How to Fill Out and Submit the Georgia DDS-1206 Appeal Form

Georgia’s DDS-1206 appeal form is how you request an Administrative License Suspension (ALS) hearing after a DUI arrest. Complete the form with your identifying information and the grounds for your appeal, include a copy of the Form 1205 the officer handed you at arrest, pay the $150 filing fee, and submit the package by mail, online, or in person within 30 calendar days of receiving the suspension notice.¹ Miss the deadline and the right to a hearing is waived permanently.

What Form DDS-1206 Does

Form DDS-1206 is used to challenge an Administrative License Suspension that follows a DUI arrest, either because a state-administered chemical test showed you were under the influence or because you refused the test.² It is not the form for points-based suspensions, unpaid tickets, or other license actions unrelated to a DUI arrest and implied consent.

At the arrest, the officer typically takes your physical license and gives you a yellow DDS Form 1205, which doubles as a temporary driving permit. Keep it. You’ll attach a copy to your DDS-1206 package, and the date on it starts the 30-day filing clock.

How to Fill Out the Form

Download Form DDS-1206 from the Georgia Department of Driver Services website, or complete it through DDS Online Services.² The form asks for standard identifying information: full legal name, date of birth, driver’s license number, current mailing address, and phone number. DDS uses the address and phone number you list to send hearing notices, so double-check both.

You’ll also enter the date of the arrest and the law enforcement agency involved, and you’ll select the grounds for the appeal. The available grounds generally cover whether the officer had reasonable grounds for the arrest, whether the implied consent notice was properly read, whether the chemical test was properly administered, and whether you actually refused the test. The form itself walks you through selecting the applicable reasons. Leaving a required field blank or submitting incomplete information will get your request rejected outright.²

Attach a copy of your Form 1205 to the request package. DDS uses it to match your case to the officer’s report on file.

The $150 Filing Fee

Georgia law requires a $150 filing fee alongside the completed form. Without the fee, DDS will not process the request no matter how carefully the form is filled out.¹

Accepted payment methods depend on how you file:

By mail: personal check, cashier’s check, or money order, made payable to the Georgia Department of Driver Services.³
In person at a Customer Service Center: cash, credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Centers do not accept checks or money orders in person.⁴
Online: credit or debit card only (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express).⁴

If you mail a check or money order, include your full name, date of birth, driver’s license number, and address with the payment so DDS staff can match it to your case file.³

How to Submit

DDS accepts the hearing request by mail, online, or in person at a Customer Service Center.²

By Mail

The correct mailing address depends on the specific reason for your appeal. The form uses asterisks to match each ground to an address:

Records Management requests: Georgia Department of Driver Services, RM-Hearing Requests, P.O. Box 80447, Conyers, GA 30013.
Regulatory Compliance requests: Georgia Department of Driver Services, Attn: Regulatory Compliance Division, 2206 Eastview Parkway, Conyers, GA 30013.

Sending the package to the wrong address can delay processing, so match the asterisks on the form carefully.² Send it certified with return receipt requested. That receipt proves when DDS received it, which is valuable if the 30-day deadline is ever disputed.

Online

Log into your DDS Online Services account at dds.drives.ga.gov, select “Other Services,” then choose the option inside the “Hearing Request” box. Attorneys can submit on a client’s behalf through a separate online portal linked from the DDS ALS page.² Filing online eliminates mailing delays and gives you an electronic confirmation of the submission date.

In Person

Visit a DDS Customer Service Center to hand-deliver the form and pay the fee. Payment in person is cash or card only, not check or money order.⁴

The 30-Day Deadline

You have 30 calendar days from the date you personally receive the suspension notice, or receive it by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery, to submit the completed form and the $150 fee. Every calendar day counts, weekends and holidays included. If the officer handed you a Form 1205 at the scene, that’s day one. Let the window lapse and the right to a hearing is permanently waived for that suspension.¹

What Happens After You File

Once DDS receives the completed form, fee, and Form 1205 copy, it transfers the case to the Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH). OSAH is an independent agency that assigns an Administrative Law Judge and schedules the hearing. You’ll get a notice by mail with the date, time, and location. Hearings may be held in person or virtually.

DDS is required to hold the hearing within 30 days of receiving your written request.¹ After the hearing, the hearing officer has five calendar days to send a decision to DDS either rescinding or sustaining the suspension.

Can You Drive While You Wait?

Filing the hearing request does not automatically pause the suspension. If you file on time and the hearing hasn’t been held before your temporary driving permit expires, and the delay isn’t your fault, the suspension is stayed until the hearing takes place and the judge issues a decision.¹ Because hearings are often scheduled past the temporary permit’s expiration, many drivers who file on time keep driving through the hearing. It isn’t guaranteed, though. If any part of the delay is attributable to you, the stay doesn’t apply.

There’s one trade-off worth understanding before you file. Accepting an ignition interlock device limited driving permit under O.C.G.A. § 40-5-64.1 counts as waiving your right to an ALS hearing.¹ You get one or the other, not both.

If the Suspension Is Sustained

When the hearing officer upholds the suspension, you can seek judicial review in superior court under Georgia’s Administrative Procedure Act, filing in the county where the hearing was held or where DDS is located. Filing that appeal does not stay the suspension; the DDS order remains in effect while the court reviews the case.¹ Service of process for a superior court appeal goes to the DDS Legal Division at 2201 Eastview Parkway, Conyers, GA 30013 in person, or P.O. Box 80447, Conyers, GA 30013 by mail.⁵

1
Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-67.1 – Chemical Tests; Implied Consent Notices; Rights of Motorists
2
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Administrative License Suspension (ALS) Hearing Requests
3
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Reinstatement Fees and Payment
4
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Fees and Terms
5
Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Code 375-1-1 – Organization