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South Bay DUI arrests tend to start on a busy road and end with paperwork pointing to 825 Maple Avenue in Torrance. The same courthouse takes cases from several cities, and a few of those cities run their own prosecutors. According to the Torrance City Attorney's office, its Criminal Prosecution Division handles state law misdemeanors that occur within the City of Torrance, drunken driving included. This page skips the basics already covered above and looks at what you have to sort out in the first days: which department and prosecutor your case belongs to, how to get to the building, how the DMV hearing request works, and what probation can mean. Remember the DMV's 10-day window runs from the arrest, not from your first court date.
Torrance Courthouse — court & DMV details
Why your case is here
The Torrance Courthouse at 825 Maple Avenue is the Southwest District's criminal court for the South Bay. DUIs from Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Gardena, Lomita, and the Palos Verdes peninsula cities are heard here. South Bay DUI enforcement clusters along Pacific Coast Highway, Hawthorne Boulevard, and the 405 and 110 freeways, and the beach-city nightlife drives weekend stops.
Beach cities run their own prosecutors
The South Bay is unusual for how many cities prosecute their own misdemeanors. A DUI arrested in Torrance is the Torrance City Attorney's; in Redondo Beach — which also handles Hermosa Beach misdemeanors under contract — the Redondo Beach City Prosecutor's; and unincorporated-area or felony cases belong to the LA County DA. Identifying the office early matters.
One address, several kinds of cases: confirm before you go
Do not assume every courtroom at 825 Maple Avenue is a criminal one. The Superior Court's information page for Department M, on the third floor, describes a civil calendar, and the page tells parties they may appear for pretrial matters remotely through LACourtConnect unless the judge directs otherwise. That is a civil rule, so treat it as a sign the court offers remote tools, not as permission for your DUI hearing.
To pin down your own department, check the notice you were given, use the criminal calendar search on the court's website, or call the courthouse. The court's criminal division page lists courthouse phone numbers with call hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Torrance Transit runs 13 local bus lines and offers a trip planner on its website, where you can enter your starting address and the courthouse address to compare routes. It also accepts TAP cards.
The DMV side of a South Bay arrest
Torrance courtroom dates do not control your license. The DMV says an administrative hearing must be requested within 10 days of receiving notice of its action, and that you request it by phone through a Driver Safety Office, with your full name, driver license number, and date of birth. Hearings are held remotely or in person. The DMV says remote hearings use Microsoft Teams video and that phone participation is available when you lack a device.
The DMV's Driver Safety Office page lists an El Segundo office at 390 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 2075, with the number (833) 543-7703, and the details table above points to it. Your Notice of Hearing still controls the date, format, and contact, and the DMV says it will go forward without you if you do not attend. Our DMV hearing page explains the stakes.
If your Torrance case ends with probation
Los Angeles County Probation says summary probation, also known as court or informal probation, is supervised by the court rather than the probation department. For a misdemeanor, then, the paperwork you receive from the court is the roadmap.
Write down every deadline in those orders and keep proof of anything you complete. If you are unsure whether a program the court mentions has to be started now or later, ask before paying anyone, since requirements depend on how the case resolves.
The 10-day DMV deadline
Your Torrance court case is separate from the DMV's case against your license, and the DMV's 10-day deadline to request a hearing starts at arrest. How the DMV hearing works →
How Ron defends a DUI at the Torrance Courthouse
In a case at 825 Maple Avenue, the office across from you depends on where the arrest happened. A Torrance arrest is handled by the Torrance City Attorney's Criminal Prosecution Division. Redondo Beach has its own prosecutor, which also covers Hermosa Beach, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney takes unincorporated-area and felony cases. Ron starts by pinning down which of these filed your complaint, since the charging paperwork and the people involved differ.
From arraignment, where you hear the charge and enter a plea, the case typically proceeds to pretrial hearings. In that phase Ron asks for the reports, any body camera or patrol video, and the chemical test records, then examines why the officer stopped you, how the field tests were given, and how a breath or blood sample was collected and analyzed. Some cases settle, and others go to a motion or trial. Outcomes cannot be promised.
The court's remote system, LACourtConnect, is described on at least one Torrance department page for pretrial matters, but that page belongs to a civil courtroom, so a criminal department's rules need separate confirmation. Ron's office is in Irvine, and he works with you directly on the case and on the DMV side.
Where will my Redondo Beach or Manhattan Beach DUI be heard?
Who prosecutes a beach-city DUI?
Does this courthouse cover the Palos Verdes peninsula?
How do I keep my license?
← Back to Los Angeles County DUI Defense
Ron defends DUI cases across Southern California from his Irvine office — and works directly with you, not a call center.
Learn more about Ron Chini →