Challenging a License Suspension in Maryland
If someone has been charged with a DUI in Maryland, especially if it is a second or subsequent offense, they can expect to have their license suspended. The Motor Vehicle Administration(MVA) in Maryland is where someone requests to challenge their license suspension. Speak with a Maryland DUI lawyer to learn more about what is required in order to file a formal challenge against a license suspension.
How to Challenge a License Suspension
You can challenge the suspension of your driving privilege by completing the paperwork that the officer gives you at the time that you are arrested. The officer has paperwork that includes information that explains to you how to request a hearing at the MVA in order to challenge the suspension of your driving privileges or if you want to have an MVA hearing in an attempt to get a restricted license.
Time Limit to File a Challenge
It’s very important that you keep all of the paperwork that is issued to you by the police officer and it’s very important that you bring all of that paperwork to a Maryland DUI lawyer. There are time limits that are applicable to this process. You can request an administrative hearing within 30 days of the date you were stopped. However, if you wait 30 days then the suspension could still take place. However, if you request a hearing within 10 days of the date that you’re stopped and you fill out all the paperwork correctly, then your privilege to drive will be extended and you will be able to continue to drive on a temporary paper license that the officer gave you beyond the 45 days that it was initially valid.
If you want to be able to continue to drive, it’s imperative to request a hearing within 10 days. The form is very clear. It explains that you use the paperwork called Hearing Request. That’s a form that is given to you by the officer. That paperwork is sent in to the Office of Administrative Hearings and the address will be available right in the paperwork. You also have to include a filing fee of $150 when you mail in your request for the hearing. If you don’t include the $150, then the form is considered invalid.
Why You Should Speak With a Maryland DUI Lawyer
It’s important to make contact with a Maryland DUI attorney to go over your options within that ten-day time frame. An attorney can review the DUI for you, can review the facts related to it and help you make a determination about whether you should request a hearing or whether you should just go directly into the ignition interlock program.
Both of those options cost money to request a hearing. It costs $150 to participate in ignition interlock. An early consultation with an attorney can help you save money and make the best decision for you about should you request a hearing or not.