The 30-Day Deadline After a Georgia DUI Arrest

By Ben Sessions on September 2nd, 2026 in DUI / DWI

There is a deadline after a Georgia DUI arrest that most people do not know exists, and it has nothing to do with the date printed on the citation.

You have 30 days from the date of arrest to act to protect your driving privileges. If you do nothing, your license suspends automatically on the 46th day — regardless of what happens in the criminal case, and regardless of whether you are ultimately convicted of anything.

Two options inside the window

The first is to request an administrative license suspension hearing with the Department of Driver Services. There is a $150 filing fee. This preserves your right to contest the suspension and creates an early opportunity to question the arresting officer under oath, before the criminal case develops.

The second is to install an ignition interlock device and obtain a limited permit. This route is available to first offenders within a five-year period, and it lets you drive immediately. The trade-off is that choosing it waives your right to the ALS hearing.

Which option is better depends on the facts. If there are meaningful problems with the stop or the testing, the hearing may be worth more than the convenience. If you cannot function without driving and the case is difficult, the interlock may be the practical choice. That decision should be made with a lawyer who has seen the evidence, not by default.

What happens if you refused testing

The consequences differ sharply. A first offense with a result over the legal limit generally carries a one-year suspension with a limited permit available after DUI school. A first offense refusal carries a one-year hard suspension — no limited permit, no driving at all.

That distinction surprises people who assumed refusing was the safer choice.

Why the clock is easy to miss

Your first court appearance is often scheduled well beyond 30 days out. People reasonably assume the court date is the deadline that matters. By the time they appear, the administrative window has closed and the suspension is already in motion.

Nothing that happens in court afterward undoes it.

If you were arrested in the last month

Count the days from your arrest date. If you are inside 30, there is still time to act. If you are past it, there may still be options depending on what notice you received and how it was served.

Ben Sessions is one of a small number of Georgia lawyers board certified in DUI defense by the National College for DUI Defense. Sessions & Fleischman handles DUI cases in Macon, Warner Robins, Milledgeville, and throughout Georgia.