ADLRO Hearing Hawaii: How to Request One and What to Expect

The 6-Day Window That Decides Everything

After an OVUII arrest in Hawaii, the ADLRO automatically reviews the arrest documentation and mails a written decision — typically by Day 8 for an alcohol-related offense. If that decision sustains your license revocation, you have exactly 6 calendar days from the date the decision was mailed to file a Request for Administrative Hearing using Form 8.

This 6-day window is the single most important deadline in the entire ADLRO process. File within it, and your temporary driving permit stays active through the hearing. Miss it, and your permit expires on Day 30 with no hearing — an automatic default revocation that stands even if you're never convicted in criminal court.

How to File Form 8

Form 8 (Request for Administrative Hearing) requires basic identifying information, your ADLRO case number (listed on the Notice of Administrative Revocation), and the $30 non-refundable hearing fee payable by check or money order to the State Director of Finance.

You can file through any of these channels:

• In person: ADLRO office at 1001 Bishop Street, American Savings Bank Tower, 5th Floor, Suite 500, Honolulu, HI 96813 (hours: 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday)
• By mail: Same address — but mail timing is risky given the 6-day window
• By fax: 808-534-6888
• By email: [email protected] (accepted formats: PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG)

One critical detail about email filing: the official filing date is stamped by ADLRO staff when they process the document, not when your email was sent. Anything received after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, or on weekends and state holidays, gets date-stamped the following business day. If you're filing close to the deadline, fax or in-person delivery gives you a more predictable timestamp.

The $30 Fee — and the Waiver Option

The hearing fee is $30 and must accompany Form 8. If you can't afford it, Form 15 (Request for Waiver of Administrative Hearing Fee) allows you to request a fee waiver based on financial hardship. You'll need to provide tax returns or other income documentation showing you qualify.

The fee is non-refundable regardless of the hearing outcome.

What If You Miss the 6-Day Window?

A hearing can still be requested up to 60 calendar days from the NOAR issuance date, even if you've blown past the initial 6-day window. But the consequences change significantly:

• A late-filed hearing is scheduled within 30 days of the ADLRO receiving the request — not within 25 days of arrest
• Your 30-day temporary permit expires on schedule, meaning you may have weeks without legal driving privileges before the hearing occurs
• You lose the temporary-permit-through-hearing protection that timely filers get

After Day 60, the ADLRO will not schedule a hearing at all. The revocation becomes permanent with no further administrative appeal available.

What Happens at the Hearing

The administrative hearing is conducted by an ADLRO hearing officer — not a judge. The formal rules of evidence don't apply, which cuts both ways: the ADLRO can consider documents and statements that wouldn't be admissible in criminal court, but the more relaxed procedural requirements can also work in your favor.

You can represent yourself (pro se) or hire a private attorney. The Public Defender's office cannot represent you at ADLRO hearings — that restriction applies to everyone regardless of income.

The hearing officer evaluates whether the administrative requirements for revocation were properly met: Was the arrest lawful? Were the proper procedures followed? Did the chemical test or refusal documentation comply with statutory requirements?

After the hearing concludes, the hearing officer has 5 calendar days (excluding weekends and state holidays) to render a written decision and mail it to you.

Neighbor Island Hearings

If you were arrested on Maui, Kauai, or Hawaii Island, the ADLRO conducts your hearing primarily via Zoom or telephone. You have the right to request an in-person hearing on the island where the arrest occurred, which requires the ADLRO to send a hearing officer to the local circuit court — but remote hearings are the standard practice.

For remote hearings, you need to download the Zoom or Webex client in advance and test your audio and video before the hearing date. If you plan to introduce documentary evidence, it must be labeled clearly and transmitted to the ADLRO and all other parties at least 24 hours before the hearing. Recording the proceeding is prohibited under Hawaii Supreme Court Rules and violations are punishable as contempt.

If the Hearing Goes Against You

An adverse hearing decision can be appealed through a petition for judicial review filed in District Court within 30 days of the decision's mailing date. Filing this petition does not pause or stay the license revocation — you remain revoked while the appeal is pending.

Building Your Case Starts Now

The ADLRO hearing is your best opportunity to challenge the administrative revocation. Whether you represent yourself or hire counsel, the process starts with filing Form 8 on time. The Hawaii First-Offense DUI Guide includes a day-by-day ADLRO deadline calendar and detailed instructions for every form in the process.

See more Hawaii guides →