Responding to a Wyoming DUI Licensing Notice

Separate the licensing action from the court charge

A Wyoming DUI incident can create an administrative driving-privilege action before the criminal case is resolved. Under the current implied-consent statute, a qualifying test result of 0.08 percent or more supports a ninety-day administrative per se suspension after the officer submits the required statement. The criminal prosecution and the licensing action have different procedures. A dismissal or later court date should not be assumed to cancel an already issued administrative notice or extend the time allowed to challenge it.

Read the notice for the action, date, statutory basis, and instructions. An adult administrative per se action, a youthful-driver action, and a commercial disqualification can arise under different provisions. The Driver Services withdrawal overview helps identify the categories, but the actual notice and current statute control the case-specific procedure. Preserve every page supplied by the officer and every later department letter. A person holding commercial privileges should identify any separate disqualification notice rather than treating the incident as affecting only an ordinary passenger license.

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Calendar the twenty-day request period immediately

The ordinary administrative per se notice gives twenty days from the notice date to request a hearing. Without a timely request, the suspension generally begins thirty days after that notice, or after an existing suspension or revocation ends as the statute provides. The WYDOT hearing instructions require a written request received or postmarked within the stated twenty-day period and accompanied by the required fee. Do not wait for the criminal arraignment or the arrival of a separate reminder before addressing the administrative deadline.

Use the Contested Case Hearing Request and identify the action and DUI arrest date requested on the form. Provide a current address and the email addresses needed for documents and a payment link if choosing that method. The form states that premature requests predating the notice will not be accepted. If an attorney submits the request, the form calls for a separate entry of appearance. Complete the actual state process rather than assuming a letter sent only to the criminal court also requests the administrative hearing.

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Include payment and preserve submission evidence

The contested-hearing fee is $25. The current form says a request is not considered received until payment is made, so complete the payment step promptly within the applicable deadline. Its card option adds a $2.50 charge and requires an email address so the department can send the payment instructions. The form advises against mailing cash and does not accept temporary checks. Follow the current return instructions and keep a copy of the signed request, mailing or transmission evidence, and payment confirmation.

The suspension and interlock forms collection provides the current request documents. A phone call can clarify a question but should not be treated as the required written filing. Ask Driver Compliance to confirm the request's processing when time is short or a payment link has not arrived. The form describes normal processing of seven to ten business days, which is a reason to submit early, not a reason to assume an incomplete request is timely. Record the contact details and any instructions provided about curing a missing item.

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Understand the effect of a timely hearing request

Section 31-6-103 provides a stay of the administrative suspension upon a timely hearing request through the hearing order and appellate review, subject to the statute's limitation involving a similar violation during that period. That stay concerns the action covered by the provision. It does not cancel an unrelated suspension, cure an expired credential, or restore a separate commercial privilege automatically. Confirm the actual status and the validity of any temporary credential before driving, particularly when multiple notices have been issued.

The department forwards the request to an independent hearing examiner. The statute calls for scheduling within forty-five days after the examiner receives the request from the department and at least ten days' hearing notice. It also provides a specified credit remedy for certain scheduling delays rather than automatic dismissal. The Office of Administrative Hearings is the independent agency conducting contested cases. Follow its scheduling and participation instructions carefully so a preserved right to a hearing is not lost through failure to appear or respond.

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Prepare evidence relevant to the statutory issues

The adult per se hearing addresses the issues identified in section 31-6-103, including probable cause, arrest, the qualifying test result, and the required advisements. Prehearing discovery is limited by that statute to the notice, officer's statement, and accompanying documentation submitted by the officer. This procedure does not provide every discovery option that might exist in a criminal case. Review the evidence against the actual statutory issues and obtain legal advice promptly when a disputed test, arrest, or notice presents a question requiring case-specific analysis.

An official driving record can help identify prior actions, and the record request form allows the appropriate history period. Police citation or case materials use the law-enforcement records process, while a related collision report uses the crash-report service. Those record requests have their own processing times and should not delay the hearing request. Keep documents organized by source and date. A claim that a document is wrong is easier to evaluate when the specific discrepancy and supporting evidence are identified.

