duistatelaws.com Key takeaways
- The General District Court tries all criminal misdemeanors and traffic offenses in the city, without a jury.
- Traffic court begins at 9:30am and the criminal docket at 9am, every weekday.
- The city’s prosecution page says the Commonwealth’s Attorney concentrates on traffic offenses that carry possible jail, such as drunk driving; many infractions are heard with no prosecutor.
- Appeals go to the Circuit Court upstairs, where the office tries about 700 misdemeanor appeals a year.
- The city’s Recovery Court serves adults charged with non-violent felonies who have a substance use disorder, for at least 15 months.
- 7 days on a first charge to ask the court to review the suspension.
on a first charge to ask the general district court in City of Alexandria to review the administrative suspension. It started at the warrant or summons, runs 60 days on a second charge, and the review is only available while it runs. Va. Code § 46.2-391.2(A), (C).
Alexandria’s courts and its prosecutor share one building: the courthouse at 520 King Street holds the Circuit Court, the General District Court, the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. The city’s page on prosecution describes the General District Court as the court in which all criminal misdemeanors and traffic offenses are tried. A misdemeanor DUI starts there.
This page covers what the city publishes about that court and the prosecutor’s practice in it. The penalties, the priors and the interlock are on the Virginia DUI law page.
The same diagram as a table
| Step | Criminal case — decided by a court | License case — decided by the general district court, on request |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrest and booking, hour 0 | Notice of suspension served, day 0 |
| 2 | Charge filed by the prosecutor | Ask the general district court for review while the suspension runs: 7 days on a first charge, 60 on a second |
| 3 | First court setting, on a date the court picks | Review heard with precedence on the docket; rescinded if there was no probable cause |
| 4 | One or more pretrial settings | Suspension runs its period (until trial on a third charge) |
| 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 an Alexandria DUI is heard
The General District Court is on the second floor of the Franklin P. Backus Courthouse, 520 King Street, open weekdays from 8am to 4pm and closed on state holidays. Its own page sets out the jurisdiction: original jurisdiction in all misdemeanors, which carry fines up to $2,500 or up to twelve months in jail or both, and preliminary hearings in felony cases. The court sits without a jury. For traffic cases the court lists 703-746-4041, and for criminal cases 703-746-4030.
The Circuit Court, on the fourth floor, has jurisdiction over all felonies and over cases appealed from the General District Court. Its trials start at 10am and are open to the public, and the court administrator answers on 703-746-4123 between 8:30am and 1pm and again from 2pm to 4pm.
Alexandria General District Court
- Hears
- All criminal misdemeanors and traffic offenses, tried without a jury
- Building
- Franklin P. Backus Courthouse
- Address
- 520 King Street, Second Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314
- Detail
- Traffic 703-746-4041, criminal 703-746-4030
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
- Phone
- 703-746-4041 (traffic)
- Why it matters
- Traffic court begins daily at 9:30am; the criminal docket at 9am.
Alexandria Circuit Court
- Role
- Felonies, and appeals from the General District Court
- Building
- Franklin P. Backus Courthouse
- Address
- 520 King Street, 4th floor, Alexandria, VA 22314
- Detail
- Trials start at 10am; Commonwealth Day is Thursdays at 10am
- Phone
- 703-746-4123 (court administrator)
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office (703-746-4100) prosecutes cases in all of the city’s courts. Its page says the General District Court sees over 25,000 traffic matters a year, so the office limits its resources to the more serious offenses, with an emphasis on those that carry a possible jail sentence — drunk driving, reckless driving, and driving on a suspended or revoked license. Many less serious infractions are heard by the court without a prosecutor.
On the criminal side the office describes daily dockets of over 6,000 cases a year in the General District Court, mostly trespassing, assault and battery, shoplifting and other misdemeanors.
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 suspension, then the first docket
The license. Virginia suspended the license when the warrant or summons issued: seven days on a first charge, sixty on a second, until trial on a third. Under Virginia Code section 46.2-391.2(C), the general district court of the place of arrest can be asked to review the suspension while it is running, and rescinds it if the driver proves there was no probable cause. In Alexandria, that is the court on the second floor at 520 King Street.
