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Redlands' DUI enforcement is shaped by its unique character as both a college and corporate campus town and a major freeway corridor. The University of Redlands and Esri's sprawling headquarters draw students, employees, and campus-adjacent nightlife, particularly around downtown Citrus Avenue's bar and restaurant district. Meanwhile, I-10 and SR-210 cut through and around the city, bringing heavy commuter and through-traffic patterns, especially during evening rush hours and late-night overnight shifts. Together, these factors drive both Redlands Police Department DUI checkpoints (often on Citrus Avenue and high-incident intersections) and California Highway Patrol freeway enforcement operations on I-10 and SR-210.
How DUIs are policed in Redlands
Redlands has its own Redlands Police Department, which operates independent DUI checkpoints, saturation patrols, and local enforcement. The city is not policed by the San Bernardino County Sheriff; Redlands maintains its own municipal police force. The Redlands Police Department also coordinates with the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) on grant-funded enforcement initiatives. According to California's Office of Traffic Safety rankings, the city's DUI-enforcement intensity will be reflected in OTS comparative data. Recent Redlands Police checkpoint operations have been announced on Citrus Avenue, the main downtown entertainment corridor, between University Street and Church Street, with operations occurring Friday and Saturday nights and targeting high-incident times.
CHP Inland Division — San Bernardino Area Office: The California Highway Patrol's Inland Division operates the San Bernardino Area Office (CHP—(860) San Bernardino), which patrols Interstate 10 and State Route 210 through Redlands and surrounding areas. The San Bernardino Area covers the cities of San Bernardino, Rialto, Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Loma Linda, Redlands, and Yucaipa. I-10 and SR-210 are major arterials for commuter traffic, overnight trucking, and through-traffic to the High Desert and beyond. CHP conducts both routine traffic enforcement and special DUI-operation units on these corridors, particularly during overnight hours when impaired drivers are most common on freeway routes.
Where a Redlands DUI case is heard
A Redlands DUI charge is filed by the San Bernardino County District Attorney, not a city attorney, and the case is heard at the San Bernardino Justice Center in downtown San Bernardino, approximately 10 miles from Redlands. Redlands no longer has its own branch courthouse: the county folded local court operations for Redlands into the Justice Center along with several other east valley cities, so arraignments, pretrial hearings, and trial dates for a Redlands arrest are all set there. The Justice Center handles both misdemeanor first offenses and felony DUI filings, and if you have not hired your own attorney by arraignment, a public defender is assigned that day. For courtroom assignments, filing procedures, and what the building and calendar look like day to day, see our San Bernardino Justice Center page.
Booking and Getting Your Car Back After a Redlands Arrest
Redlands Police Department books arrestees at its own facility, but anyone held past initial processing, rather than cited and released, is typically moved into the county jail system. San Bernardino County's Central Detention Center, at 630 East Rialto Avenue in San Bernardino, has for decades served as the primary booking facility for police and sheriff stations in the county's east valley area, the region that includes Redlands. Family members can use the county's online inmate locator or call the facility to confirm custody status and bail amount before driving over, since a misdemeanor DUI arrest can end in either a cite-and-release at the Redlands station or a transfer to county custody, depending on blood alcohol level and prior record.
If Redlands Police towed your car, it is held by the department rather than released to a private lot. Redlands PD's Records and Property section, at 1270 W. Park Avenue, Building C, handles releases; call 909-798-7686 first to confirm what is needed. Bring a valid driver's license and current registration. The standard release fee is $175, rising to $299 if the vehicle was held as evidence in a DUI case rather than simply towed for storage.
Getting Around Redlands While Your License Is Suspended
Redlands sits on Omnitrans' network, so a suspended license does not mean no options. The Redlands-Downtown Station is the western end of the Arrow rail line, a commuter train operated with Metrolink equipment that runs to the San Bernardino-Downtown station, where it connects to broader Metrolink service. Omnitrans Route 8 links Redlands-Downtown Station to the Tippecanoe Avenue area, and Route 15 runs from Redlands-Downtown to the Fontana Transit Center, giving riders without a car a way to reach work, court, or the DMV. Transferring at San Bernardino-Downtown also puts you on the broader Metrolink network and the sbX rapid bus line, useful if a hearing or check-in takes you further into the valley.
For license paperwork itself, Redlands has its own DMV field office at 1659 W. Lugonia Avenue; when its line is long, the San Bernardino field office at 1310 N. Waterman Avenue is the next closest. Either office can process a restricted or reinstated license once the DMV clears you, but the separate 10-day Driver Safety hearing after a DUI arrest is handled by the DMV's Driver Safety Office, not by walking into a field office.
Where will my Redlands DUI be heard?
Does the Redlands Police Department run DUI checkpoints?
Why does the CHP patrol I-10 and SR-210 near Redlands?
Is DUI enforcement strict in Redlands?
Can Ron Chini defend my Redlands DUI from Irvine?
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