Chester County DUI & Criminal Defense Lawyer
Chester County runs from Main Line suburbs to open farmland. Wherever you were stopped, the case is decided at the Justice Center in West Chester.
Getting arrested in Chester County
Chester County has 73 municipalities, and policing varies a lot across them. Northern and eastern towns like Tredyffrin, West Whiteland and Phoenixville have their own departments. Much of the rural southern county, around Oxford, Kennett and the Route 1 corridor, is covered by the Pennsylvania State Police.
Many stops happen on Route 202, the Route 30 Bypass, Route 100, Route 113 and Route 1. With West Chester University and its busy downtown, the county also sees a steady number of underage drinking, fake ID and first-offense DUI cases.
What happens next
People held after arrest go to Chester County Prison until bail is set. Most DUI cases start with a summons. The preliminary hearing is at a magisterial district court, and cases held for court move to the Chester County Court of Common Pleas at the Justice Center on Market Street.
Chester County has an ARD program for many first-time offenders, and the District Attorney decides eligibility. If ARD is not an option, we focus on the evidence: the reason for the stop, the officer's observations, and the chemical testing.
What is different about Chester County
- Rural stops in the southern county are often State Police cases, sometimes with long waits for a blood draw.
- Student cases from West Chester University are common, and they need a plan that protects school and future jobs.
- Main Line towns like Berwyn, Devon and Paoli are in Chester County, so those cases go to West Chester, not Norristown.
You work directly with attorney John Gentry from the first call to the last court date. Your case is not handed off to someone you have never met.
Chester County Justice Center
Where: 201 West Market Street, West Chester, PA 19380
Police: Municipal and regional departments; PA State Police (Avondale and Embreeville stations)
Common stops: Route 202, Route 30 Bypass, Route 100, Route 1
Calls answered Mon–Fri, 9am–6:30pm; after-hours by appointment
John Gentry, Esq.500+ criminal and DUI cases · Licensed since 2007
How a Chester County DUI case moves through court
The first court date that matters in a Chester County DUI is the preliminary hearing at one of the county's 16 magisterial district courts. Cases that are held for court, or that go into ARD, then move to the Court of Common Pleas at the Justice Center, 201 West Market Street in West Chester. Anyone held after arrest waits for bail at Chester County Prison, 501 South Wawaset Road.
- Charges filed. Police file the complaint with the magisterial district court for the place of the stop. That court is named on your summons or paperwork.
- Preliminary hearing. The district judge decides whether there is enough evidence to send the case to the Court of Common Pleas. In Chester County, this is also where you apply for DUI-ARD.
- ARD hearing or formal arraignment. If you apply for DUI-ARD, an assistant district attorney gives you an ARD hearing date at the preliminary hearing, usually 8 to 16 weeks out. If ARD is denied, that date becomes your formal arraignment.
- Pretrial and trial. Cases outside ARD move to pretrial motions, such as a motion to suppress evidence from the stop or the chemical test, and then to a plea or trial at the Justice Center.
Chester County DUI-ARD: the District Attorney's published rules
ARD is a pretrial program for people with little or no record, and Chester County runs a separate DUI-ARD track. The District Attorney's office decides who gets in. Its ARD application information says a DUI-ARD applicant must:
- Apply at the preliminary hearing.
- Waive the preliminary hearing, formal arraignment and the filing of a Criminal Information.
- Contact the Pretrial Services Unit within 24 hours of applying and follow every bail condition.
- Complete a Court Reporting Network (CRN) evaluation with the Chester County DUI Program before admission, plus any assessment and treatment it leads to.
- Complete an approved Alcohol Highway Safety School.
- Pay the $300 DUI Program fee to Adult Probation, and all other fees and costs, on or before the morning of the ARD hearing.
The same document lists reasons ARD will be denied, including a prior ARD, diversion program or conviction within the past 10 years; more than one prior DUI conviction or DUI-ARD in your lifetime; a crash in which someone else was killed or seriously injured; a child under 14 in the car; a poor driving record; driving 30 mph or more over the limit; any prior felony conviction; not waiving the preliminary hearing and all pretrial motions; and a false answer on the application. The list is not exhaustive.
Everyone in Chester County ARD is assigned at least 40 hours of community service, and some or all of it may be waived if conditions are completed on time. If you believe an application was wrongly denied, the defense can ask the Deputy District Attorney in charge of ARD to reconsider, in a letter of no more than two pages.
What Chester County DUI-ARD costs
The District Attorney's office publishes an approximate total of $2,000.75 for a 6-month DUI-ARD and $2,310.75 for a 12-month DUI-ARD. Court costs vary with the number and type of charges. Treatment, if it is recommended, is extra: at least 12 outpatient sessions, which the office estimates at about $400. Any summary traffic offenses you are required to plead to add their own fines and costs.
Your license during ARD
ARD suspensions are set by state law, not by the county: none below 0.10% BAC, 30 days from 0.10% to 0.159%, 60 days at 0.16% or higher, with an unknown BAC, a drug DUI or a crash with injury or property damage, and 90 days for a driver under 21. How ARD works statewide.
Calls answered Mon–Fri, 9am–6:30pm; after-hours by appointment
John Gentry, Esq.500+ criminal and DUI cases · Licensed since 2007
Chester County magisterial district courts
Your preliminary hearing is at the district court that covers the township or borough where you were stopped. Addresses and coverage below are from the county's court directory, checked October 28, 2026. A realignment of the county's magisterial districts has been proposed (public comment closed October 25, 2026), so always confirm the court named on your paperwork.