The first court date. Traffic court in the General District Court begins daily at 9:30am, the criminal docket at 9am, and felony preliminary hearings at 11am. Drunk driving is one of the offenses the city’s prosecution page names when it describes where the Commonwealth’s Attorney puts its traffic-court resources.
| What happened | First time | Second charge or offense | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charged, test at 0.08 or more, or refused | 7 days | 60 days (until trial on a third) | Va. Code § 46.2-391.2(A) |
| Convicted of DUI | 1 year | 3 years; indefinite on a third | Va. Code § 18.2-271 |
| Refused a breath or blood test | 1 year (civil) | 3 years | Va. Code § 18.2-268.3 |
No jury below, a jury upstairs
Defendants are not entitled to jury trials in the General District Court, the city says. The route to a jury is the appeal: the Circuit Court hears cases appealed from the General District Court, and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office tries about 700 misdemeanor appeals from the lower courts each year, alongside commencing about 1,300 felony cases.
In the Circuit Court, Thursdays at 10am are Commonwealth Day, when the judges hear plea dispositions, sentencings and motions; lengthy trials, including jury trials, are usually set on other days. A felony DUI — under state law, for example a third offense within ten years — is a felony like any other here: the General District Court holds the preliminary hearing, and if probable cause is found the accused is bound over to the grand jury, which the city says sits once a month.
Recovery Court. The Alexandria Recovery Court serves adults charged with non-violent felony offenses who have moderate to severe substance use disorders and who live in the city. The Commonwealth’s Attorney verifies eligibility, a clinical assessment follows, and the participant signs a contract for a minimum fifteen-month commitment, with court dates, treatment, community service and regular drug testing. On successful completion, the city says, charges may be reduced or dismissed. The page does not say whether a felony DUI qualifies.
The courthouse schedule
From the city’s page on prosecution in Alexandria’s courts.
| Proceeding | Court | When |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal docket | General District Court | Weekdays, 9am |
| Traffic court | General District Court | Weekdays, 9:30am |
| Felony preliminary hearings | General District Court | Weekdays, 11am |
| Appeals and felony trials | Circuit Court | Trials from 10am; Commonwealth Day Thursdays 10am |
All of these courts, and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, are in the courthouse at 520 King Street.
The other Virginia page on this site is Fairfax, whose General District Court sits in four courthouses rather than one.
Common questions about Alexandria DUI cases
Which court hears a DUI in Alexandria, Virginia?
The Alexandria General District Court, on the second floor of the courthouse at 520 King Street, which tries all criminal misdemeanors and traffic offenses in the city without a jury.
What time is traffic court in Alexandria?
Traffic court in the General District Court begins daily at 9:30am. The criminal docket begins at 9am, and felony preliminary hearings are at 11am.
Will a prosecutor be at my Alexandria DUI hearing?
The city's page on prosecution says the Commonwealth's Attorney concentrates its traffic-court resources on offenses with a possible jail sentence, naming drunk driving, reckless driving and driving on a suspended or revoked license.
Can I get a jury trial for a DUI in Alexandria?
Not in the General District Court. A conviction can be appealed to the Circuit Court, where jury trials are heard; the Commonwealth's Attorney tries about 700 misdemeanor appeals a year there.
What is Alexandria Recovery Court?
A program for adult city residents charged with non-violent felonies who have moderate to severe substance use disorders, with a minimum 15-month commitment. Charges may be reduced or dismissed on completion. The city's page does not say whether a felony DUI qualifies.
Can I challenge the 7-day suspension in Alexandria?
Yes, by asking the General District Court to review it while it is running. Under Va. Code 46.2-391.2(C), it is rescinded if you prove there was no probable cause.
Request a review of your Alexandria case
Free, no obligation, and you decide who, if anyone, you speak with.
Your request is ready to send
Here is what happens after you submit:
- We pass your answers only to attorneys licensed in the state where the arrest happened, when one is taking requests for that area.
- Never to more than three. Only those attorneys and duistatelaws.com may use your details to contact you.
- You decide who, if anyone, you speak with. You are not committed to anyone.
Submitting this request does not create an attorney–client relationship.
More for Virginia
- Virginia DUI law — the full penalty matrix, the statutes, and the rules on priors and interlock
- Fairfax — 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 Virginia suspension — what the filing certifies and how long it runs
- Ignition interlock providers and costs in Virginia — what the device costs and who installs it
Sources
- City of Alexandria, General District Court — read October 5, 2026
- City of Alexandria, prosecution in Alexandria’s courts — read October 5, 2026
- City of Alexandria, courts — read October 5, 2026
- City of Alexandria, Alexandria Recovery Court — read October 5, 2026
- Va. Code § 18.2-266(i) and the rest of the Virginia 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 5, 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.