Montgomery County DUI & Criminal Defense Lawyer
Montgomery County is one of the busiest court systems in Pennsylvania. Every case that goes past a preliminary hearing lands at the courthouse in Norristown.
Getting arrested in Montgomery County
With 62 municipalities and the third-largest population in the state, Montgomery County generates a high volume of criminal cases. Arrests come from township departments like Lower Merion, Abington, Cheltenham and Upper Merion, and from the Pennsylvania State Police, who patrol the Turnpike and the major highways.
Common places for stops include the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I-476, Route 422, Route 202, Route 309 and the Schuylkill Expressway. King of Prussia also produces a large share of the county's retail theft cases, many of them involving people with no prior record.
What happens next
People held after arrest are taken to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Lower Providence until bail is set. Many DUI cases instead start with a summons. Either way, the first hearing is at a magisterial district court, followed by formal arraignment and pre-trial conferences at the Court of Common Pleas in Norristown.
Montgomery County offers ARD for many first-time DUI offenses and some other charges, and the District Attorney decides who gets in. Because the county handles so many cases, a well-prepared application and a clear understanding of the local process make a real difference.
What is different about Montgomery County
- Turnpike and highway arrests are often made by State Police, whose procedures differ from township officers'.
- Retail theft from King of Prussia stores is common, and a first offense can often be resolved without a lasting record.
- The county is large, so your preliminary hearing may be in a district court far from 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.
Montgomery County Courthouse
Where: Swede & Airy Streets, Norristown, PA 19401
Police: About 50 municipal departments; PA State Police (Skippack and Turnpike King of Prussia stations)
Common stops: PA Turnpike, I-476, Route 422, Route 202, Route 309
Calls answered Mon–Fri, 9am–6:30pm; after-hours by appointment
John Gentry, Esq.500+ criminal and DUI cases · Licensed since 2007
How a Montgomery County DUI case moves through court
Montgomery County is Pennsylvania's 38th Judicial District, with 29 magisterial district courts and a Court of Common Pleas in Norristown. Anyone held after arrest waits for bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, 60 Eagleville Road in Eagleville.
- 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.
- ARD application. The District Attorney's office asks for the application as soon as possible after the preliminary hearing. To receive ARD, you generally waive the preliminary hearing and formal arraignment.
- Common Pleas. ARD cases are admitted by a Common Pleas judge. Other cases move to formal arraignment, pretrial conferences and a plea or trial at the courthouse at Swede and Airy Streets.
Montgomery County ARD for DUI
The District Attorney's office runs ARD and has sole authority to approve it. Its published guidance says ARD is generally for first-time offenders with no prior convictions or prior ARD. The application goes to the District Attorney's ARD Unit by email or by mail (both addresses are on the application), and police and any victims can comment on it. Filing it includes a written waiver of your Rule 600 speedy-trial rights and a request that the case not be listed for 180 days while the ARD Division reviews it.
State law also bars DUI ARD if you had a DUI conviction or DUI ARD within the past 10 years (with a narrow exception for a prior first-offense general impairment conviction), if someone other than you was killed or seriously injured, or if a passenger under 14 was in the car (75 Pa.C.S. § 3807).
What Montgomery County DUI-ARD requires
- A Court Reporting Network (CRN) evaluation with the county DUI Unit ($100). It is required for everyone charged with DUI in Pennsylvania.
- A full drug and alcohol assessment through Rise Above if the CRN calls for one. The county says this is required if you have a prior DUI, were under 21, used a controlled substance, refused testing or had a BAC of 0.16% or higher.
- Any treatment the assessment recommends, at a state-licensed provider.
- Alcohol Highway Safety School, a 12.5-hour classroom course ($250), held on two consecutive Saturdays in Norristown or Willow Grove, or two consecutive weekdays in Lansdale.
- Community service, completed before your ARD date.
- Court costs paid before admission, unless a hardship request (filed at least a week before the ARD deadline) is granted. If you still owe $1,000 or more at admission, a judgment is entered against you until it is paid.
- Supervision by Adult Probation through Monitor Connect, a monthly check-in that costs $6 a month.
The ARD license suspension follows state law: none below 0.10% BAC, 30 days from 0.10% to 0.159%, and 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. The county says a suspension takes effect within 60 days, and PennDOT notifies you by mail. Sources: ARD supervision and DUI Program. 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
Montgomery County magisterial district courts
Your preliminary hearing is at the district court that covers the township or borough where you were stopped. The county's directory also assigns the Turnpike's Northeast Extension (I-476) in Montgomery County to the Red Hill court, 38-2-02. Addresses and coverage below are from the county's directory, effective January 5, 2026, and were checked October 28, 2026.
