Sec. 601.401. DEPARTMENT ACTIONS SUBJECT TO REVIEW. (a) An action of the department under this chapter may be appealed, unless:

(1) an order of suspension by the department is based on an existing unsatisfied final judgment rendered against a person by a court in this state arising out of the use of a motor vehicle in this state; or

(2) the suspension is automatic under Section 601.231(a).

(b) To appeal an action of the department, the person must file a petition not later than the 30th day after the date of the action in the county court at law in the county in which the person resides or the county court of the county in which the person resides, if the county does not have a county court at law.

(c) A person who files an appeal under this section shall send a file-stamped copy of the petition by certified mail to the department at the department's headquarters in Austin. The copy must be certified by the clerk of the court in which the petition is filed.

(d) The filing of a petition of appeal as provided by this section stays an order of suspension until the earlier of the 91st day after the date the appeal petition is filed or the date the trial is completed and final judgment is rendered.

(e) On expiration of the stay, the department shall impose the suspension. The stay may not be extended, and an additional stay may not be granted.

(f) A trial on appeal is de novo.

Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1117, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 2000.