Tom Green 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
A blood draw, common in Tom Green County's "No Refusal" holiday operations, delays the whole license-suspension clock in a way that catches people off guard. When a driver refuses or fails a breath test, the officer confiscates the license on the spot and hands over a temporary permit good for 40 days. When the case involves a blood draw instead, that notice doesn't go out immediately. DPS waits until the crime lab returns a BAC result before mailing it, which can take weeks. The 15-day countdown to request a hearing only starts once that notice is presumed received, so if the mailing address on file with DPS is stale, the notice goes nowhere, the clock still runs out, and a driver can lose their hearing rights without ever realizing the process had started.
The 15 days that matter
Once the notice does go out, the deadline to request an ALR hearing is exactly 15 calendar days, not business days. If day 15 falls on a weekend or holiday, the request has to arrive by the prior business day. Miss it, and the suspension goes into effect automatically on the 40th day after arrest, no exceptions. The DPS online portal is the safest option because it generates a time-stamped confirmation the moment you file; faxing to 512-424-2650 works too. Mail is the riskiest choice given how much is riding on proof of timing.
Where the hearing actually happens
Requests go to DPS's Enforcement and Compliance Service in Austin, not anywhere in San Angelo. Hearings themselves are run by the State Office of Administrative Hearings, historically routed through the Lubbock office for this docket, but nearly all of them now happen by Zoom or phone rather than in person.
Why defense attorneys use this hearing strategically
Because DPS carries the burden of proof in an ALR hearing, a defense attorney can subpoena the arresting officer and get sworn, cross-examined testimony on the record months before the criminal trial even starts. That locks the officer into their version of events early and often surfaces the weak points in the case well ahead of any plea negotiation.
Last updated: September 12, 2026
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