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Downtown's Central Courthouse at 1100 Union Street handles every DUI arrest that happens inside the City of San Diego, plus cases from Poway. It is a tall, glass-fronted building that opened in 2017, sharing the block with the older Hall of Justice on West Broadway and sitting one block from the San Diego Trolley's Courthouse stop on C Street. If you were arrested anywhere from the Gaslamp Quarter to Pacific Beach or La Jolla, this is where your arraignment will be set, and the clerk who answers the criminal filing line can tell you which floor and courtroom your citation points to before you ever walk in.
San Diego Central Courthouse — court & DMV details
Why your case is here
The Central Courthouse hears criminal/DUI cases arising in the City of San Diego and its central and coastal communities, plus Poway, which — despite sitting inland near the North County line — routes downtown. The older Hall of Justice on West Broadway no longer hears criminal cases (it's civil-only now), and the Kearny Mesa courthouse handles traffic infractions only — a DUI is a misdemeanor or felony, so it is heard here, not at Kearny Mesa.
City Attorney or DA? At this courthouse, it can be either
This is where San Diego's prosecutor split matters most. A misdemeanor DUI committed inside the City of San Diego — or in Poway or the 4S Ranch area — is prosecuted by the San Diego City Attorney's Criminal & Community Justice Division. A felony DUI, or one arising outside those areas, is prosecuted by the San Diego County District Attorney. Knowing which office holds your file changes how the case is negotiated.
Getting to Union Street: parking, the trolley, and the lobby line
Street parking around the Central Courthouse is metered, and the surrounding public lots charge an hourly fee, so plan for a short walk either way, especially during the morning calendar rush. The San Diego Trolley's Orange Line stops at the Courthouse station right on C Street, between the Hall of Justice and the Central Courthouse itself, which is often the easiest way in from a Trolley-served neighborhood like City Heights or along the Orange Line corridor without hunting for a parking spot downtown. Like other San Diego Superior Court buildings, everyone entering passes through a security checkpoint at the public entrance, so leave pocketknives, tools, and anything metal you do not need in the car, and give yourself a few extra minutes for the line if several courtrooms are calendared at the same time.
What arraignment day looks like downtown
The court asks out-of-custody defendants to arrive at least 30 minutes early and check in with the sheriff's deputy at the courthouse entrance before heading to the assigned courtroom. The Central Courthouse runs a large criminal calendar spread across numerous departments, so the department number printed on your citation or notice matters far more than the building address once you are inside. The court also allows a verified appearance by video through Microsoft Teams, with Zoom standing in as a temporary backup while a Teams issue is worked out, unless a judge has specifically ordered you to appear in person. Anyone unsure which courtroom to report to, or whether their department is handling remote check-ins that week, can call the criminal division directly at (619) 844-2400 before driving downtown.
The license clock and San Diego's DUI program network
Separately from the criminal case, the arrest also starts the DMV's license case, and a hearing has to be requested within 10 days or the suspension goes into effect automatically. If the court later orders a DUI program as a condition of probation, San Diego County's program network is licensed by the state and run locally through the County's Behavioral Health Services division, which administers it alongside the court and DMV requirements that come with a conviction. For a case out of the Central Courthouse, that usually means enrolling through the SDSU Center on Substance Abuse's Central District DUI Program downtown, which offers tracks ranging from an education-only class up through 3, 6, 9, 12, or 18 months depending on the offense level and what probation requires. County Probation, not the program provider, sets the exact length, reporting schedule, and any search or testing conditions as part of sentencing.
The 10-day DMV deadline
A San Diego DUI starts a second, separate case at the DMV, and you have only 10 days from arrest to request a hearing. There is no longer a walk-in San Diego Driver Safety office — California handles these by phone and video — so call (833) 543-7703 or let us request the hearing for you. How the DMV hearing works →
How Ron defends a DUI at the Central Courthouse
At the Central Courthouse, Ron reads the arrest report and any body camera footage before the first court date, because a misdemeanor arrested inside city limits is usually filed by the San Diego City Attorney, while a felony or an arrest outside the city goes to the County District Attorney, and the two offices negotiate differently. After arraignment, the case typically moves through pretrial conferences where discovery (the police reports, the device calibration records, the bodycam video) gets requested and reviewed, then either a motion hearing, a change of plea, or a trial setting. Ron confirms with the clerk whether your specific department allows a verified remote appearance before asking you to skip an in-person date. He works with clients downtown from his Irvine office, coordinating the DMV hearing on the same timeline as the criminal case. No particular outcome, and no reduction or dismissal, can be promised in advance.
Where is the San Diego criminal courthouse for DUI?
Who will prosecute my San Diego DUI?
I was arrested in Poway — which courthouse?
How do I protect my license?
← Back to San Diego 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 →