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Because your plastic license is taken from you after a GA DUI arrest, it is only natural to want to check the GA driver’s license status of your Georgia driving privileges online. In most cases, an arrest for a Georgia DUI results in an administrative suspension of your driver’s license, by virtue of Georgia’s implied consent law.
If you hire an experienced DUI attorney in time, our attorneys in Atlanta can typically you’re your Georgia license. This is due to most of our clients not being convicted. If convicted of a GA DUI, that outcome takes away all driving privileges in the Peach State.
Georgia DUI laws are highly complex and highly punitive. In fact, the document given to the driver (under both OLD and NEW law) contains two different “time expiration” numbers, 30 days and 45 days.
After a Georgia DUI arrest, the document provided to you by the arresting officer that replaces your plastic driver’s license (Form DDS-1205) does not clearly explain the critical need to ACT within 30 days. Ignore the 45 days and focus on the thirty days. This is your deadline for acting.
DUI attorneys in Georgia who are DUI specialists know the laws on your GA license number status after a Georgia DUI. The OLD rules (that were in force prior to July 1, 2017) gave all drivers fewer favorable options to protect and save their ability to drive. For a refusal to submit to blood alcohol level BAC testing, under Georgia’s implied consent law, drivers facing DUI GA charges were caught in a Catch-22 situation, to be able to continue driving.
Under NEW rules, for all arrests on July 1, 2017, and after the new GA driver’s license status is more predictable. New options exist for the person with a first-offense DUI (in the past 5 years, based on dates of arrest). Making the right decision is far more complex than it seems, so take advantage of a FREE lawyer consultation, to prevent a potential disaster from happening.
Under the OLD ALS suspension form (that went out of use on all arrests after June 30, 2017) the back of the form advises 10 business days to appeal. That rule is OLD. The front of the Georgia DDS 1205 form talks about the temporary limited driving permit expiring in 30 calendar days.
Most new clients are keenly focused on “how to get my license back after a DUI.” Under the July 1, 2017 enactment of Georgia’s NEW implied consent law (OCGA 40-5-64.1) for an interlock device option to avoid administrative license suspension, Georgia attorneys handling driving under the influence cases can help MOST clients. The temporary driving permit form says 45 calendar days for the duration of the temporary permit, but MANDATES that the suspended driver “elect” one of three options, within 30 calendar days:
An experienced DUI attorney in Atlanta, after reviewing your case (especially the police report, tickets, and arrest DVD), can intelligently present you with your best option. The three paths shown above are the “suggested” alternatives available, according to the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS), commonly called Georgia DMV.
But highly experienced DUI law firms know other ways to resolve some administrative license suspension actions, beyond these three primary options. In about 250 clients’ cases annually, our three partners are able to get drunk driving tickets reduced to reckless driving in Georgia.
Once 30 days after your arrest passes, you have lost the right to do either of the other options. If you file for the DDS administrative appeal, then you give up any chance of waiving the hearing and getting the 12-month interlock. If you opt for the interlock, you have waived the DDS Georgia appeal.
Similarly, waiving your DDS GA appeal rights and applying for the interlock device puts you on a path to comply with the laws surrounding ignition interlock, or be totally suspended from driving. No option exists to then seek a GA DDS appeal.
These “hard” line consequences of your choices should convince you to obtain legal advice EARLY in the days following your Georgia DUI arrest. Either a license suspension appeal should be filed (all are eligible for this) or discuss with your DUI lawyer whether you qualify for the IID (ignition interlock device) option.
The information in this article, as well as the Georgia DDS links listed at the bottom, will be your guide to more information. For example, with only your Georgia driver’s license number, you can call an automated number maintained by the State of Georgia at 404-657-9300 and get that information via a telephone call. For more extensive searches (e.g., points on license) an online request to DDS Georgia may be required to check license status GA.
Another way to be proactive in helping your position is by taking a defensive driving class at one of the Georgia traffic locations near you. Taking this class would result in a license points reduction. You can locate a traffic school by contacting the customer service centers online.
First, no driver arrested for DUI in GA can take the 12-month interlock device option and obtain an interlock-restricted license. Non-resident drivers from some states can find themselves suspended or revoked at home and can also suffer a total loss of the right to drive in Georgia, due to a DUI refusal.
If a Georgia resident’s license is suspended in their state, Georgia law permits several options when it comes to seeking to reinstate your Georgia driver’s license, even if you don’t have the cleanest driving record. Don’t make a hasty decision or trust cheap or average DUI law firms near me to advise you about your Georgia driving offense options.
Like finding and using one of the top doctors in America, the best DUI attorneys in each state are in HIGH DEMAND. A DUI defense lawyer with high attorney ratings will charge more if you decide to hire a top DUI attorney in Atlanta to fight for you.
Partners William C. “Bubba” Head, Larry Kohn, and Cory Yager are Atlanta lawyers who are all highly rated trial attorneys. They all know the “ins and outs” of the new IID permit law in Georgia. Call us for a FREE lawyer consultation ANYTIME, even on WEEKENDS and HOLIDAYS. The best DUI lawyers near me in Georgia are always available for FREE legal advice.
Our DUI law firm can also provide insight about your arresting officer, in most DUI Georgia cases. This comes from vast prior experience, plus from a strong network of drunk driving lawyers across Georgia. For aggressive representation in a DUI in Georgia, you want to evaluate criminal lawyers near me, and hire the best DUI lawyer you can afford.
Call a DUI lawyer in GA to learn your options BEFORE you must decide about filing an ALS appeal, or possible installation of the 12-month ignition interlock device. Only by consulting an Atlanta criminal defense attorney with expertise in DUI defense can you know the pros and cons of all your options. Call us —even on WEEKENDS and HOLIDAYS — at 404-567-5515, and we will give you a FREE initial DUI lawyer consultation.
Important Links, phone numbers, and fax numbers to the Georgia Department of Driver Safety, which is the Georgia DMV office:
NEW – Follow this link for the Georgia DDS Ignition Interlock Device Limited Permit Customer Information Sheet based upon HB205 (2016) which became effective on July 1, 2017.
Reinstatement requirements: Contact DDS Customer Service at 678-413-8400 or access DDA GA online.
Check the status of a Georgia driver’s license! Call 404-657-9300 or get online. Inquiries regarding the receipt of an Implied Consent appeal or ALS hearing requests will be forwarded to the appropriate department for response.
Location of a Georgia Department of Driver Services Near Me
Refund of the filing fee for the OSAH hearing of a DDS administrative license suspension appeal that was not held:
Fax the form to 678-413-8450.
Ignition interlock waivers: Fax to 770-918-6255.
Implied Consent/ALS Withdrawals of Sworn Report: Fax to 678-413-8450.
Reinstatement documents should be faxed to 770-918-6255.
OSAH Final Decisions: Fax to 678-413-8450.
Court releases (DS-912) for FTAs: Fax to 770-918-6254.
Reschedule an ALS hearing: Contact OSAH at 404-657-2800.
Accountability Court Orders: Fax to 770-918-6261.
