Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County DWI arrest to request a hearing that keeps your license. Miss it and the suspension is automatic on the 40th day after arrest, whatever happens in the criminal case.

Send the request by certified mail. You can file online, but DPS is a big bureaucracy and online submissions go missing, and without a certified receipt you have no proof you asked in time. The certified receipt is the whole point.

The hearing is on Zoom

Hidalgo County ALR hearings are held by the State Office of Administrative Hearings, almost always over Zoom or by phone. That shifts the risk from getting to a hearing to staying connected to one. A dropped call can be treated as a failure to appear, and a failure to appear is an automatic suspension. Get on a stable connection in a quiet room, and log in early.

Reinstatement and the occupational license

If the suspension goes through, getting the license back or applying for an occupational license runs through the DPS Mega Center that serves the Valley, in Weslaco at 2525 N. International Boulevard. It's appointment only, and appointments are booked months out. DPS drops a small number of same-day slots online around 7:00 to 7:30 in the morning; if you don't grab one, you wait weeks, and you can't legally drive in the meantime even with a court order for an occupational license.

The interlock

For a repeat DWI, a BAC over 0.15, or the DWI Court program, an ignition interlock is required. Smart Start has installation shops at 224 N. McColl Road in McAllen and 501 N. Closner in Edinburg, with installation around $70 to $150 and monthly lease fees of $60 to $100. Intoxalock and LifeSafer also operate in the area through local installers.

The monthly lease isn't the real number. The device has to be calibrated every 30 days, often for a separate $20 to $40. If it registers alcohol or you miss a rolling retest, it locks the car and you pay $50 to $75 for an unlock code. And if the car needs repair, you need a mechanic who knows the interlock: disconnecting the battery the wrong way records a tamper event, which gets reported to your bond or probation officer and can trigger a revocation warrant.

Sources

Last updated: September 7, 2026

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