duistatelaws.com Key takeaways
- Where the arrest happened decides the courthouse: the Justice Center, Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville or Joshua Tree.
- The 2026 schedule lists $10,000 for a misdemeanor DUI, $20,000 with one prior and $50,000 with two or more.
- The court calls the schedule a guideline: every bailable offense gets an individualized determination by a magistrate.
- Pre-arraignment amounts do not bind the judge at arraignment.
- State law adds $27 for every $10 of base fine in penalty assessments, plus a 20% surcharge and fixed fees; the court’s explainer lists each one.
- 10 days to request the DMV hearing.
from the date you were served with the notice to demand a hearing from California Department of Motor Vehicles. The request goes to the DMV, not to the court, and no judge in San Bernardino County will make it for you. Cal. Veh. Code § 13558(b).
San Bernardino County’s Superior Court spreads criminal cases across several courthouses rather than one. The city’s own cases are heard at the San Bernardino Justice Center, but a DUI in Ontario goes to Rancho Cucamonga and one in Hesperia goes to Victorville.
This page covers which courthouse, what the court’s 2026 bail schedule says about DUI, and how the court explains the gap between a statutory fine and the amount actually owed. California’s penalties and DUI program lengths are on the California DUI law page.
The same diagram as a table
| Step | Criminal case — decided by a court | License case — decided by a state agency |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrest and booking, hour 0 | Notice of suspension served, day 0 |
| 2 | Charge filed by the prosecutor | Deadline to demand a hearing: 7 to 30 days in the eight states on this site that use an agency hearing |
| 3 | First court setting, on a date the court picks | Hearing held if the request was filed — whether the suspension waits for the ruling is set by each state's statute |
| 4 | One or more pretrial settings | Suspension takes effect automatically with no hearing |
| 5 | Trial, plea or dismissal | — |
| Clock | Weeks to months. No filing deadline runs against the driver. | Counted in days from the notice, and fixed by statute. |
Where a San Bernardino County DUI is heard
The court’s “Where can I file” page lists which courthouse takes felony and misdemeanor filings from which communities. The Criminal Division of the San Bernardino District is in the San Bernardino Justice Center, 247 W. Third St., at the southeast corner of Third Street and Arrowhead Avenue, open Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm, and reached at 909-384-1888.
San Bernardino Justice Center, Criminal Division
- Hears
- Felonies and misdemeanors from San Bernardino, Colton, Loma Linda, Redlands, Highland, Yucaipa, and the Lake Arrowhead, Crestline and Running Springs areas
- Building
- San Bernardino Justice Center, southeast corner of Third Street and Arrowhead Avenue
- Address
- 247 W. Third St., San Bernardino, CA 92415
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
- Phone
- 909-384-1888
Rancho Cucamonga District
- Hears
- Felonies and misdemeanors from the west end of the valley
- Building
- Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse
- Address
- 8303 Haven Ave., Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
- Detail
- Ontario, Upland, Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana and Rialto, among others
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
Victorville District
- Hears
- Felonies and misdemeanors from the High Desert
- Building
- Victorville courthouse
- Address
- 14455 Civic Dr., Victorville, CA 92392
- Detail
- Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley, Adelanto and Barstow, and the Needles area. Big Bear-area communities appear on both this list and the Justice Center’s; check the citation or release papers
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
The court lists picture ID; case documents such as the citation, an appearance letter, jail release papers or bail receipts; proof of compliance with any court orders; and payment. It asks defendants to use their real name as it appears on legal documents, and warns that not appearing can lead to a warrant.
The Joshua Tree District, 6527 White Feather Road, takes felony and misdemeanor filings from Joshua Tree, Landers, Pioneertown, Twentynine Palms and unincorporated Johnson Valley, Morongo Valley and Yucca Valley. Needles-area felonies and misdemeanors are filed and heard in Victorville.
Not sure which court your case is in?
Enter the ZIP code where the arrest happened and the full form opens with it filled in.
After the arrest
The court’s criminal page sets out three possible outcomes after a misdemeanor arrest: release without charges, release on bail or on your own recognizance, or staying in custody until arraignment. At arraignment you are told the charges and your rights, you can hire a lawyer or ask for one, and bail is set or you are released on your own recognizance. A guilty or no contest plea usually resolves the case on the spot.
The bail schedule is a starting point. The court’s 2026 schedule, adopted by its judges on December 17, 2025 and revised June 4, 2026, opens by citing the California Constitution and two California Supreme Court decisions, In re Humphrey (2021) and In re Kowalczyk (2026), as permitting some arrestees to be released without posting bail. It states that it is a guideline, that every bailable offense is subject to an individualized determination by a magistrate, and that pre-arraignment amounts are not binding at arraignment, where the judge has the full range of options.
