duistatelaws.com Key takeaways
- Before arraignment a judicial officer may release on own recognizance, on $0 bail with conditions, on money bail, or defer release to arraignment.
- The schedule excludes from that early release a third DUI within 10 years, a DUI with injury, and a DUI at .20 or above.
- Presumptive bail for a first misdemeanor DUI is $5,000; $15,000 with one prior and $25,000 with two.
- Felony DUI under VC 23550 or 23550.5, and DUI causing bodily injury (VC 23153), are each listed at $100,000.
- Clerks cannot extend an arraignment date; a warrant is recalled only when you appear and a judge orders it.
- The DMV hearing request is due in 10 days.
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 Santa Barbara County will make it for you. Cal. Veh. Code § 13558(b).
The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, hears misdemeanors, preliminary felony hearings and felony trials. In South County the court takes criminal filings at the Figueroa Division in downtown Santa Barbara; in North County it lists the Miller Division in Santa Maria for criminal and traffic cases; it also lists a courthouse in Lompoc.
A bail schedule approved by the court’s judges took effect in June 2026, and its opening pages describe how release is decided before arraignment. This page reads that schedule. The penalties and the license rules 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. |
The Figueroa and Miller divisions
The Figueroa Division is at 118 East Figueroa Street, where the court takes criminal, traffic and infraction filings; it is open in person weekdays from 8am to 3pm, on (805) 568-3959. There is a city lot on Anacapa Street across from the courthouse with the first 75 minutes free, and everyone entering is subject to security screening. The Miller Division in Santa Maria is at 312-M East Cook Street, Building E, on (805) 614-6590.
Calendars and warrants. The criminal division says clerks are not permitted to extend arraignment or hearing dates, though they can advance them. The calendar is prepared a day ahead, so there are no walk-in arraignments: someone with a warrant may calendar the case by noon the day before they want to appear, and the warrant is recalled only after they appear and the judge orders it. Other requests to calendar a case must arrive at least two days ahead, and a missed court date brings a warrant.
Santa Barbara – Figueroa Division
- Listed as
- Criminal, traffic and infraction filings in South County
- Building
- Santa Barbara – Figueroa Division
- Address
- 118 E. Figueroa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Detail
- City lot on Anacapa Street across from the courthouse, first 75 minutes free; weapons screening at the entrance
- Hours
- In person Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm
- Phone
- (805) 568-3959
Santa Maria – Miller Division
- Listed as
- Criminal and traffic cases in North County
- Building
- Santa Maria – Miller Division
- Address
- 312-M East Cook St., Building E, Santa Maria, CA 93454
- Detail
- The court also lists a Lompoc Courthouse at 115 Civic Center Plaza, Lompoc
- Phone
- (805) 614-6590
The court says fines are due by the date the judge sets, shown on your paperwork. Missing it can add increased penalties of up to $100, and the court may pursue collection through the Franchise Tax Board and other agencies.
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.
Pre-arraignment release, and who it excludes
The schedule says the court adopted it under Penal Code section 1269b and that it sets the presumptive bail for warrantless arrestees until a judicial officer reviews the matter. Before arraignment, applying the factors in Penal Code section 1275 and the state constitution, the judicial officer considers the known facts and a risk assessment report and may do one of four things: release the arrestee on their own recognizance; release on $0 money bail with the least restrictive non-financial conditions needed; set money bail, with or without conditions; or defer release to arraignment if it finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that safety or appearance cannot be reasonably assured if the arrestee is released with non-financial conditions, or the arrestee is statutorily ineligible.
DUI exclusions. The schedule lists offenses excluded from pre-arraignment release. Among them is an arrest for a third DUI within the past ten years, a DUI with injury, or a DUI with a BAC of .20 or above. Other exclusions can also reach a DUI arrest — for example a person already pending trial or sentencing on another felony or misdemeanor, or on felony probation or parole.
The license. California gives 10 days from the notice to ask the DMV for a hearing.
| 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) |
The 2026 bail amounts, and how they combine
The misdemeanor section of the schedule lists Vehicle Code 23152 at $5,000 for a first offense, $15,000 with one prior in ten years and $25,000 with two, and refers a third prior to the felony schedule. The felony section lists both a felony DUI under section 23550 or 23550.5 and DUI causing bodily injury under 23153 at $100,000. The misdemeanor schedule lists unspecified misdemeanor offenses at $2,500, and the schedule sets $20,000 for an unlisted felony.
Several charges. For a case with more than one felony, the highest single felony amount plus enhancements and priors applies; where a felony comes with misdemeanors or infractions, those lower bails are not added. A violation of misdemeanor probation, if that is the arrest, is set at $15,000.
Raising the amount. Under Penal Code section 1269c, an officer who believes the scheduled bail is not enough for a warrantless felony arrest may ask the on-call judicial officer for more. The schedule allows eight hours for that review; after that the arrestee may be released on posting the scheduled amount.
After first appearance. The schedule says bail is then within the discretion of the judicial officer and may be greater or less than the scheduled amount, subject to section 1275 and the state’s case law.
DUI in the 2026 schedule
The presumptive amounts, as printed.
| Charge | Presumptive bail |
|---|---|
| Misdemeanor DUI (VC 23152), first offense | $5,000 |
| With 1 prior in 10 years (VC 23540) | $15,000 |
| With 2 priors in 10 years (VC 23546) | $25,000 |
| With 3 priors in 10 years, felony (VC 23550/23550.5) | $100,000 |
| DUI causing bodily injury, felony (VC 23153) | $100,000 |
The presumptive amount applies to a warrantless arrestee until a judicial officer reviews the case; after first appearance bail is in the judicial officer’s discretion.
Other California pages on this site: Fresno, Los Angeles, Bakersfield and Santa Cruz, and the DUI bail guide.
Common questions about Santa Barbara DUI cases
What is the bail for a first DUI in Santa Barbara County?
The court's 2026 schedule lists $5,000 for a first misdemeanor DUI, $15,000 with one prior in ten years and $25,000 with two.
Can I be released before arraignment after a Santa Barbara DUI?
Often a judicial officer reviews release with a risk assessment, but the schedule excludes a third DUI in ten years, a DUI with injury and a DUI at .20 or above from pre-arraignment release.
How much is bail for a felony DUI in Santa Barbara?
The 2026 schedule lists $100,000 for a felony DUI under VC 23550 or 23550.5 and $100,000 for DUI causing bodily injury under VC 23153.
Can the clerk move my Santa Barbara arraignment date?
Clerks cannot extend arraignment or hearing dates, though they can advance them, the criminal division says.
How do I clear a warrant in Santa Barbara County?
Calendar the case by noon the day before you want to appear; the warrant is recalled only after you appear and the judge orders it.
Where is DUI court in Santa Barbara County?
The court takes criminal filings at the Figueroa Division, 118 E. Figueroa St., Santa Barbara, and lists the Miller Division, 312-M E. Cook St., Santa Maria, for criminal and traffic cases.
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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
- San Bernardino — 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
- 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 Santa Barbara, criminal division — read October 16, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, bail schedules — read October 16, 2026
- Santa Barbara County Superior Court, 2026 Felony Bail Schedule, effective June 2026 (PDF) — read October 16, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, Figueroa Division — read October 16, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Miller Division — read October 16, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, Superior Court Organization & Locations (local rules) — read October 16, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, Lompoc Courthouse — read October 16, 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 16, 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.