Quick answer: An MVA hearing decides whether Maryland suspends, revokes, or restricts your driver’s license after a DUI test result, a test refusal, too many points, or a medical or provisional-license issue. The hearing is held by the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) before an Administrative Law Judge, and the deadline to request it can be as short as 10 days from the date on your notice. If you have an MVA hearing notice in Glen Burnie, request the hearing in writing before that clock runs and get a lawyer on it fast.
I’m David Waranch, and I’ve handled thousands of Maryland traffic and license cases, including MVA and OAH hearings for drivers across Glen Burnie and Anne Arundel County. This page explains what your hearing decides, which deadline applies to your case, and how a Glen Burnie MVA hearing lawyer can help you keep driving.
What Is an MVA Hearing?
An MVA hearing is an administrative proceeding about one thing: your driving privilege. It is not a criminal trial and does not decide guilt on any charge; it decides whether your Maryland license is suspended, revoked, restricted, or left alone. It is conducted by the Office of Administrative Hearings, a state agency separate from the MVA, before an Administrative Law Judge who reviews the MVA’s action against your record and the law.
At the hearing you may be represented by an attorney, present documents and testimony, cross-examine the MVA’s evidence, and subpoena witnesses. The judge is not there to help you, and the MVA arrives with your certified record in hand. If you do nothing, the suspension or revocation on your notice takes effect automatically once the deadline passes. For a full walk-through, see our guide on what to expect at a Maryland MVA hearing.
Why Did I Get an MVA Hearing Notice in Glen Burnie?
The MVA schedules hearings for several reasons, and the reason controls both your deadline and your options. The common triggers appear below: a DUI test failure or refusal, an accumulation of points, a provisional or underage-alcohol violation, and a medical or fitness-to-drive review. Not every notice carries the same clock, so read yours carefully and identify which action the MVA is taking.
| Hearing type | What triggers it | Deadline to request |
|---|---|---|
| Per se / implied consent (Transp. § 16-205.1) | Failing (0.08+) or refusing a breath or blood test at a DUI stop | 10 days to keep your 45-day temporary license; up to 30 days to request at all |
| Point accumulation (Transp. § 16-404) | Convictions reaching 8 points (suspension) or 12 points (revocation) | 10 days after the notice is sent, weekends and holidays excepted |
| Provisional or underage alcohol | Violations on a provisional license or drinking-and-driving under 21 | As stated on your notice |
| Medical / fitness-to-drive | MVA review of a reported medical or vision condition | As stated on your notice |
Which Deadline Applies to My Case?
This is where drivers lose their licenses by accident. The two most common deadlines look similar but come from different statutes and protect different things.
After a DUI test failure or refusal (the per se case). Under Md. Code, Transp. § 16-205.1, the officer takes your Maryland license, serves you an order of suspension, and hands you a temporary paper license good for 45 days. To keep that temporary license valid all the way to your hearing, you must request the hearing within 10 days of the date on the order. You can still ask for a hearing up to 30 days out, but a request made after day 10 does not extend the temporary license, so your suspension starts on day 46 no matter what. In plain terms, the number that matters is 10, not 45. Our page on the Maryland DUI per se hearing covers this in detail.
After too many points (the point-action case). This is a separate track under Md. Code, Transp. § 16-404. When the MVA sends a notice of suspension or revocation for points, you have 10 days after the notice is sent, not counting Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, to file a written request for a hearing. Miss it and the notice takes effect at the end of that 10-day period. This deadline has nothing to do with the 45-day DUI temporary license, so do not mix the two.
Do not assume a work restricted license is on the table. A restricted license for work or school is available only for a test result between 0.08 and 0.14. If you refused the test or blew 0.15 or more, Maryland law forecloses any modified suspension or restricted license, and the ignition interlock program is the only way to keep driving. Believing you can just ask the judge for a work license, when the law does not allow one, is the most expensive mistake drivers make at these hearings.
