If you are facing DWI or drunk driving charges in Houston, you may know that a conviction will likely mean that you will lose your driving privileges for a certain amount of time and that your license will be suspended. Yet you may also be concerned that you are at risk of having your license revoked. Whether you have spoken with friends about drunk driving penalties or you have run searches on the internet, it can be confusing to understand how license suspensions and revocations work in Texas, and whether you should anticipate losing your driving privileges for a finite period of time or losing those driving privileges permanently.
What is the difference between a drunk driving license suspension and a revocation? Our Houston DWI defense lawyers can explain, and we can help you to fight the charges you are facing.
Texas Driver License Suspensions Are Finite
It can be easy to get confused when it comes to driver’s license suspensions and revocations, especially given the way Texas law defines a post-DWI arrest suspension or disqualification of your driver’s license as an Administrative License Revocation (ALR). Yet it is important to understand that a driver’s license suspension is finite, meaning that your license will not be suspended forever, but instead will be suspended for a limited amount of time. The amount of time of the suspension will be based on whether or not you are facing a first-offense, and whether you are facing enhanced offenses or penalties under the Texas Penal Code. In general, your license is likely to be suspended for anywhere from 180 days to up to 2 years.
When your license is suspended, you will be able to have your driving privileges reinstated once the suspension period is over and you have completed any requirements for reinstatement, such as paying a reinstatement fee, getting additional liability insurance, and attending an alcohol education class or installing an ignition interlock device in your car.
Revocation of Your Texas Driver License is Permanent
When a driver’s license is revoked, that revocation is permanent. We want to be clear that an Administrative License Revocation (ALR) is actually a suspension—the ALR program is a process through which the Texas Department of Public Safety suspends a person’s driver’s license after a DWI or other intoxication offense. As such, the ALR program is separate from the process by which a driver’s license is revoked.
Under what kinds of circumstances can your driver’s license be revoked? A person’s driver’s license may be revoked following a DWI in some circumstances involving intoxication assault or manslaughter, and in subsequent DWI offenses where the person fails to complete a DWI repeat offender program. When a license is revoked, you will need to go through the process of reapplying for a driver’s license altogether if you want to drive again, and you will need help from a Houston DWI lawyer.
Need Professional Legal Help?
Contact Our Houston DWI Defense Attorneys
If your license has been suspended or revoked due to a DWI, or if you need help defending against DWI charges, our Houston DWI defense lawyers can assist you. Contact Tad A. Nelson, Houston DWI Lawyer for more information. Call us at 281-502-2122 or send us a message using the contact form.