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Distinguish a hearing from a request to drive for work

The record-review request seeks consideration of limited driving privileges, while a contested hearing addresses the administrative action. The record-review fee is $15, and the probationary-license guidance describes additional conditions and a $55 issuance fee if relief is available. Current section 31-7-105(f)(v)(D) excludes suspensions under section 31-6-102 from the ordinary limited-privilege process. Older summaries suggesting a routine work-license option should not be relied on without resolving that statutory restriction with Driver Services.

An ignition-interlock restricted license is a different statutory route available only when its eligibility requirements are met. Installing a device or enrolling in counseling does not independently grant driving permission. If the court orders an eligible 24/7 sobriety alternative under the applicable statute, the required restricted-license application and program compliance still matter. Describe the actual action and court order when asking about an available route, rather than assuming that every DUI arrest creates the same option for driving during a withdrawal.

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Account for youthful and commercial proceedings

For a driver younger than twenty-one, section 31-6-108 provides a separate administrative process involving a qualifying alcohol concentration of 0.02 percent or more. It includes its own notice, hearing issues, and stay provisions. A first youthful-driver action and a repeat action have different consequences under section 31-7-128. A parent or guardian signature is required on the hearing form for a requester younger than eighteen. The adult per se description should not simply be copied onto a minor's notice without checking its statutory basis.

Commercial drivers should review the CDL information and the current traffic-law summary because personal-vehicle conduct can affect commercial qualification. The summary includes the commercial consequence for certain under-twenty-one alcohol findings effective in 2025. The commercial hearing and disqualification rules require their own analysis, and ordinary limited privileges do not authorize commercial driving during a disqualification. If several actions arise from the same incident, ask which requests and fees are needed to preserve review of each one.

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Follow the order and any further review deadline

The hearing examiner can sustain or rescind the administrative suspension within the authority provided by law. A person seeking judicial review of a sustained implied-consent action has the statutory thirty-day petition period and the designated district-court venue rules. Read the written order and obtain case-specific assistance before that deadline expires. A request for more information from WYDOT does not necessarily serve as a petition for judicial review. Keep a reliable address through the record-update procedure so the order and subsequent notices reach the requester.

If the withdrawal remains effective, satisfy the reinstatement conditions before driving after the required period. The fee schedule distinguishes reinstatement from hearing, licensing, and interlock charges. Use online Driver Services for permitted payment and record functions, while confirming the actual clearance of every action. Any credit for a related administrative suspension against a later conviction-based withdrawal should be reflected in the department's calculation, not assumed by independently selecting an earlier return-to-driving date.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Wyoming per se notice allow to request a hearing?
The statute provides twenty days from the notice date, and the written request and required payment must follow the department’s timely-filing instructions.

Does the criminal court case replace the administrative hearing?
The licensing action has its own procedure and deadline, so a criminal appearance or later dismissal should not be treated as an automatic resolution of the administrative notice.

What is the contested-hearing request fee?
The current form requires $25 and lists an additional $2.50 charge for its card-payment option.

Does a timely request always restore every driving privilege?
The statutory stay applies to the covered action and its conditions; unrelated withdrawals, expiration, or separate commercial disqualification can still prevent driving.

Is an ordinary probationary work license guaranteed for a per se suspension?
Current section 31-7-105 excludes section 31-6-102 suspensions from the ordinary limited-privilege process, so older summaries should not be treated as a guarantee.

How soon must judicial review of a sustained implied-consent action be pursued?
The statute provides a thirty-day petition period after the decision, with the applicable district-court venue and filing requirements.

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More Wyoming DMV guides

The other Wyoming DMV guides, 52 of them:

Where this subject meets the courts and the county records: looking up a Wyoming court case and how an arrest is recorded in Wyoming.

DUI in the largest Wyoming counties, each with the local court and office that holds the file: Laramie, Natrona, Campbell, Sweetwater, Fremont and Sheridan.