What should I expect at the Chester County Justice Center for a criminal or DUI case?

Last updated October 25, 2026.

A Chester County criminal or DUI case that leaves the district court is heard at the Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street in West Chester, which the county lists as open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The offices you are likely to need, from the Clerk of Courts to Pretrial Services, the DUI Program and the District Attorney, are in the same building. For a DUI, the biggest local difference is timing: the DA's DUI-ARD track starts at the preliminary hearing, and the ARD hearing is usually eight to 16 weeks later.

Giribaldi Law serves clients in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties from our office in Media. For how cases are routed across the county, from the 16 district courts to the family court, see our overview of criminal, DUI and family cases in Chester County. Drunk driving cases add a license case and county classes, which our DUI defense page introduces.

How does a case reach the Justice Center, step by step?

Every adult case begins at the magisterial district court for the place where the offense allegedly happened (Pa.R.Crim.P. 130). One of those courts, District Court 15-1-01, sits inside the Justice Center in Suite 1307 and covers part of West Chester and East and West Bradford townships; the borough's other court and its police are described in criminal and DUI cases in West Chester. The steps below come from the statewide rules and the forms the Chester County DA and Adult Probation publish.

What the district judge decides at the first hearing, and why waiving it is a real decision, is covered in what happens at a preliminary hearing in Pennsylvania. How the 365-day count works, and what delay is excluded, is in how long a criminal case can take in Pennsylvania.

Which office in the Justice Center handles what?

The county's own pages give each office a suite number at 201 West Market Street. The pages name a floor only for some of them, so the table lists the floor only where the county states it.

The county's Safety and Security Division lists screening visitors entering county buildings for weapons and prohibited items among its operators' duties, and says they patrol the Justice Center and frequently assist the Sheriff's deputies there, so leave anything that could count as a weapon at home. Always use the courtroom and time printed on your notice, and because the two DUI Program suite numbers differ, confirm the location when you call 610-344-6800 to schedule.

How does DUI-ARD work in Chester County?

Only the District Attorney can move a case into ARD (Pa.R.Crim.P. 310), and the Chester County DA calls the program one for carefully screened defendants, ordinarily first offenders. The DA's application information sheet explains that DUI-ARD exists so applications can be processed more quickly. To be considered, a DUI defendant applies at the preliminary hearing and waives the preliminary hearing, formal arraignment and the filing of a criminal information. An assistant district attorney then gives an ARD hearing date in the Court of Common Pleas, eight to 16 weeks out depending on how many applications are pending countywide.

The DA's ARD Department reviews the application and notifies the defendant. If it is approved, the hearing goes ahead as scheduled. If it is denied, the ARD hearing date becomes the formal arraignment date, a criminal information is filed, and the case is prosecuted. The sheet adds that a defendant who waived the preliminary hearing is not entitled to send the case back for one, which is why the waiver should be discussed with a lawyer first. A defendant who believes the denial was a mistake may send a reconsideration letter of no more than two pages, and the DA says these are decided in batches twice a month.

Before admission, a DUI applicant must:

• Contact the DUI Program right away for a Court Reporting Network evaluation, which state law requires before ARD (75 Pa.C.S. 3807(b)(1)(ii)).
• Complete any treatment the assessment recommends, and attend Alcohol Highway Safety School.
• Pay the $300 DUI Program fee to Adult Probation, and every other fee and cost, on or before the morning of the ARD hearing.
• Not drink on the day of the hearing; a probation officer may require a portable breath test there.

The DA's sheet estimates the total at $2,000.75 for a six-month DUI-ARD program and $2,310.75 for a 12-month program, with court costs that vary by charge, plus about $400 for the minimum 12 outpatient sessions if treatment is recommended. Everyone is assigned at least 40 hours of community service, and some or all of it may be waived if conditions are finished on time. Our side-by-side comparison of DUI ARD in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties shows how this differs from Media and Norristown.

