DWI Administrative Hearing Lawyer Wentzville, MO

DWI Administrative Hearing Lawyer Wentzville, MO. If you’ve been arrested for DWI/DUI in Wentzville, MO, your ability to drive is at stake. The Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) will automatically suspend or revoke your license, but you have a limited window to challenge this action through an administrative hearing.

Time is critical—you have just 15 days from your arrest to request a hearing. Don’t delay. Protect your driving privileges in Wentzville, MO and beyond by calling a trusted DWI administrative hearing lawyer at Combs Waterkotte right away. Call (314) 900-HELP or contact us online to schedule a confidential consultation and let one of our experienced Wentzville, MO DWI/DUI defense attorneys build a powerful defense for your case.

Wentzville, MO DWI Administrative Hearings: What You Need to Know

A DWI administrative hearing is a civil proceeding separate from your criminal DWI case in Wentzville, MO. It determines whether the state has the right to suspend or revoke your driver’s license based on the circumstances of your arrest. If you don’t request this hearing within 15 days from your arrest date, your suspension goes into effect automatically without hearing your side.

During the hearing, key factors that will be reviewed include:

• Did law enforcement have reasonable suspicion to pull you over?
• Were you driving while impaired?
• Did you refuse a breath or blood test?

Winning the hearing can mean keeping your license and avoiding additional penalties. If the DOR determines that the three above questions are affirmatively answered and proven by a preponderance of evidence, your license will be suspended or revoked based on any prior offenses or test refusal.

License Suspension & Revocation Penalties in Missouri

The consequences of an administrative hearing suspension depend on your record in Wentzville, MO and beyond:

• First DWI/DUI Offense: A 90-day suspension applies, but you might qualify for a Restricted Driving Privilege in Wentzville, MO after 30 days.
• Second DWI/DUI Offense: Leads to a 1-year revocation period in Wentzville, MO, or a 5-year license denial if the prior offense was within the past 5 years.
• Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test: This results in a 1-year licence revocation under Missouri’s implied consent law, and means you are ineligible for a hardship license for 90 days.

Since the burden of proof is minimal—just proving it’s more likely than not that you were intoxicated—navigating this hearing alone could jeopardize your license, job, and daily freedom in and around Wentzville, MO.

With 40+ years of experience and 10,000+ cases successfully handled in Wentzville and across Missouri, the Combs Waterkotte DWI administrative hearing team is ready to fight for your rights. Reach out to a skilled DWI administrative hearing lawyer in Wentzville, MO today to discuss your case and protect your driving future.

Securing a Limited Driving Privilege (Hardship License) in Wentzville, MO

If you licenses has been suspended, revoked, or denied, you might qualify for a Limited Driving Privilege (LDP) in Wentzville, MO. To be eligible, you’ll likely need to file an SR-22 insurance form and install an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) on your vehicle. After 30 days from your 15-day administrative hearing period, an LDP may allow you to drive under specific conditions, like:

• Attending Substance Awareness Traffic Offender Program (SATOP) or other alcohol- or drug-treatment programs
• Seeking the required services of a certified IID provider
• A business, occupation, or employment
• Seeking medical treatment
• Attending school or other institution of higher education
• Any other circumstance the court finds would create an undue hardship

The LDP application process in Missouri can be complex, but working with an experienced Wentzville, MO DWI attorney can help you regain your driving privileges as quickly as possible.

Why You Need a Wentzville, MO DWI Administrative Hearing Lawyer

Our Wentzville, MO DWI/DUI defense attorneys can raise a variety of legal and procedural challenges in an administrative alcohol hearing, and the failure of the DOR to prove even one of the above elements can prevent your license suspension.

For a suspension to proceed, you must have been under arrest at the time of the breathalyzer or blood test, and that arrest must have been based on probable cause that you were operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. (This is why the Combs Waterkotte Wentzville, MO DWI/DUI defense team suggests that you refuse these tests, along with any field sobriety test, as law enforcement only conducts these tests to establish probable cause.)

Our attorneys closely examine the details of your arrest and testing procedures, looking for flaws such as time gaps between driving and law enforcement contact. Additionally, Missouri has strict regulations governing breath and blood testing procedures, including:

• Routine maintenance of testing devices every 35 days
• Proper certification of the testing officer
• Use of state-approved testing machines
• Calibration samples meet specific regulatory standards
• Testing machine must function within state’s precise limits regarding temperature and accuracy

If any of these requirements were not met, we can challenge the BAC results, which could lead to the dismissal of your suspension. Our team of Wentzville, MO DWI experts has a proven track record of helping clients throughout Missouri keep their licenses.

How to Appeal a Wentzville, MO DWI Administrative Hearing Decision

If your license has been suspended or revoked, you have the right to challenge the DOR’s decision by filing an appeal in the Wentzville, MO circuit court within 15 days of the final ruling. This appeal must be submitted in the circuit court of the county where your arrest occurred, and the DOR must be officially notified of the appeal. Our Wentzville, MO DWI administrative hearing lawyers can handle the entire appeals process on your behalf to get the best possible outcome.

Once the appeal is filed, the case moves to a de novo hearing—meaning the Wentzville, MO circuit court will conduct an entirely new review of the evidence, without relying on the DOR’s previous decision. Unlike administrative hearings, circuit appeals allow live witness testimony, providing our Wentzville, MO DWI/DUI lawyers an opportunity to present a stronger defense for your case.

However, it’s important to understand that filing an appeal does not automatically delay your suspension or revocation. Your driving privileges may still be affected before the appeal hearing occurs, meaning you could be unable to drive until the court makes its ruling. If the court ultimately finds insufficient evidence to uphold the suspension, your license can be reinstated, but only after you have already served part of your suspension.

If you partner with a Combs Waterkotte DWI administrative hearing lawyer in or around Wentzville, MO, you’re not just hiring the ideal DWI administrative hearing lawyer lawyer in and around Wentzville, MO – you’re safeguarding your license, your rights, your freedom, and your future. In addition to knowledgeable DWI administrative hearing attorneys, our legal team is available 24/7 and offers expertise in the following areas for Wentzville, MO residents:

• Drivers License Reinstatement Attorney
• Careless Imprudent Driving Attorneys
• Weapons Crime Attorney

Time is Running Out—Get a Wentzville, MO DWI Administrative Hearing Lawyer on Your Side to Keep Your Driving Privileges

If you’ve been arrested for DWI/DUI in Wentzville, MO, the clock is ticking on your right to fight for your license. Missing the 15-day deadline on an administrative hearing means automatic suspension or revocation with no way to appeal. You need a Wentzville, MO DWI administrative hearing lawyer on your side right now to protect your driving privileges and fight for your future.

Call Combs Waterkotte as soon as possible at (314) 900-HELP or contact us online for a free case review where we can get to work on a defense to get you the best possible outcome in Wentzville, MO.