Hill County ALR Hearing Guide

A DWI arrest in Texas triggers two separate cases running in parallel: the criminal charge in county court, and a civil license suspension process run entirely by the Texas Department of Public Safety, known as Administrative License Revocation. Losing that ALR case means a 90-day suspension for a first breath-test failure, or 180 days for refusing the test.

The deadline to request an ALR hearing is 15 calendar days from the date the Notice of Suspension, the DIC-25 form, is served. Requests can go through the online DPS portal, by mail to the DPS Enforcement and Compliance Service in Austin, or by fax to (512) 424-2650. There's no fee to request the hearing itself, but a suspended license carries a $125 reinstatement fee. Hearings are handled by the State Office of Administrative Hearings, and since 2020 most run by phone or Zoom rather than in person.

The 15-day clock only applies cleanly to a breath test failure or a refusal, where the officer serves the DIC-25 on the spot. Blood tests work differently. The arresting officer has no BAC result at the scene, so no suspension happens that day. Instead, a separate 20-day clock starts only after DPS gets the lab results back and mails a notice to the address on file — and if that notice gets missed, the suspension still takes effect automatically on day 40. Anyone who submitted to a blood draw should update their address with DPS immediately and check the mail daily until the notice arrives.

The online portal is worth using over mail or fax for one specific reason: it generates a digital confirmation receipt on submission. That receipt is proof the hearing was requested on time if DPS later claims otherwise, which the mailed and faxed versions don't offer in the same way.

The local DPS Driver License Office sits at 126 S Covington St in Hillsboro, phone (254) 582-5044, open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a lunch closure from noon to 1:15 p.m.

An ALR hearing is a civil proceeding with a lower burden of proof than a criminal trial, and defense attorneys use that to their advantage. It lets them subpoena the arresting Hill County Sheriff's deputy or DPS trooper and question them under oath about the stop, the field sobriety tests, and the arrest itself, months before the criminal case ever gets there. Locking in that testimony early can expose inconsistencies well before trial.

An ignition interlock device is a common condition for repeat offenders or anyone arrested with a BAC over 0.15%, and Texas requires the device be recalibrated every 30 to 67 days. One certified installer, located at a shop in Hillsboro, offers discreet devices and bilingual support. Another provider, based in Mexia in neighboring Limestone County, is the nearest secondary option. An SR-22 filing, required to reinstate a suspended license or get an occupational license, runs $15 to $50 to file, with underlying liability premiums in the $66 to $114 monthly range for a standard policy and non-owner coverage starting around $28 a month. Texas requires the SR-22 stay active for two years from the conviction date; any lapse resets that clock.