Effective October 1st, 2012 the hearing request fee for a DUI in Washington State is increasing to $375 from $200. This fee increase was passed by the Washington State Legislature to help pay for a new facial recognition system for driver’s licenses.
This fee increase was not long overdue. In fact, a couple of years ago, the cost of this hearing went from $100 to $200. The number of driver’s in Washington State who will request this hearing will undoubtedly go down due to the increased expense.
Why Should You Still Request this Hearing?
This hearing is your only opportunity to dispute the automatic driver’s license suspension that occurs on the 60th day after your arrest. Even if no criminal DUI charges are filed, the license suspension will still occur…unless you win this hearing.
Your odds of winning this case depend on the circumstances of your arrest, the individual hearing officer that presides, and the skill of your attorney. The important thing to remember is that you have no chance of winning unless you request a hearing within 20 days of your arrest.