Harrison 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
The officer who takes a driver's license after a failed or refused test in Harrison County hands over a DIC-25, a temporary permit, and starts a clock the defendant has exactly 15 days to beat. Request a hearing inside that window and the suspension is on hold. Miss it, and the license is automatically suspended on the 40th day after arrest, no further notice required.
What's actually at stake
A refusal carries a 180-day suspension for a first offense, rising to two years for a repeat. A failed test, meaning a BAC of 0.08 or above, carries 90 days first offense or a full year for a repeat. Both tracks start from the same 15-day request deadline.
The hearing itself
Administrative License Revocation hearings go through the State Office of Administrative Hearings, and most have shifted from in-person to Zoom or phone. The standard of proof is lower than a criminal trial: DPS only needs a preponderance of the evidence, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt, to show reasonable suspicion for the stop, probable cause for the arrest, and that the driver was offered a chance to test and refused or failed.
Why bother if it's a lower bar to lose
The real value of the ALR hearing often isn't winning it. It's the only chance before the criminal trial to cross-examine the arresting officer under oath and get their account locked into a transcript. Any inconsistency between what the officer says at the ALR hearing and what's in the police report becomes something the defense can use later, when the standard of proof is much higher.
Last updated: September 12, 2026
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