Potter 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
Waiting to hire a lawyer before dealing with your license is one of the most common ways Potter County drivers lose the right to fight their suspension. The deadline to request an ALR hearing is exactly 15 calendar days from the date of the notice, not business days, and it does not pause for anyone shopping for counsel. Miss it, and the suspension takes effect automatically on the 40th day after arrest, with no hearing and no appeal.
What you're holding after the arrest
If you fail a breath or blood test at 0.08 or above, or refuse it outright, the officer takes your physical license and hands you a DIC-25. That form does two things at once: it's the official notice of suspension, and it's a temporary permit that lets you keep driving while everything plays out.
File it before you do anything else
Requests go to the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin, either through the online portal or by fax to (512) 424-2650. There's no fee to request the hearing itself, only a $125 reinstatement fee if you ultimately lose. Filing on time triggers an automatic stay, which keeps the DIC-25 valid for the 30 to 120 days it typically takes the State Office of Administrative Hearings to actually schedule the case, meaning a timely request buys months of legal driving, not just weeks.
When a blood draw delays everything
During a No Refusal weekend, officers can't issue the DIC-25 immediately if a blood draw was required, because the BAC isn't known yet. The vials go to a state lab that can take weeks or months to return results. Once DPS gets a number over the limit, it mails a notice of suspension to whatever address is on file, and the clock resets to 20 days from the presumed date of delivery. If your address with DPS is out of date, that letter never reaches you, and the suspension happens without you ever getting a chance to contest it.
Getting an appointment in Amarillo
The DPS office on Canyon Drive runs almost entirely by appointment. A small number of same-day walk-in slots exist, but they're gone within minutes of opening. Anyone needing a reinstatement or an occupational license should book through the online scheduling portal well ahead of time rather than counting on walking in.
Why the hearing matters beyond the license itself
Because ALR is a civil proceeding, DPS carries the burden of proving reasonable suspicion for the stop and probable cause for the arrest. Subpoenaing the arresting officer to testify at this hearing locks their account into sworn testimony months before the criminal trial, giving the defense a preview and a fixed record to cross-examine against later.
Last updated: September 12, 2026
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