Webb County License Hearing Guide
How to request your Administrative License Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a DWI arrest.
Last verified: September 7, 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
You have 15 calendar days from a Webb County DWI arrest to request a hearing to keep your license. Miss it and the right to contest is gone permanently, and the suspension takes effect on the 40th day. Because it's calendar days, mailing the request is risky; submit it electronically for a timestamp. The DPS ALR fax is (512) 424-2650, the email is alrfax2650@dps.texas.gov, and there's an online portal. There's no fee to request.
The hearing
Hearings are run by the State Office of Administrative Hearings, usually by phone or video, sometimes in person at a regional office, and the nearest one to Laredo is in Corpus Christi. Once you've filed on time, DPS sends a confirmation and your temporary permit stays valid until a judge rules, which can take up to 120 days.
If you refused the test, the suspension is 180 days on a first offense and jumps to two years on a second refusal. Even in a case you expect to lose, the hearing is worth requesting: it forces the arresting officer to testify under oath at a lower standard of proof, and inconsistencies there become leverage in the criminal case.
The interlock
An ignition interlock is a standard bond condition for a high BAC or a repeat offense. Several vendors have installation hubs in Laredo: Smart Start through Auto Alarm on East Calton Road, Intoxalock through shops on San Bernardo and McPherson, ALCOLOCK by appointment at All Tune & Lube, and LifeSafer on San Agustin with same-day installation. In South Texas heat, calibration and battery drain are real problems, so pick an installer that can service a failure fast, since driving without a working device violates your court order.
If a judge orders SCRAM monitoring instead, which happens for repeat offenders, one regional provider coordinates that and, unlike a probation office, can do after-hours and weekend fittings.
SR-22, reinstatement, and the class
To reinstate your license or get an occupational license to commute during a suspension, your insurer files an SR-22. That flags you as high-risk, and many standard carriers cancel, so plan on a specialized broker. Reinstatement also costs the state's $125 fee. A first offense requires a 12-hour DWI education course; certified providers operate in Laredo, and missing it revokes probation and re-suspends the license. See the class directory on this site.
Last updated: September 7, 2026
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