duistatelaws.com Key takeaways
- The Magistrate Court at the Detention Center is open 24 hours a day, including all holidays.
- First appearance hearings are held every day: 8am most days, 7:45am on Wednesdays and Fridays.
- State Court pleas and revocations are heard at the jail on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 1pm.
- The DUI Court is a three-phase State Court program lasting at least 12 months.
- Recorder’s Court says all driver’s license suspensions are handled by the Department of Driver Services.
- Georgia’s license clock: 30 days and a $150 fee.
from the date you were served with the notice to demand a hearing from Georgia Department of Driver Services. The request goes to DDS, not to the court, and no judge in Gwinnett County will make it for you. O.C.G.A. § 40-5-67.1(g)(1).
Gwinnett County’s courts sit in two places that matter after a DUI arrest. The Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center at 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, is the courthouse. The Magistrate Court’s criminal division works from the second-floor court annex of the Gwinnett County Detention Center at 2900 University Parkway, which the court says is open 24 hours a day, including all holidays.
This page covers what the courts publish about those first hearings and about the DUI Court. Georgia’s penalties and lookback are on the Georgia 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 court at the jail
The Magistrate Court publishes its Detention Center schedule under Georgia Uniform Magistrate Court Rule 3. An on-duty magistrate is available around the clock on 770-619-6700, and the Criminal Division clerk’s office is open weekdays from 8am to 5pm on 770-619-6720. First appearance hearings are held on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 8am, and on Wednesday and Friday at 7:45am. Committal, or preliminary, hearings are on Wednesdays at 8:30am and 1:30pm and Fridays at 8:30am.
Magistrate Court at the Gwinnett County Detention Center
- Hears
- First appearance and committal hearings; State Court pleas and revocations
- Building
- Gwinnett County Detention Center, 2nd floor Court Annex
- Address
- 2900 University Parkway, Lawrenceville, GA 30046
- Detail
- Open 24 hours a day, including all holidays
- Hours
- 24 hours
- Phone
- 770-619-6700 (on-duty magistrate)
Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center
- Hears
- The county courthouse complex
- Building
- Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center
- Address
- 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, GA 30046
- Phone
- 770-822-8100 (courts website contact)
The same schedule lists State Court pleas and revocations at the Detention Center on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1pm. The court notes that its hours and locations are subject to change for holidays and specially set matters.
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.
The license, and the traffic citation
The license. Georgia gives 30 days from the notice to request an administrative license hearing from DDS, with a $150 filing fee. Gwinnett’s Recorder’s Court says plainly that all driver’s license suspensions are handled by the Department of Driver Services, and that it sends the final disposition of a citation to DDS when legally directed; DDS can be reached on 678-413-8400.
The citation. Recorder’s Court explains that a citation requiring a mandatory court appearance cannot be paid without appearing, and that a defendant who lives outside Georgia and cannot attend may need to hire counsel. For a plea in absentia or a virtual plea, it directs people to the Solicitor’s Office on 770-619-6140 to speak to the assistant solicitor on the case, and says scheduling one requires a plea agreement between the parties.
| What happened | First time | With a prior | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convicted, first in five years | 12 months | — | O.C.G.A. § 40-5-63(a)(1) |
| Convicted, second in five years | — | 3 years | O.C.G.A. § 40-5-63(a)(2) |
| Refused the test | 1 year | — | O.C.G.A. § 40-5-67.1(d) |
Gwinnett County DUI Court
The court describes DUI Court as a three-phase State Court intervention program lasting at least twelve months, run with the State Court, the Solicitor’s Office, defense attorneys, treatment providers, law enforcement, probation and community partners. Every phase combines vocational and educational components with substance abuse treatment under judicial oversight, and the court calls it a meaningful alternative to jail for participants who are unable to function in the community without support.
The DUI Court judge makes all decisions about participation, with input from a team of the State Court judge, a defense attorney, the Solicitor, the coordinator and case manager, a treatment provider, a surveillance officer and probation services, who review each participant’s progress before every session. Referrals go to AccountabilityCourtReferrals@gwinnettcounty.com or the intake coordinator on 770-822-8849.
For Recorder’s Court cases, the court lists Southeast Corrections as the probation provider, at 145 Hurricane Shoals Road NW, Lawrenceville (404-410-2555), open weekdays 8am to 5pm and closed from noon to 1pm.
The Detention Center schedule
From the Magistrate Court’s published hours and location.
| Hearing at the Detention Center | When |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 8am; Wednesday, Friday 7:45am |
| Committal (preliminary) hearings | Wednesday 8:30am and 1:30pm; Friday 8:30am |
| State Court pleas and revocations | Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 1pm |
| Criminal Division clerk | Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm (770-619-6720) |
The court says these hours and locations are subject to change for holidays and specially set matters.
The other Georgia pages on this site are Atlanta, Marietta, Savannah and Columbus.
Common questions about Gwinnett County DUI cases
When is first appearance after a DUI arrest in Gwinnett County?
The Magistrate Court holds first appearance hearings at the Detention Center on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 8am, and on Wednesday and Friday at 7:45am.
Where is the Gwinnett County jail court?
On the second floor of the Gwinnett County Detention Center Court Annex, 2900 University Parkway, Lawrenceville, open 24 hours a day including holidays.
How long is Gwinnett County DUI Court?
The court describes it as a three-phase State Court program lasting at least twelve months.
Can I plead to a Gwinnett traffic charge without coming to court?
For a plea in absentia or virtual plea, Recorder's Court directs you to the Solicitor's Office (770-619-6140); it requires a plea agreement between the parties.
Does Gwinnett County court suspend my driver's license?
Recorder's Court says all driver's license suspensions are handled by the Department of Driver Services.
How long do I have to request a Georgia ALS hearing?
Thirty days from the notice, with a $150 filing fee, under O.C.G.A. 40-5-67.1.
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More for Georgia
- Georgia DUI law — the full penalty matrix, the statutes, and the rules on priors and interlock
- Atlanta and Fulton County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Savannah and Chatham County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Marietta and Cobb County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Columbus and Muscogee 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 Georgia suspension — what the filing certifies and how long it runs
- Ignition interlock providers and costs in Georgia — what the device costs and who installs it
Sources
- Gwinnett County Courts, Magistrate Court hours and location — read October 8, 2026
- Gwinnett County Courts, Treatment Court (DUI Court) — read October 8, 2026
- Gwinnett County Courts, State Court — read October 8, 2026
- Gwinnett County Courts, Recorder’s Court traffic procedures — read October 8, 2026
- Gwinnett County Courts, Recorder’s Court FAQs — read October 8, 2026
- O.C.G.A. § 40-6-391(a)(5) and the rest of the Georgia statutes cited on this page — read reproduction current as of 2024-03-28
Court addresses, hours and phone numbers were read from each court’s or office’s own published page on October 8, 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.