Have you received a DR-15A?
If an officer issued you a DR-15A after a Maryland DUI arrest, the paper starts a Motor Vehicle Administration proceeding that is separate from the criminal case. The dates printed on the document matter. Read the entire order and do not assume that an arrest date, a court date, or a hearing request proves your current If an officer issued you a DR-15A after a Maryland DUI arrest, the paper starts a Motor Vehicle Administration proceeding that is separate from the criminal case. The dates printed on the document matter. Read the entire order and do not assume that an arrest date, a court date, or a hearing request proves your current
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The example above shows where to find “ORDER OF SUSPENSION - ISSUE DATE.” That date is the starting point for the ordinary administrative per se hearing-request periods discussed below. Other notices, commercial-license issues, conflicting dates, or later MVA and OAH orders require individual review.
Use the Maryland DUI/MVA Deadline Planner
Use the Maryland DUI/MVA Deadline Planner to organize the ordinary hearing-request, ignition-interlock, and temporary-license markers shown by your paperwork. The planner is on a separate privacy-isolated page and does not submit your answers to the firm.
What is a DR-15A form?
The DR-15A is an Order of Suspension used in Maryland's administrative per se process. It is different from the DR-15 Advice of Rights, which addresses chemical-test rights and consequences. Keep both documents.
The order should identify the issue date, the alleged test result or refusal basis, hearing-request instructions, and temporary-license terms if a temporary license was issued. The document does not resolve the separate Maryland DUI criminal case.
The 10-day and 30-day hearing-request periods
For an ordinary officer-issued administrative per se order, a written hearing request may be made when the order is issued or within 30 days after issuance. A request made at issuance or within 10 days receives different treatment under the stay and temporary-license rules. A request made after 10 days but within 30 days ordinarily does not extend the 45-day temporary-license period.
Requesting a hearing does not prove that the request was complete, timely, received, or that a stay was granted. Keep proof of mailing or delivery and review every later notice.
Filing details that can matter
A hearing request generally must include the information required by COMAR 11.11.03.03, the $150 filing fee in an accepted form of check or money order, or a timely fee-waiver request that is later granted. Cash is not accepted under the current fee rule. A mailed request uses the United States Postal Service postmark under the hearing-request rule. The rule also permits specified forms of personal delivery and addresses license surrender or the required certification when a license is unavailable. Follow the current DR-15A instructions and keep proof of the method used.
Under COMAR 28.02.01.04, an OAH filing period longer than seven days counts intermediate weekends and holidays. If its last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, listed holiday, or a day OAH is not open for its full business day, the OAH filing deadline runs to the next full OAH business day. Emergency closures and alternative delivery methods may require direct confirmation. The planner therefore preserves the unadjusted calendar marker and separately labels any supported OAH filing adjustment.
The temporary license is a separate question
When the ordinary conditions are met, the paper temporary license is valid for 45 days after the order's issue date, and the stated suspension milestone follows on day 46. That timeline is not a promise that a person may legally drive through a calculated date. Eligibility, surrender, existing restrictions, later orders, a hearing, a written stay, a replacement temporary license, postponement, or interlock action can change the result. A rule that extends an OAH filing deadline should not be used to extend the paper license's printed expiration.
Hearing and ignition-interlock options
Not every case requires an MVA hearing. Ignition interlock may be a separate option for an eligible person. Current official MVA guidance uses a 30-day period for the initial election that can avoid the ordered suspension. For that path, the person must install the device, surrender the license or sign the required statement, and enroll with MVA.
That does not mean interlock becomes unavailable after day 30 or after the 45-day temporary-license period. Transportation Article Section 16-404.1(e) says that a person who did not initially participate may apply later and that MVA may reconsider a suspension or revocation arising from the same circumstances. A later application is different from completing the initial election on time, and the planner does not assume that MVA has approved it.
Installing a device in the vehicle is not enough by itself. Eligibility, written election, installation, license surrender, and MVA enrollment all need to be confirmed. Reading general information does not enroll someone in interlock, file a hearing request, or select the right option for a particular case. See our MVA hearing guide, Maryland ignition-interlock overview, and the official MVA Ignition Interlock Program guidance before making that decision.
How a Maryland DUI lawyer can help
A lawyer can compare the DR-15A issue date, temporary-license language, proof of filing, and later notices. Counsel can also help keep the administrative case separate from the court case while preparing both.
For a consultation, gather:
- Every page of the DR-15A
- The separate DR-15 Advice of Rights
- Citations and charging documents
- Any MVA or OAH notice, decision, or postponement
- Proof of mailing, delivery, payment, or a fee-waiver request
- Your physical license or the paperwork explaining why it was not surrendered
You can request a consultation or call (877) 343-1031. The planner does not send any answers to the firm.