That chart matches the statute (75 Pa.C.S. 3807(d)). For suspensions that follow a criminal conviction, the Clerk of Courts no longer accepts licenses: PennDOT mails surrender instructions, and credit for the suspension depends on every license product reaching PennDOT. For how the letters are timed, see when PennDOT suspends your license after a DUI.

What do the CRN evaluation and safe driving school involve?

Chester County's DUI Program is part of Adult Probation, Parole and Pretrial Services. The CRN evaluation takes about 45 minutes, and you need a driver's license or other identification and the $75 fee, paid before the evaluation. Missing it brings a $25 rescheduling fee. If the evaluation recommends a fuller drug and alcohol assessment, you receive a list of providers.

Alcohol Highway Safety School is a 12.5-hour class held at the Government Services Center, 601 Westtown Road, West Chester. The county offers Saturday and Sunday sessions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., a Monday and Tuesday option, and Spanish-language classes on weekends. The $225 fee must be paid in full before you can schedule, and an unexcused absence costs $50 to make up. If you live within 50 miles of the DUI Program office in West Chester, you must take the class in Chester County. Fees can be paid by cash, check or money order at the Probation office, or online through the state court portal.

How is bail posted in Chester County?

For cases in the Court of Common Pleas, the Clerk of Courts takes bail Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., by cash, certified check, money order or credit card online through PAePay. Outside those hours, bail is posted at Chester County Prison, but you must call the prison first at 610-344-5040. The prison accepts card payments through PAePay and cash up to $9,500, and the county's after-hours procedure says it will not take cash above that amount, or a percentage bail above $95,000.

The same procedure warns that some conditions can keep a person in custody overnight even after bail is paid, such as a Nebbia hearing, a drug and alcohol evaluation at the prison or a verifiable address condition. Standard conditions, like Pretrial Services supervision or a no-contact order, do not. A person released from the prison may be taken to the West Chester bus depot across from the Justice Center, at any hour.

Chester County lists ROR, unsecured, nominal, 10% and full cash bail. With 10% bail, 60% of the deposit is returned to the surety at the end of the case: on $1,000 bail, the deposit is $100 and $60 comes back. If the defendant fails to appear, the bail may be forfeited and a third-party surety must pay the full amount. How a judge chooses among release types is explained in how bail works in Pennsylvania.

What happens at sentencing, and where is the prison?

When a case ends in a conviction, Adult Probation may prepare a presentence investigation report covering prior record, health and other background, to help the judge choose between probation, fines and partial or total confinement. For DUI and driving under suspension cases, Restrictive Conditions of Probation is a local sentencing option that typically combines a flat period of incarceration, electronic monitoring, intensive supervision, community service and treatment; the application is due at least 30 days before sentencing. Statewide maximums by grade are in the Pennsylvania criminal penalties chart.

Chester County Prison is at 501 South Wawaset Road, West Chester. On arrival, it accepts only a short list of personal items, such as one wedding ring without stones, prescription glasses and approved medication, and property left more than 30 days after release may be treated as abandoned. The county court has parole authority for sentences with a maximum under two years; for two years or longer, the state parole board decides. Supervision problems after sentencing are covered in probation violations in Pennsylvania.

What changes the answer?

• Your record. State law bars DUI ARD after a DUI conviction or ARD within ten years, apart from a narrow exception, and in cases with a death or serious injury to someone else or a passenger under 14 (75 Pa.C.S. 3807(a)(2)). The Chester County DA adds denials for any prior felony, more than one prior DUI in a lifetime, a poor driving record, and speeding 30 miles per hour or more over the limit.
• Your bail compliance. The DA warns that a bail violation can lead to denial, and one that does not can still increase the license suspension or community service.
• The accuracy of your application. The form asks about every arrest, citation and diversion, including dismissed and expunged matters, and a false answer can bring a separate charge.
• Whether the charge is only a summary offense. A summary conviction can be appealed to the Clerk of Courts within 30 days for a new trial (Pa.R.Crim.P. 460), with a $51 filing fee; after that, only a petition to appeal nunc pro tunc. See what a summary offense is in Pennsylvania.
• Whether a breath or blood test was refused or delayed. An unknown BAC moves the ARD suspension to 60 days, and test timing can matter to the evidence; see the two-hour rule for DUI tests.
• Whether ARD is right at all. ARD trades the hearing and motions for a dismissal, and a completed DUI ARD counts as an element of a new DUI within 10 years, as the county's colloquy warns. Our page on whether to accept ARD or fight a DUI weighs it.

