Your License When You Get a DUI

Your License When You Get a DUI

Your license when you get a DUI is often a big concern for people.

  • One is the Criminal side of the DUI that is addressed by the presiding Court.
  • The other is the Administrative Hearing by the Department of Licensing.

The arresting officer will file the DUI report as required to address these two legal steps.

How Long is my License Good For?

The suspension of your driver’s license will begin 30 days from the date of your DUI arrest.   

Department of Licensing Administrative Hearing

You have 7 days, from the date of the arrest, to request a hearing with the Department of Licensing to contest the suspension.

This hearing will be held by telephone and the results will be mailed to you.

What will the Department of Licensing Consider?

During your Department of License Administrative hearing the examiner will consider several details.

  • Were you under lawful arrest.
  • Did the officer have reasonable grounds to believe you had been driving or were in physical control of a motor vehicle in the state of Washington while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug,
  • Were you advised of your rights and warnings.
  • Did you refuse to submit to a test, or if you did take the test.
  • Did the test indicate an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more if you were 21 or over or 0.02 if you were under the age of 21.

What to Expect if We Handle the Hearing for you.

When you hire Merrill Law for your DUI, the Attorney will handle the Department of Licensing telephone hearing for you. When the examiner makes a decision, the results of the hearing will be mailed to you.

What to Expect If You Handle the Hearing Yourself.

The telephone hearing examiner will advise you that the testimony will be recorded and that all the testimony provided during the hearing is under oath.

The examiner will review the issues to be decided, and identify the exhibits.  Exhibits may include the police report and breathalyzer report.

This is the opportunity to object to the admission of evidence or testimony.  If an objection is made, the examiner will determine if it is appropriate to admit the evidence or testimony.  

All the witnesses will be sworn in and the examiner will listen to their testimony.  At this point you have the opportunity to testify, present evidence, cross-examine any of the state’s witnesses or you may bring your own witnesses to the hearing.  

The hearing examiner will adjourn the hearing.  

The examiner will review all of the submitted evidence. Then they will make a decision regarding the suspension of your license.  

The review process may take the hearing examiner up to 6 weeks from the date of the hearing.  

A temporary license will be extended for you that will be valid until the hearing examiner makes the final decision.  

The examiner will mail a letter to the address that you have on record to notify you of the decision.

If You Do Not Request an Administrative Hearing.

Your license will only be valid for 30 days from the date of the DUI arrest.  Your license will be suspended for 90 days or more.

We know that this can be a life changing event but it isn’t the end of the world.  

There are many ways an experienced attorney can fight for you.

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Kylin Landry profile picture
Kylin Landry
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Gotten many tickets dropped or the charge reduced to a non moving violation. Yes it would be great if they all could be dropped but at the end of the day my insurance is still affordable. Anyone leaving bad reviews about the Merrill's not getting a charge totally dismissed did not listen or read well enough when entering the contact as they make it very clear that both are a possibility.
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Doza m
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Took care of it just like Rick said he would. Will definitely use him again in the future if needed.
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Bri Adams profile picture
Bri Adams
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Rick Merrill was very responsive and easy to work with, handled my case perfectly and got me the result I was after. Definitely recommend him for any of your needs.
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Roman Empire
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Kind and professional people. Will definitely be coming back!
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Abraham Tewldeberham
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I want to start off by saying they have helped my family out tremendously. Their professionalism, efficiency and outstanding communication skills made our case a whole lot easier to understand and deal with.
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Sylvia Magnusson
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Very Nice team to work with. Professional and compassionate. Will definitely recommend to anyone in need.

Call us now

To ask additional questions or to hire an experienced attorney who has deep connections with the local legal system.

(425) 259 4972

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Shannon Jackson profile picture
Shannon Jackson
September 6, 2026
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He’s like Santa for speeding tickets. Anytime someone says they got a ticket, I always tell them “I got a guy”
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Nathan Turner
September 6, 2026
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My son got his first speeding ticket. We called these guys and sent them a photo of the ticket. They took care of everything and got the ticket dismissed. Lucky kid. Hope he learned his lesson...
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Kymberly Hoyle
September 3, 2026
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I have gone through Merrill Law 3 times now for speeding violations and expired tabs and they are efficient and super easy to work with every time. Reece is fantastic and communicative. I highly recommend them as they have saved me a lot of money in the end.
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Jamie Lee Fada
September 3, 2026
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I have used Merrill Law several times from speeding tickets to HOV violations. Everyone has been dismissed. I can't reccomend them enough.
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Laura Taylor profile picture
Laura Taylor
August 18, 2026
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Going to Merrill Law was one of the best decisions I could have made. From start to finish, their team was kind, professional, helpful, and excellent at communicating throughout the process. I truly appreciated their support and would highly recommend Merrill Law to anyone in need of their services.
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Xavier Hecker
August 17, 2026
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Second speeding ticket in a row dropped, and I never had to step foot in a court room.
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Matthew Matyuk
August 15, 2026
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Great experience, big thanks, ticket dismissal went smoothly.
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Jordan Cabral profile picture
Jordan Cabral
August 14, 2026
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Huge thank you to Reece Merrill for helping me resolve an issue with the Department of licensing. He was so quick to help me fix what seemed to be an overlook on the DOL’s part. I highly recommend him to anyone who needs legal help big or small.
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Alex Nelsen profile picture
Alex Nelsen
July 28, 2025
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Reliable, Professional, and Effective Big thanks to Merrill Law for getting my ticket dismissed. I’ve used them before after a friend recommended them, and they’ve made the whole process easy and stress-free every time. It’s a huge relief knowing they’re in your corner, fighting for you. Highly recommend to anyone needing a solid attorney
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Stephan A
June 14, 2025
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Fantastic as always
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Marc Calague
November 5, 2024
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Merrill Law is fantastic Got my infraction dismissed and all I did was call them. Saved my record, my time, and my money.
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John Miranda profile picture
John Miranda
October 24, 2023
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Great Result. Dismissed speeding Ticket!! I got a speeding ticket that I presented to Mr Merril. Very easy to process. Excellent communication. He called me during the process to l ask my opinion. He felt there may be a chance that my ticket would not be dismissed and wanted to know if I would be willing to pay a fine, to keep the ticket off of my record. I agreed and was thankful to be included in the process. Mr. Merrill went to court, fought for me and WON! my ticket was dismissed!! Great result.
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Brian profile picture
Brian
August 17, 2023
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The Best Legal Team I will begin by saying the professional and courteous manner in which they (the whole practice) treat people is second to none. Not only have they kept my driving record impeccable, the cost is fair and they can be counted on 100%. I cant say enough how grateful i am to have been recommended to these guys, here i am doing exactly the same i recommend them beyond plain recommendations haha Thank you to all the people in your firm Rick!!
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Cecilia Jones profile picture
Cecilia Jones
June 21, 2023
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Grateful is an understatement! Quick and concise work on the part of the firm, ensuring clear direction of what documentation needed to be submitted in order to dispute. I was given reassurance that once everything was handled id receive an email of the overall outcome of my case. Im happy to say it was a successful favorable outcome and I can continue working without any additional financial hardship thanks to this firm!
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Arteom Lupekha
April 14, 2023
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Excellent Experience Reece and his team worked quite quickly and we’re very responsive. They under promise and over deliver. Excellent experience from 3 traffic violations over a few years. Highly recommend!

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