How to Complete and Submit Georgia Form DDS-1206: 30-Day ALS Hearing Request

Georgia Form DDS-1206 is the written request you file with the Department of Driver Services to challenge an administrative license suspension after a DUI arrest. Submit the completed form, a $150 filing fee, and a copy of the DDS Form 1205 or 1205S the arresting officer gave you, and get the package to DDS within 30 days of receiving notice of the suspension.¹ Miss that window and your right to a hearing is gone, permanently, by operation of law.

What You Need Before You Start

Download the form from the Georgia Department of Driver Services website or pick up a copy at any DDS Customer Service Center.² Have two things in front of you when you sit down to fill it out: your Georgia driver’s license (or your license number written down), and the DDS Form 1205 or 1205S the officer handed you at the time of the stop. The officer-issued form holds most of the details you will transfer onto the DDS-1206.

Filling Out the Form

The DDS-1206 asks for your full legal name, mailing address, and Georgia driver’s license number. A checklist on the form asks you to indicate the reason for your appeal, which typically means marking whether the suspension stems from a chemical test result or from a test refusal.

Transcribe the citation details from your 1205 or 1205S carefully. A mismatch between what you write on the hearing request and what the officer wrote on the suspension notice gives DDS a reason to reject the filing. Sign and date the form.

Attach a copy of the 1205 or 1205S to the completed DDS-1206 before you submit. That officer-issued notice is what triggered the suspension in the first place, and including it helps DDS match your request to the correct case file.

The 30-Day Deadline

The statute gives you 30 days from the date you were personally served notice or received notice by certified mail, not 30 days from the arrest itself.¹ Most drivers are handed the 1205 at the scene, so the clock usually starts on the arrest date. If you were not personally served and the notice reached you by certified mail instead, the 30 days begin on the receipt date shown on the return receipt.

The deadline is absolute. If DDS does not have your completed form, fee, and supporting documents in hand within 30 days, your right to a hearing is waived. There are no extensions and no exceptions for mailing delays. Count forward from the service date, then back off a few days from day 30 and plan your submission method accordingly. Mailing on day 25 is a gamble.

Paying the $150 Fee

A $150 filing fee must accompany your hearing request.¹ Make checks and money orders payable to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. If you submit the form in person at a Customer Service Center, note that DDS does not accept checks at those locations. Bring a money order or use another method accepted at the counter.² Online submissions process payment through the DDS e-Services portal.

One boundary worth flagging: Georgia’s Pauper’s Affidavit (Form DDS-355) waives certain DDS fees for low-income residents, but it is designed for reinstatement fees and does not cover the $150 hearing request fee.³ If you cannot afford to file, talk to an attorney about alternatives in your situation.

How to Submit the Form

DDS accepts the completed DDS-1206 through three channels: postal mail, in-person delivery at a Customer Service Center, or the DDS Online Services portal.²

By Mail

Send the completed form, payment, and a copy of the 1205 or 1205S to the Regulatory Compliance Division at 2206 East View Parkway, Conyers, GA 30013.⁴ Use certified mail with return receipt requested. The return receipt is your only proof that DDS received the package before the deadline, and you will need it if the department later claims your request arrived late. Keep the tracking number and photocopy everything in the envelope.

In Person

Walk the form into any DDS Customer Service Center. This eliminates mailing uncertainty and gets you immediate confirmation of receipt. Remember that checks are not accepted at Customer Service Centers; bring a money order or another accepted form of payment.²

Online

The fastest option. Log in to (or create) your DDS Online Services account, select “Other Services,” and then choose the option in the Hearing Request box.² Attorneys representing clients can use a separate online submission link available on the same DDS page. Online filing produces a timestamped confirmation, which matters when you are working against the 30-day clock.

What Filing on Time Gets You Besides the Hearing

When the arresting officer took your license and issued the 1205, that form doubles as a temporary driving permit, but it has a short shelf life. Filing the DDS-1206 on time extends that temporary permit for an additional 90 days beyond its original expiration.⁵ The extension cannot run past the date your driving privilege is formally suspended or revoked, but in most cases it keeps you legally behind the wheel until the administrative law judge rules.

If a decision has not been entered by the time the 90-day extension expires, DDS can issue a further extension once it receives documentation from the Office of State Administrative Hearings confirming that no final decision has been entered.⁵ If your hearing date is nearing the end of that window, follow up with DDS to confirm the extension paperwork is in order.

The Interlock Permit Alternative

Before you file the DDS-1206, know that filing is not your only option. If this is your first DUI-related ALS in five years, Georgia lets you apply for an Ignition Interlock Device Limited Driving Permit instead of requesting a hearing. Choosing this route waives your right to the administrative hearing, so it is an either-or decision.⁶

To qualify, you must meet all of the following conditions:

No prior DUI conviction within the past five years
At least 21 years old
Currently licensed to drive in Georgia
Not a commercial driver’s license holder
The ALS did not arise from a traffic accident involving serious injuries or fatalities
No other active suspension, revocation, or cancellation on your license

You apply within the same 30-day window, surrender your Georgia driver’s license, sign an affidavit waiving the hearing, and pay a $25 permit fee.⁶ The device must stay installed for four months if you took the chemical test and the results were over the limit, or twelve months if you refused the test. DDS requires satisfactory monthly monitoring reports throughout the maintenance period.

This is a real tradeoff. You give up the chance to have the suspension thrown out entirely, but you guarantee yourself continued driving privileges without waiting for a hearing date. If your livelihood depends on driving and the facts of your case are not strong, the interlock permit can be the more practical choice. If you have real grounds to challenge the stop, the arrest, or the test, waiving the hearing means leaving a potential win on the table. Decide which path you are taking before you commit to filing the DDS-1206, because the 30-day clock applies to both.

1
Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-67.1 – Chemical Tests; Implied Consent Notices; Rights of Motorists; Test Results; Refusal to Submit; Suspension or Disqualification; Administrative License Suspension Hearing and Review; Inspection and Certification of Breath-Testing Instruments
2
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Administrative License Suspension (ALS) Hearing Requests
3
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Pauper’s Affidavit FAQs
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Regulated Programs
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Legal Information Institute. Georgia Comp. R. and Regs. R. 375-3-3-.09 – Extension of Temporary Driving Permits
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Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-64.1 – Ignition Interlock Device Limited Driving Permit