McLennan 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
Texas DMV Office
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Guides
Mailing a hearing request to fight a McLennan County license suspension carries a hidden risk most people never learn about until it's too late: under Texas administrative rules, a mailed notice is presumed received five days after it's sent, which quietly eats into an already tight window. The safer route is the direct DPS fax line, 512-424-2650, which delivers immediately and gives you a printed confirmation sheet as proof the deadline was met, something a mailed letter can never really offer.
The 15-day deadline
When a driver fails a chemical test at 0.08 or above, or refuses one outside a No Refusal weekend, the officer confiscates the physical license on the spot and issues a DIC-24, a temporary permit. From that date, there are exactly 15 calendar days, not business days, to request a hearing. File on day 16 and DPS denies it automatically. Miss the window entirely and the suspension takes effect on the 40th day after arrest.
The upside of the wait
Filing on time does more than preserve a shot at keeping the license. Because DPS has to coordinate with the State Office of Administrative Hearings to get a judge and a docket slot, scheduling can take up to 120 days. During all of that time, the DIC-24 stays legally valid, so a defendant keeps driving on the temporary permit for months while the criminal case works through its own timeline.
A lower bar for the defense
At the hearing, the standard is preponderance of the evidence, a much easier bar to clear than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard the criminal court uses. The arresting officer is often subpoenaed, and if they don't show, or DPS can't establish reasonable suspicion for the stop or probable cause for the arrest, the suspension gets thrown out entirely. Either way, sworn testimony from that hearing becomes something the defense can use again at the criminal trial.
Last updated: September 12, 2026
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