The license. Separately, after a failed or refused test you have 10 days to request a hearing from the DMV.
| What happened | First time | With a prior | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the test | 4 months | 1 year | Cal. Veh. Code § 13353.3(b) |
| Refused the test | 1 year | 2 years (revocation) | Cal. Veh. Code § 23612(a)(1)(D) |
Why the fine is larger than the statute says
The court publishes a one-page explanation of why a bail or fine amount is higher than the base figure in the statute. On any infraction, misdemeanor or felony, a penalty assessment of $27 is added for every $10 of base fine or part of $10, under Penal Code section 1464 and a series of Government Code sections, at an amount the court says is set by the Legislature. On top of that come a 20% state surcharge on the base amount, a $40 court security fee and a $30 conviction assessment for each misdemeanor or felony conviction, and a $10 administrative assessment for keeping the record of prior convictions.
The court’s worked example is a Vehicle Code fine with a $25 base, which becomes $186 once everything is added. It closes by noting that trial courts must follow the laws the Legislature passes and do not write them. The DUI base fines themselves are set by the Vehicle Code and are on the California page.
DUI bail in San Bernardino County
From the court’s Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, effective January 1, 2026.
| Charge | County | 2026 schedule amount |
|---|---|---|
| Misdemeanor DUI (Vehicle Code 23152) | San Bernardino | $10,000 |
| Misdemeanor DUI with one prior | San Bernardino | $20,000 |
| Misdemeanor DUI with two or more priors | San Bernardino | $50,000 |
| DUI causing injury (23153), misdemeanor schedule | San Bernardino | $50,000; $75,000 with one prior; $100,000 with two or more |
| DUI with three or more priors, or DUI with injuries, felony schedule | San Bernardino | $250,000 |
The schedule says every bailable offense is subject to an individualized determination by a magistrate, and that pre-arraignment amounts do not bind the judge at arraignment.
The Rancho Cucamonga District, 8303 Haven Ave., takes filings from Alta Loma, Chino and Chino Hills, Etiwanda, Guasti, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, parts of Pomona, Fontana, Rialto, Crestmore and Bloomington. The Victorville District, 14455 Civic Dr., takes Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia, Victorville, Barstow and the High Desert communities. The other Southern California pages on this site are Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.
Common questions about San Bernardino DUI cases
What is bail for a DUI in San Bernardino County?
The court's 2026 schedule lists $10,000 for a misdemeanor DUI, $20,000 with one prior and $50,000 with two or more. The court calls the schedule a guideline, and every bailable offense is subject to an individualized determination by a magistrate.
Which court hears a DUI in Ontario or Rancho Cucamonga?
The Rancho Cucamonga District, 8303 Haven Ave., takes felony and misdemeanor filings from Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, Fontana and Rialto, among others.
Which court hears a DUI in Victorville or Hesperia?
The Victorville District, 14455 Civic Dr., takes felony and misdemeanor filings from Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley, Adelanto, Barstow and the surrounding High Desert, and from the Needles area.
Where is the San Bernardino Justice Center?
247 W. Third St., San Bernardino, CA 92415, at the southeast corner of Third Street and Arrowhead Avenue. The criminal division is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm; 909-384-1888.
Why is my fine so much higher than the base fine?
State law adds penalty assessments of $27 for every $10 of base fine, a 20% state surcharge, a $40 court security fee, a $30 conviction assessment and a $10 administrative assessment. Its example turns a $25 base fine into $186.
How long do I have to request a DMV hearing?
Ten days from the notice of suspension. The request goes to the California DMV, not to the court.
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More for California
- California DUI law — the full penalty matrix, the statutes, and the rules on priors and interlock
- San Diego — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Los Angeles — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Orange County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Sacramento — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Santa Rosa and Sonoma County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Fresno — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- San Francisco — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Bakersfield and Kern County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Napa — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- San Jose and Santa Clara County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Santa Cruz — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Alameda County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Contra Costa County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- San Mateo County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Solano County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Santa Barbara — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Redding and Shasta County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Visalia and Tulare County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Refusing a breathalyzer — what implied consent costs here against what it buys
- How long it stays on your record — three records, three clocks
- SR-22 insurance after a California suspension — what the filing certifies and how long it runs
- Ignition interlock providers and costs in California — what the device costs and who installs it
Sources
- Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, effective January 1, 2026 (PDF) — read October 1, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, Why is your bail or fine so much? (PDF) — read October 1, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, Criminal — read October 1, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, Criminal Division of the San Bernardino District — read October 1, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, where can I file — read October 1, 2026
- Cal. Veh. Code § 23152(b) and the rest of the California statutes cited on this page — read in force 2026
Court addresses, hours and phone numbers were read from each court’s or office’s own published page on October 1, 2026. Those change without notice; confirm before you rely on them. No judge is named anywhere on this page, because a roster is exactly the kind of detail that goes stale silently.