How the Maryland Point System Leads to a Hearing
Points are the quiet path to an MVA hearing. Each traffic conviction adds points to your record, and the MVA acts at set thresholds over any two-year period. Paying a ticket is a guilty plea and a conviction, which is how points land on your record in the first place, so understand the difference between payable and must-appear tickets before you hand over a fine. The tiers under § 16-404 work like this:
| Points in 2 years | MVA action |
|---|---|
| 3 points | Warning letter |
| 5 points | Required driver improvement program |
| 8 points | Notice of suspension, with the right to a hearing |
| 12 points | Notice of revocation, with the right to a hearing |
At 8 or 12 points you receive a formal notice, and that notice starts the 10-business-day hearing clock. The hearing is your chance to argue for a shorter suspension or a restrictive license tied to the interlock program. If your license is already gone, our guides on restoring a Maryland driver’s license and the Maryland point system explain the next steps.
What a DUI Test Result Costs Your License
For a per se case, the suspension length depends on your test result and whether you have a prior. These are the administrative periods for a Maryland licensee under § 16-205.1, separate from anything a criminal court does with the DUI charge.
| Trigger | First offense | Second or subsequent |
|---|---|---|
| Test result 0.08 or more | 180 days | 180 days |
| Test result 0.15 or more | 180 days | 270 days |
| Test refusal | 270 days | 2 years |
Instead of a hearing, you may elect in writing to enter the ignition interlock program under § 16-404.1 within the same time limits: 180 days for a result of 0.08 to 0.14, and one year for a result of 0.15 or more or a refusal. For a refusal or 0.15-plus result, interlock is the only route to keep driving. A lawyer can help you weigh a hearing against an interlock election based on the strength of the stop and your need to drive.
How a Glen Burnie MVA Hearing Lawyer Helps You
The MVA hearing rewards preparation, and most of the value comes before you walk in. I review your notice and certified record to confirm which action applies and which deadline governs, then file the request correctly and on time so you do not forfeit the temporary license or the hearing itself. From there the work is finding the leverage in your specific case.
- Confirming the MVA followed the correct procedure and served valid paperwork
- Challenging the traffic stop, the test administration, or gaps in the MVA’s evidence
- Presenting mitigation: work and family needs, treatment, a clean prior record
- Requesting a restrictive or interlock license where the law allows one
- Advising whether a hearing or an interlock election is the smarter play for you
I appear at these hearings regularly and know what Administrative Law Judges weigh most heavily. If you would rather understand the process first, our guide on handling your own MVA hearing lays out the risks of going it alone, and our overview of Maryland MVA matters covers actions beyond a single hearing.
Serving Glen Burnie and Anne Arundel County
Glen Burnie sits at the center of Maryland’s busiest license issues, and not by coincidence. The MVA’s main headquarters is here, so many of the notices we respond to originate minutes from where our clients live and work. The traffic that feeds these cases is heavy too: I-97, MD-100, MD-2 Ritchie Highway, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway funnel commuters through the area, and enforcement follows the volume. We represent drivers throughout Glen Burnie, Pasadena, Severn, Ferndale, Brooklyn Park, Linthicum, and the rest of Anne Arundel County.
For a driver here, losing a license is not abstract: it is the commute up the parkway, the school run, and the job that depends on getting there. If your case also involves the underlying charge, our Anne Arundel County traffic lawyer page explains how we defend the ticket itself, and we handle MVA hearings for neighboring communities including Catonsville, Towson, and Upper Marlboro.
MVA Hearing FAQ
It depends on the action. After a DUI test failure or refusal, request the hearing within 10 days to keep your 45-day temporary license, or up to 30 days to still get a hearing without extending the temporary license. For a points suspension or revocation, you have 10 days after the notice is sent, not counting weekends and legal holidays. Always read the exact deadline on your notice.
No. An MVA hearing is a civil administrative proceeding held by the Office of Administrative Hearings, and it decides only what happens to your driver’s license. Your criminal DUI charge is handled separately in District Court. The two run on different timelines and one does not decide the other.
No. For a test refusal or a result of 0.15 or more, Maryland law does not allow a modified suspension or a work or school restricted license. The ignition interlock program is the only way to keep driving. A restricted license is available only when the test result was between 0.08 and 0.14.
Law Offices of David R. Waranch — 301-563-9575 · toll-free 1-877-566-2408. Hablamos Español.
Last updated: August 2026. Statutory references: Md. Code, Transp. § 16-205.1, § 16-404, and § 16-404.1. This page is general information about Maryland law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.