Find your district court: all 16 Chester County courts
| District court | Address | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| 15-1-01 | 201 West Market Street, Suite 1307, West Chester | West Chester Borough (Wards 3, 6 and 7), East Bradford, West Bradford |
| 15-1-02 | 1572 Paoli Pike, West Chester | Malvern, East Goshen, Easttown, Willistown, part of Tredyffrin, part of Westtown |
| 15-1-03 | One City Hall Place, Suite 200, Coatesville | City of Coatesville, South Coatesville |
| 15-1-04 | 21 West Market Street, Suite 100, West Chester | West Chester Borough (Wards 1, 2, 4 and 5) |
| 15-2-01 | 347 Bridge Street, Phoenixville | Phoenixville, Charlestown, Schuylkill |
| 15-2-03 | 601 Westtown Road, Suite 110, West Chester | Thornbury, West Goshen, most of Westtown |
| 15-2-07 | 75 East Uwchlan Avenue, Suite 110, Exton | East Caln, West Pikeland, Upper Uwchlan, Uwchlan |
| 15-3-01 | 1101 Ridge Road, Suite B, Pottstown | Spring City, East Coventry, East Nantmeal, East Pikeland, East Vincent, North Coventry, South Coventry, Warwick, West Vincent |
| 15-3-04 | 916 West Cypress Street, Kennett Square | Kennett Square, Birmingham, East Marlborough, Kennett, Newlin, Pennsbury, Pocopson |
| 15-3-05 | 305 South Third Street, Oxford | Oxford Borough, East Nottingham, Elk, Lower Oxford, New London, Penn, Upper Oxford, West Nottingham |
| 15-3-06 | 4824 Horseshoe Pike, Honey Brook | Elverson, Honey Brook Borough and Township, Sadsbury, Wallace, West Brandywine, West Caln, West Nantmeal |
| 15-3-07 | 315 First Avenue, Building 3, Parkesburg | Atglen, Modena, Parkesburg, East Fallowfield, Highland, Londonderry, Valley, West Fallowfield, West Sadsbury |
| 15-4-01 | 950 West Valley Road, Suite 3100, Wayne | Part of East Whiteland (Wards 3 to 6), part of Tredyffrin |
| 15-4-02 | 231 Boot Road, Downingtown | Downingtown, Caln, East Brandywine |
| 15-4-03 | 748 Springdale Drive, Suite 110, Exton | East Whiteland (Wards 1 and 2), West Whiteland |
| 15-4-04 | 914 West Cypress Street, Kennett Square | Avondale, West Grove, Franklin, London Britain, London Grove, New Garden, West Marlborough |
Source: Chester County district court directory. Last verified October 28, 2026.
Who makes DUI arrests in Chester County
Chester County has dozens of municipal police departments, two regional departments (Westtown-East Goshen Regional, and Southern Chester County Regional, which covers New Garden Township and West Grove Borough), and large areas with no local police. In townships such as Charlestown, Pocopson, Pennsbury, West Bradford, Warwick, Franklin, London Britain and London Grove, the Pennsylvania State Police patrol from Troop J's Avondale station (2 Moxley Lane, Avondale) and Embreeville station (997 Lieds Road, Coatesville). Who arrested you affects which reports, videos and testing records exist, and which officers have to come to court.
Criminal charges in Chester County beyond DUI
Every adult criminal case in Chester County starts the same way, whatever the charge. If you are arrested and held, a magisterial district judge sets bail at a preliminary arraignment. Most other cases start with a summons in the mail. The preliminary hearing is at the district court for the place of the alleged offense, and cases held for court move to the Court of Common Pleas at the Justice Center in West Chester. Summary offenses, such as disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and most traffic tickets, are decided by the district judge, and you have 30 days after a conviction to appeal to the Court of Common Pleas.
ARD for non-DUI charges
The District Attorney also runs ARD for some non-DUI first offenses. Its published ARD instructions say an applicant cannot be charged with a crime involving firearms, drugs, violence, serious injury, offenses against the elderly or children, sexual offenses or a breach of the public trust. ARD is also denied for theft of property or services totaling $10,000 or more and for any prior felony conviction. Police and any victim can comment before the District Attorney decides.
Chester County treatment courts
For people whose charges are tied to substance use, mental illness or military service, Chester County runs four treatment courts: Drug Court, Recovery Court, Mental Health Court and Veterans Court. Drug Court has three ways in:
- Pre-trial diversion, for people newly charged with a non-violent offense, a drug offense without a mandatory sentence, or a first-offense DUI (DUI applicants also apply for ARD). The District Attorney decides eligibility, and finishing the program can lead to dismissal and expungement of the current case.
- An open guilty plea, with sentencing put off until the program is finished.
- A path for people already on probation or parole who need treatment instead of jail for a violation.
Participation is voluntary, and every applicant must agree to the program's conditions, including waiving the preliminary hearing on the pre-trial track.
Drug possession and Section 17 probation
For a first, non-violent drug possession case, Pennsylvania law offers Section 17 probation without verdict (35 P.S. § 780-117). You plead guilty or no contest and show, through a physician or psychologist, that you are drug dependent. If you finish the probation, the case is dismissed without a conviction. It can be used only once, and it is not available after a prior drug conviction, a prior misdemeanor or felony conviction, or a prior ARD for a drug, misdemeanor or felony charge, or for a charge of possession with intent to deliver.
Calls answered Mon–Fri, 9am–6:30pm; after-hours by appointment
John Gentry, Esq.500+ criminal and DUI cases · Licensed since 2007
Related DUI guides
Communities we cover in Chester County
Charges we defend in Chester County
Chester County questions we hear often
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Calls answered Mon–Fri, 9am–6:30pm; after-hours by appointment
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