duistatelaws.com Key takeaways
- The court states there will be ONE referral to the First Offender Drinking Driver Program. Miss the enrollment window or get dropped and it will not re-refer you.
- Being dropped also means no second chance at a restricted license: the whole program has to be finished before applying for a full one.
- Criminal work sits at the Hall of Justice, 625 Administration Drive — not at the Civil and Family Law Courthouse on Cleveland Avenue.
- To clear a warrant you check in with the criminal clerk before 8:30am; late check-ins are not accepted.
- A forfeited bail bond needs a Letter of Reassumption of Liability from the bonding agency before the case goes on the warrant calendar.
- The District Attorney prosecutes county misdemeanors except those committed in the City of Sonoma, which uses its own attorneys.
- 10 days to ask the DMV for a 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 Sonoma County will make it for you. Cal. Veh. Code § 13558(b).
California charges every impaired-driving offense as DUI, and the penalty ladder is on the California DUI law page. The Sonoma County court adds something the statute does not: a published rule about the program a first offender has to complete, with no second chance written into it.
That rule, and the court’s practical instructions for warrants and court dates, are what this page covers. They come from the criminal division’s own pages, read on the date at the top.
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 Sonoma County DUI is heard
The court lists four locations, and they do different work. Criminal matters, including the criminal clerk’s office, are at the Hall of Justice on Administration Drive. The Civil and Family Law Courthouse and the Empire College Annex, both on Cleveland Avenue, are not where a DUI is heard.
Hall of Justice
- Hears
- The criminal division, including the criminal clerk’s office
- Building
- Hall of Justice
- Address
- 625 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
- Detail
- The court directs people with outstanding warrants here for the 8:30am calendar
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 3:30pm
- Phone
- 707-521-6500
- Why it matters
- The jury assembly room is on the first floor.
Civil and Family Law Courthouse
- Hears
- Civil and family law
- Building
- Civil and Family Law Courthouse
- Address
- 3055 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
- Detail
- One of the court’s four listed locations
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 3:30pm
- Phone
- 707-521-6500
- Why it matters
- Not where a DUI is heard.
Empire College Annex
- Hears
- An annex the court lists among its locations
- Building
- Empire College Annex
- Address
- 3035 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 200, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
- Detail
- Listed separately from the Hall of Justice
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am to noon and 1pm to 5pm
- Phone
- 707-521-6500
The court’s instructions are specific. Come to the criminal division clerk’s office Monday to Friday before 8:30am to be added to that day’s 8:30am calendar; late check-ins are not accepted. The clerk sends you to a courtroom, and whether the warrant is recalled is entirely up to the judge. Fail to report to the assigned courtroom and the warrant stays out. If you were released on a bail bond that has since been forfeited, bring a Letter of Reassumption of Liability from the bonding agency — without it the matter will not be placed on the clear warrant calendar.
On dates, the court is equally direct. Court dates are set by the judge and should not be changed without good reason. If you have a lawyer, retained or from the Public Defender, that lawyer makes the arrangement. If you represent yourself, you can ask to advance a date by contacting the criminal unit at the Hall of Justice, and you can submit a written request to postpone a misdemeanor date — but the court warns that a written request does not guarantee a warrant will not issue for a missed appearance.
The daily criminal calendars go online at 4:00pm each day, and the court says changes after 4:00pm are not reflected in them.
Not sure which court your case is in?
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The first ten days
The license case runs on the DMV’s clock, not the court’s. After a reading at or above the limit, or a refusal, the officer serves a notice of suspension, and under Vehicle Code section 13558(b) you have 10 days to request a hearing from the DMV. Section 13353.3(a) makes the suspension effective on the thirtieth day after service. Nothing filed at the Hall of Justice counts as that request.
The District Attorney publishes its own plain description of what happens on the criminal side: law enforcement investigates and arrests; a person may be taken into custody, or, if the crime is not violent and the charge is minor, directed in writing to appear in court on a specific date. It sorts California offenses into three classes — infractions, misdemeanors and felonies — and gives first offenses for shoplifting or driving under the influence of alcohol as its examples of misdemeanors.
The same page adds a jurisdictional detail worth knowing. The office states that it prosecutes all felonies in Sonoma County and all misdemeanors except those committed in the City of Sonoma: under a long-standing agreement, that city employs its own attorneys to prosecute its misdemeanors. Santa Rosa is not the City of Sonoma, but the county is large and the two names are easy to confuse.
Bail before arraignment: the 2025 Sonoma schedule
The judges of the Sonoma County Superior Court adopted the current county-wide criminal bail schedule on June 24, 2025, under Penal Code section 1269b. Its introduction describes how release works before a first court date. The court adopted a Pretrial Release Program in 2015 for release decisions at arraignment, and since July 2020 it has offered pre-arraignment release supervision under the Judicial Council’s Pretrial Pilot Program — one of 16 courts to do so, the schedule says. Pretrial assessments are conducted and reviewed seven days a week, from 6am to about 3pm. People charged with crimes listed in Penal Code section 1270.1 are not eligible for pre-arraignment release; everyone booked into the Main Adult Detention Facility is screened for eligibility, and eligible assessments go electronically to court commissioners, who decide on release before arraignment and set the level of monitoring. If pre-arraignment release is denied, bail is set from the schedule and the next release decision comes at arraignment.
