The GA licensing action explained
After a DUI arrest in Georgia, the Georgia Department of Driver Services (dds.georgia.gov) opens its own case against your driving privilege. It is administrative, it moves faster than the criminal case, and it is decided regardless of what the court later does with the charge.
The request for an administrative hearing is due within 30 days of arrest. Miss it and the suspension usually takes effect automatically.
Hearing requests, suspension notices, reinstatement fees and interlock paperwork.
Deadlines, forms and how the hearing is conducted.
How the GA agency runs the licence case
- An Administrative License Suspension follows a DUI arrest when the state-administered test shows impairment or the driver refuses testing.
- The suspension is contested by filing a DDS Form 1205 hearing request within the statutory appeal period.
- DDS publishes reinstatement fees by suspension type on its Reinstatement Fees and Payment page.
- Suspension status and reinstatement requirements can be checked through DDS Online Services.
Georgia licence facts
Georgia DUI law at a glance
Sourced from the Georgia code and state agency sites. Verify current text before relying on it.
- Offense name
- DUI (Georgia)
- Controlling statute
- Ga. Code Ann. § 40-6-391
- Implied consent
- Ga. Code Ann. § 40-5-67.1
- Per se BAC limit
- 0.08 (0.04 CDL, 0.02 or lower under 21)
- Licence hearing deadline
- 30 days after arrest
- Prior-offense lookback
- 10 years
- First-offense fine
- $300–$1,000
- First-offense jail exposure
- up to 1 year
- Licence suspension
- 1 year
- Ignition interlock
- Not automatic on a first offense
- Trial court
- the State Court or Superior Court
- High-risk filing
- SR-22 for 3 years
Miss the ALS deadline and the suspension takes effect automatically.
Getting the licence back
- Serve the full suspension or hard-suspension period the agency sets.
- Complete any ordered assessment, education or treatment programme.
- Install an ignition interlock device if the court or agency orders one.
- Georgia requires a SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility for 3 years before a licence is reinstated after a DUI conviction.
- Pay the reinstatement fee and any licence-issuance fee in full.
Fees and processing times change; confirm the current amounts on dds.georgia.gov before you travel to an office.
Georgia ZIP codes covered
These Georgia ZIP-code pages carry the local court, filing and licensing detail for the area, and each one links back to this resource page.
Counties and cities using these Georgia resources
Counties
Other Georgia official resources
Frequently asked questions
- How long do I have to challenge a Georgia licence suspension?
- The administrative hearing request is due within 30 days of arrest. Confirm the current deadline and filing method with the GA licensing agency at dds.georgia.gov before relying on it.
- How long is a first-offense suspension in Georgia?
- A first DUI offense generally carries a 1 year suspension in Georgia. Reinstatement conditions, fees and any interlock requirement are set by the licensing agency.