Urgent DUI License Suspension Rules for 2017

Saving Your License After a DUI Arrest

If you have been arrested in Forsyth County for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and either refused to submit to a test of your blood or breath, or took a test and the results were over the legal limit, you must act quickly and make an important decision about saving your driver's license. *Note- look through your paperwork you received when leaving the jail. You should have a yellow form that discusses your license suspension information*

As of July 1, 2017, there are 3 options all Georgia drivers will have to attempt to save their privilege to drive. Two of the options must be acted on quickly; you have 30 days to decide and have your correspondence to the Dept. of Driver Service Postmarked.

• Option 1: We file an appeal of your license suspension on your behalf and have an administrative hearing to fight your license suspension. If we choose this option, we must file the appeal within 30 calendar days, and your case will be assigned to an Office of State Administrative Hearings judge who will decide whether your license is subject to suspension for testing over the legal limit, or refusing.
• Option 2: Let the suspension begin. Rarely, there may be a reason to allow a suspension to begin running, uncontested. Whether or not you will be eligible for a limited driving permit will certainly factor into that decision.
• Option 3: File for an Ignition Interlock Device Limited Permit (IIDLP). With an IIDLP, or interlock permit, you must apply in-person at driver services and agree to install and maintain an interlock device on your car for 12 months. Regardless of the final outcome of your actual misdemeanor DUI case, this interlock must stay installed, or you will face a license suspension. This option is only available to first (5 year look back) offenders, and in our opinion, would only be useful if you are charged with a DUI Refusal case.

Note that your DDS license suspension is separate from the license suspension that occurs if someone is convicted of DUI. This is a preliminary suspension based on your violation of implied consent laws.

If you must drive while waiting for your DUI case to be resolved, then you must fight for your driving privileges immediately. Call our Forsyth County DUI lawyers today at ​(770) 676-1340.

Fees For Appealing a License Suspension

Under Department of Driver Services (DDS) new 2017 requirements, your license appeal letter must include a $150 fee along with other pertinent information. Once your letter is received, and if it has been properly submitted, you will receive a hearing date where the arresting officer must appear in court and testify. A Judge from the Georgia Office of State Administrative Hearings will make a determination on whether the officer has met his burden by a "reasonable grounds" standard. These hearings are rather limited in their scope, and knowledgeable attorneys would agree they are slanted in the officer's favor. However, our attorneys have handled hundreds of these hearings, we know the ropes, and will represent you and use all evidence and testimony to challenge your license suspension. With our help, the goal is to avoid the loss of your license by brokering a deal, or winning the hearing based on our crafted legal arguments.

DUI Lawyer Serving Cumming & Forsyth County

Even on a first DUI offense in Forsyth, and under Georgia law, you are facing up to a twelve-month suspension of your driver's license. You may be entitled to a limited driving permit that would allow you to get to work, school, and medical appointments, depending on whether or not you submitted to testing under Georgia's implied consent law. If the officer marked you as a "refusal," the consequences become even more severe, with no permit even available. If you have been pulled over and arrested for DUI here in Forsyth County, we at Zeliff | Watson can help you review your options and defenses in an attempt to save your driver's license.

Remember, once you have missed the DDS window for an appeal, or if you have unsuccessfully appealed your suspension, your license will stay suspended unless and until you have your DUI charges dismissed. Contact us today and let us go over Georgia's administrative license suspension laws with you.

Contact us today to discuss how Georgia's license suspension laws, and ignition interlock laws will apply to your case. Remember, we must make a quick decision and take action to save your right to drive.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of courts we defend clients in:

• Fulton County Superior and State Courts
• Atlanta Municipal Court
• Alpharetta Municipal Court
• Milton Municipal Court
• Johns Creek Municipal Court
• Sandy Springs Municipal Court
• Doraville Municipal Court (Dekalb County)
• Suwanee Municipal Court (Gwinnett County)