For example: a first DUI from a Phoenixville stop

Here is a hypothetical. A driver with no record is stopped in Phoenixville Borough and charged with a first DUI with a blood result of 0.17%. The case is filed at District Court 15-2-01 on Bridge Street, and the driver is released on supervised bail, calls Pretrial Services within 48 hours and keeps checking in by phone. The borough's police, records and court details are on our page about how a Phoenixville case works.

At the preliminary hearing, with a lawyer, the driver applies for DUI-ARD and signs the waivers. The ADA gives a hearing date about three months away at the Justice Center. Within a day the driver calls Pretrial Services again, then schedules the CRN evaluation, pays $75, and is referred for a fuller assessment that recommends outpatient sessions. After the CRN, the driver pays $225 and takes Alcohol Highway Safety School over a weekend at the Government Services Center. Every fee is paid by the morning of the hearing, and the driver is admitted to ARD by a Common Pleas judge, with a 60-day suspension because the result was over 0.16%. This is only an illustration of how the steps fit together; real cases depend on their facts and the DA's discretion.

What mistakes do people make at the Justice Center?

• Waiting to schedule the CRN. The DA's sheet says to contact the DUI Program immediately, and the evaluation must come before admission.
• Treating the waiver as a formality. Once the preliminary hearing is waived, it cannot be sent back for one.
• Paying late. Unpaid fees on the morning of the ARD hearing mean no admission without the DA's consent and the court's approval.
• Driving to the prison with a large amount of cash. After hours the limit is $9,500 in cash, and you must call ahead.
• Signing up for safe driving school in another county. Residents within 50 miles of the West Chester office must take it in Chester County.

What should I do this week?

1. Find the district court number and next date on your paperwork, and calendar the preliminary hearing.
2. If you were released on supervised bail, call Pretrial Services at 610-344-6886 within 48 hours.
3. For a DUI, write down your test result, or note that it is unknown, so you know the likely ARD suspension.
4. List every prior arrest, citation, diversion or conviction, even dismissed or expunged ones.
5. Talk with a lawyer before the preliminary hearing about whether to apply for DUI-ARD and waive it.
6. If you cannot afford a lawyer, apply to the Public Defender at least two business days before your court date.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get into ARD in Chester County?

For DUI-ARD, the DA's sheet says the ARD hearing is set eight to 16 weeks from the day the application is completed, depending on the volume of applications. State law then sets six to 12 months of supervision (75 Pa.C.S. 3807(b)(1)(iv)).

What happens if my Chester County ARD application is denied?

The ARD hearing date becomes your formal arraignment date, and the case continues as a regular prosecution. You may ask the deputy district attorney in charge of ARD to reconsider in a short letter.

How do I get my bail money back?

For 10% bail, the Clerk of Courts returns 60% of the deposit to the surety at the end of the case. Bail may be forfeited if the defendant does not appear.

Can a Chester County ARD case be expunged?

The county's Clerk of Courts says an ARD participant may ask the court to expunge the arrest record 30 days after completing the program, and it publishes a packet for ARD expungements. Our page on whether a DUI can be expunged or sealed explains what PennDOT keeps afterward.

Is the Justice Center different from the courthouses in Media and Norristown?

Yes, mostly in timing. Chester County starts DUI-ARD at the preliminary hearing, while Montgomery County asks for applications soon after it; compare what to expect at the Montgomery County Courthouse. Delaware County counts back 14 days from formal arraignment, described in what to expect at the Delaware County Courthouse.

Call Giribaldi Law at (610) 891-8303 or contact us online for a free consultation about a case at the Chester County Justice Center.