Williamson County ALR Hearing Guide

Winning an ALR hearing in Williamson County is often less about the outcome than about what happens if the officer doesn't show. Hearings run through the State Office of Administrative Hearings, almost always by Zoom or phone since 2020, and the arresting officer has to log in and testify under oath about the traffic stop. If they don't, and officer scheduling conflicts cause this more often than you'd expect, the defense wins by default and the license is reinstated. Even when the officer does appear, that sworn cross-examination is the first real chance the defense gets to pin down the officer's account of probable cause, testimony that can be used to challenge them again later at the criminal trial.

The 15-day cliff

When a Texas driver's license is confiscated after a DWI arrest, the officer issues a DIC-25, a temporary permit, and the clock starts immediately. There are exactly 15 days from the arrest to request a hearing contesting the suspension. Miss it, and the license is automatically suspended on the 40th day, for 90 days on a failed test or 180 days on a refusal.

How to actually file the request

The request goes to Texas DPS, not to any Williamson County office. Faxing to 512-424-2650 is the direct line to the ALR division and is often faster than mail. The DPS online portal also works, but it requires exact information, driver's license number and the precise date of arrest, so a small data-entry mistake can bounce the request without ever generating a confirmation.

Reinstatement

If the suspension goes into effect, reinstating the license means clearing DPS's process and paying the required fee before driving privileges return, and that process only starts once the criminal case's administrative dust settles.