cases need patience, not speed
If the case involves a forced blood draw under a No Refusal warrant, and in Hardin County that's most of them, the lab result can take weeks or months to come back. Filing an ALR request before DPS has actually issued the formal notice of suspension for a blood case can get the request rejected outright. Wait for the real notice before filing.
Plan the DPS trip early
Anyone expecting a suspension should book a Beaumont Mega Center appointment through the DPS online scheduler weeks ahead, timed to land right around when the suspension period ends, rather than trying to walk in cold once the driving restriction is already in effect.
Last updated: September 12, 2026
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