The presumptive amounts the schedule lists for driving under the influence are:
| Charge as listed | Presumptive bail |
|---|---|
| Misdemeanor DUI, Vehicle Code 23152(a)(b) | $10,000 |
| Misdemeanor DUI with 1 prior within 10 years | $25,000 |
| Misdemeanor DUI with 2 priors within 10 years | $50,000 |
| Misdemeanor DUI causing bodily injury, first offense (23153) | $30,000 |
| Felony DUI with 3 priors (23550) | $100,000 |
| Felony DUI causing bodily injury, first offense (23554) | $100,000 |
| Felony DUI with a prior felony DUI or vehicular manslaughter (23550.5) | $200,000 |
These are starting points, not fixed prices. The schedule says a judicial officer may set bail above or below the presumptive amount after considering the factors in Penal Code section 1275 — public safety first, then the seriousness of the charge, the record and the likelihood of appearing — as well as the defendant’s ability to pay and whether less restrictive conditions would do. For a person already out on bail, own recognizance or pretrial release who is arrested on a new misdemeanor, the presumptive bail on the new charge is $1,000 or the scheduled amount, whichever is higher.
For repeat offenders the court also lists a DUI Court among its collaborative courts, describing it as a treatment-based alternative sentence program for DUI repeat offenders.
| 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) |
One referral, and what losing it costs
The penalty ranges are the same across California and are on the California DUI law page. What Sonoma County publishes is the consequence of failing the program that comes with them.
In the court’s own words, there will be one referral made by the court to the First Offender Drinking Driver Program. If you fail to show up and enrol within the specified period, or you are dropped from the program for any reason, the court will not re-refer you. You will be directed to enrol yourself.
The court then spells out what that costs. A participant who is dropped does not get another opportunity to obtain a restricted license: the entire program has to be completed, and only then can the participant apply for a full license. The enrollment date, in other words, is one the court says it will not reset.
The program lengths themselves are statutory. Vehicle Code section 23538(b) puts a first offender under 0.20 in a program of at least 30 hours over at least three months, and a first offender at 0.20 or above, or after a refusal, at 60 hours over at least nine months; the DUI classes guide sets those against the other states on this site.
DUI cases across Sonoma County
One court and one criminal division — but not quite one prosecutor.
| Situation | County | Where the case goes |
|---|---|---|
| A misdemeanor DUI outside the City of Sonoma | Sonoma | Prosecuted by the Sonoma County District Attorney |
| A misdemeanor committed in the City of Sonoma | Sonoma | Prosecuted by the city’s own attorneys, the DA says |
| An outstanding warrant on a Sonoma County case | Sonoma | Check in at the criminal clerk’s office before 8:30am |
The court lists four locations. The criminal work, and the criminal clerk’s office, are at the Hall of Justice on Administration Drive.
For the other California counties on this site, see Sacramento, where the District Attorney runs the crime laboratory, Orange County, where a published list assigns each city to a justice center, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Common questions about Santa Rosa DUI cases
What is the bail for a first DUI in Sonoma County?
The court's 2025 bail schedule lists $10,000 as the presumptive bail for a misdemeanor DUI under Vehicle Code 23152(a)(b), $25,000 with one prior and $50,000 with two within ten years. A judge can set it higher or lower, and everyone booked into the Main Adult Detention Facility is screened for pretrial release eligibility (charges listed in Penal Code 1270.1 are excluded from pre-arraignment release).
How many times will the Sonoma County court refer me to the DUI program?
Once. The court states that there will be ONE referral to the First Offender Drinking Driver Program, and that if you fail to enrol in time or are dropped for any reason it will not re-refer you; you will be directed to enrol yourself.
What happens to my restricted license if I am dropped from the program?
The court states that a participant who is dropped does not get another opportunity to obtain a restricted license, and that the entire program must be completed before applying for a full license.
Where is a Santa Rosa DUI heard?
At the Hall of Justice, 625 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa, which is where the court places its criminal division and criminal clerk's office. The court's other locations on Cleveland Avenue handle civil and family law matters.
How do I clear a warrant in Sonoma County?
The court says to come to the criminal division clerk's office Monday to Friday before 8:30am to be added to that day's 8:30am calendar. Late check-ins are not accepted, and whether the warrant is recalled is up to the judge.
My bail bond was forfeited. What do I need?
A Letter of Reassumption of Liability from the bonding agency. The court states that without it the matter will not be placed on the clear warrant calendar.
How long do I have to request a DMV hearing?
Ten days from the notice, under Vehicle Code section 13558(b). The request goes to the California DMV, not to the court, and the suspension takes effect on the thirtieth day after service.
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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
- 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
- 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 Sonoma, criminal division — read September 27, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma, locations and contact information — read September 27, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma, Hall of Justice — read September 27, 2026
- Sonoma County District Attorney, the criminal justice system — read September 27, 2026
- Sonoma County District Attorney, about the office — read September 27, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma, 2025 criminal bail schedule (PDF) — read September 27, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma, collaborative courts — read September 27, 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 September 27, 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.