Find your district court: all 29 Montgomery County courts
| District court | Address | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| 38-1-01 | 160 W. Germantown Pike, Suite D-5, Norristown | East Norriton, West Norriton |
| 38-1-02 | 117 York Road, Suite 100 B, Jenkintown | Part of Cheltenham, Jenkintown |
| 38-1-03 | 117 York Road, Suite 100 A, Jenkintown | Part of Cheltenham |
| 38-1-04 | 1150 Old York Road, Abington | Part of Abington, Rockledge |
| 38-1-05 | 117 York Road, Suite 100 C, Jenkintown | Part of Abington, including the Willow Grove Mall |
| 38-1-06 | 925 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 100, Narberth | Part of Lower Merion, West Conshohocken |
| 38-1-07 | 925 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 300, Narberth | Part of Lower Merion, Narberth |
| 38-1-08 | 1316 Bruce Road, Oreland | Springfield Township |
| 38-1-09 | 168 Allendale Road, King of Prussia | Part of Upper Merion |
| 38-1-10 | 1301 S. Bethlehem Pike, Ambler | Upper Dublin, Ambler |
| 38-1-11 | 1 Security Plaza, Suite 101, Pottstown | Part of Pottstown, West Pottsgrove |
| 38-1-12 | 1 Security Plaza, Suite 102, Pottstown | Part of Pottstown, Lower Pottsgrove |
| 38-1-13 | 625 West Ridge Pike, Building B, Suite 101, Conshohocken | Plymouth Township |
| 38-1-15 | 601 DeKalb Street, Suite 300, Norristown | Part of Norristown |
| 38-1-16 | 601 DeKalb Street, Suite 200, Norristown | Part of Norristown |
| 38-1-18 | 271 Bethlehem Pike, Suite 105, Colmar | Part of Hatfield Township, Montgomery Township |
| 38-1-19 | 497 West Ridge Pike, Limerick | Limerick, part of Upper Providence, Royersford |
| 38-1-20 | 3860 Ridge Pike, Collegeville | Lower Providence, part of Upper Providence, Collegeville, Trappe |
| 38-1-21 | 653 Skippack Pike, Suite 101, Blue Bell | Lower Gwynedd, Upper Gwynedd, Whitpain, North Wales |
| 38-1-22 | 955 Horsham Road, Suite 100, Horsham | Horsham, Hatboro |
| 38-1-23 | 4002 Center Avenue, Lafayette Hill | Whitemarsh, Conshohocken Borough |
| 38-1-24 | 840 Harleysville Pike, Suite 2, Harleysville | Franconia, Lower Salford, Perkiomen, Skippack, Worcester, Schwenksville, Souderton, Telford |
| 38-1-25 | 128 West Fourth Street, Bridgeport | Part of Upper Merion, Bridgeport |
| 38-1-28 | 430-440 Pennbrook Parkway, Lansdale | Towamencin, part of Hatfield Township, Hatfield Borough, Lansdale |
| 38-2-02 | 80 H Gravel Pike, Suite 100, Red Hill | Marlborough, Upper Hanover, Salford, Upper Salford, Green Lane, Red Hill, East Greenville, Pennsburg, and the Turnpike Northeast Extension (I-476) in Montgomery County |
| 38-2-03 | 1050 E. Philadelphia Avenue, Suite 20, Gilbertsville | Douglass, New Hanover, Upper Frederick, Lower Frederick, Upper Pottsgrove |
| 38-2-04 | 925 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 200, Narberth | Part of Lower Merion |
| 38-2-08 | 2727 Philmont Avenue, Suite 100, Huntingdon Valley | Upper Moreland, Lower Moreland, Bryn Athyn |
| 38-2-09 | 601 DeKalb Street, Suite 100, Norristown | Part of Norristown |
Source: Montgomery County magisterial district courts. Last verified October 28, 2026.
Who makes DUI arrests in Montgomery County
Montgomery County has about 50 municipal police departments, from Abington, Cheltenham and Lower Merion to Pottstown, Lansdale and Upper Merion. The Pennsylvania State Police cover the county from Troop K's Skippack station (2071A Cressman Road, Schwenksville), and Troop T's King of Prussia station (251 Flint Hill Road) patrols the Turnpike. Who arrested you affects which reports, videos and testing records exist, and which officers have to come to court.
Criminal charges in Montgomery County beyond DUI
Every adult criminal case in Montgomery County starts the same way, whatever the charge. If you are arrested and held, a magisterial district judge sets bail at a preliminary arraignment, and you wait at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville if bail is not posted. 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 in Norristown. Summary offenses, such as a first retail theft under $150, disorderly conduct 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.
Retail theft charges
King of Prussia, Willow Grove and the county's other shopping centers produce many retail theft cases. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3929, a first retail theft under $150 is a summary offense, and $150 or more is a first-degree misdemeanor. A third offense, merchandise worth more than $1,000, or a firearm or motor vehicle makes it a third-degree felony. The District Attorney's ARD program is generally for people with no prior convictions and no prior ARD, and each application is reviewed individually.
Montgomery County treatment courts
The Court of Common Pleas runs several treatment courts that offer treatment and close supervision instead of the usual court track:
- Drug Treatment Court, running since 2006, for people whose charges are tied to a substance use disorder.
- Behavioral Health Court, since 2009, for people with a serious mental illness that contributed to the charges.
- Veterans Treatment Court, since 2011, for veterans eligible for VA benefits.
- The Family Dependency Treatment Court and the Targeted Opioid Program.
The District Attorney's office first checks legal eligibility, then the applicant is interviewed, screened and given a level-of-care assessment. The county aims to admit approved applicants within 60 days of a complete application. Most programs require Montgomery County residency.
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
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