Allegheny County, PA DUI and Criminal Courts

Last updated October 5, 2026.

Allegheny County is the Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania, and its criminal courts have their own local steps. My practice is focused on Lawrence, Beaver, Butler and Mercer Counties, and I also take Allegheny County cases when they come in. This page sets out the local process from the court's and the county's own pages. My general approach is on the DUI defense page.

How does a DUI or criminal case move through Allegheny County, step by step?

The county's Public Defender and District Attorney describe the same sequence for a misdemeanor or felony:

Preliminary arraignment and bail. After an arrest, a magisterial district judge reads the charges and sets bail. The court says all preliminary arraignments for cases from the City of Pittsburgh, and certain cases from elsewhere in the county, are held in the Arraignment Court of the Pittsburgh Municipal Court building, which runs 24 hours a day, every day.
Preliminary hearing. The Public Defender says it usually comes 3 to 10 days after an arrest, later if the case started by summons. It is held at the Pittsburgh Municipal Court building, 660 First Avenue, or at the district court whose address is on the criminal complaint. The District Attorney says an assistant district attorney will usually present the case.
Formal arraignment. About 6 to 8 weeks later, in Room 519 of the Courthouse. Usually no prosecutor or judge is present; you get the final charges, a judge and a pretrial conference date.
Pretrial motions. The District Attorney says they must ordinarily be filed within 30 days of the formal arraignment, and a request to suppress evidence belongs in them.
Pretrial conference. About 2 to 4 weeks after arraignment, at 8:30 a.m. in the courtroom assigned at arraignment, on the third or fifth floor of the Courthouse.
Plea, ARD or trial, then sentencing. Sentencing can come up to 90 days after a plea or verdict, and an appeal is due within 30 days, the Public Defender says.

The statewide timing rule still applies: after a preliminary arraignment, the hearing must be set within 14 days for a person held only on that case and within 21 days otherwise (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540(G)(1)). What the judge decides at that hearing is explained in what happens at a preliminary hearing, written for Lawrence County but built on the same statewide rules.

Where each step happens in Allegheny County, per the court and county
Step or office	Where	Note
Arraignment Court	Pittsburgh Municipal Court building, 660 First Avenue	Open 24 hours, 7 days; (412) 350-3240
Preliminary hearing	660 First Avenue, or the district court on the complaint	City of Pittsburgh cases at the Municipal Court building
Formal arraignment	Courthouse, 436 Grant Street, Room 519	About 6 to 8 weeks after the hearing
Pretrial conference and trial	Courthouse, third or fifth floor	Report at 8:30 a.m.
Criminal Division office	Courthouse, Room 534	(412) 350-5500
District Attorney	Courthouse, Room 303	(412) 350-4401
Public Defender	542 Forbes Avenue, Suite 400	Apply at least 3 business days before court
Pretrial Services and CRN	Manor Building, 564 Forbes Avenue, 4th Floor	ARD Unit and CRN scheduling (412) 350-4632
Adult Probation	564 Forbes Avenue, 12th Floor	(412) 350-2320
Court Records, Criminal Division	Courthouse, Rooms 114, 220 and 222	Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Which court hears my case first?

The court describes its magisterial district courts as 46 community-based districts handling more than 20,000 filings a year. The court's online locator finds yours by street name or ZIP code. Local Rule 117.1 says district offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Summary charges, such as most traffic citations and many disorderly conduct or public drunkenness cases, are tried at the district court. The steps for those are in what happens if you ignore a citation.

The Pittsburgh Municipal Court is different. The court says its magisterial district judges handle more than 70,000 cases a year there, including preliminary hearings for misdemeanors and felonies inside the City of Pittsburgh, city traffic cases and preliminary hearings in homicide cases from anywhere in the county. Under Local Rule 131.1 that includes homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence (75 Pa.C.S. 3735), and Local Rule 507.1 requires the District Attorney's approval before such a complaint is filed.

How does ARD work for a DUI in Allegheny County?

Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition is a pretrial program, and only the prosecutor can move a case into it (Pa.R.Crim.P. 310). The Allegheny County District Attorney says first-time DUI offenders may be referred for ARD, that the office sets policies on which crimes it will recommend, and that it has the discretion to deny eligibility. The court's Pretrial Services ARD Unit supervises people placed in the program. A statewide overview is in ARD in Pennsylvania.

The county fee. Local Rule 316.1 charges every person placed in ARD a $450 administrative fee per case, $200 for the District Attorney and $250 for Pretrial Services, on top of prosecution costs, restitution and other fees.
The interview. Under Local Rule 571.2(c), being excused from the formal arraignment does not excuse any personal interview the District Attorney requires to evaluate ARD eligibility.
Costs before the hearing. The court's ARD hearing packet, dated 2020 and still posted, says initial costs are generally $250 for a DUI, due four days before the ARD hearing, payable in Room 114 of the Courthouse or on the UJS Portal.
Length. The same packet says the District Attorney normally recommends probation of up to two years, the statewide limit (Pa.R.Crim.P. 316).
The license. The ARD suspension depends on the blood alcohol level: none under 0.10%, 30 days from 0.10% to under 0.16%, and 60 days at 0.16% or higher, when the level is unknown, after a crash with injury or damage, or for a drug DUI (75 Pa.C.S. 3807(d)). Each tier is explained in how long ARD suspends your license.
The record. The court's FAQ says ARD is neither a conviction nor an acquittal, and that expungement is automatic, finished within 9 to 12 months after the term expires.

Completed ARD still matters later: since Act 58 of 2025, a new DUI within ten years can be charged as DUI following diversion, as explained in what DUI following diversion means.

Where do I do the CRN evaluation and alcohol safety school?

Pennsylvania law requires a drug and alcohol evaluation before sentencing on any DUI (75 Pa.C.S. 3814). The court's FAQ says everyone 18 or older must complete a Court Reporting Network (CRN) evaluation for every DUI, with no exceptions, and that it must take place in the county where the arrest happened. That means an Allegheny County arrest gets an Allegheny County CRN, even for a driver who lives elsewhere.

The ARD packet lists two CRN offices: the Manor Building, 564 Forbes Avenue, 4th Floor, downtown, and 5300 Perry Highway in the North Hills. Appointments are booked at (412) 350-4632.
The court says there are four Alcohol Highway Safety Schools around the county, and you are assigned one by ZIP code. The packet lists a minimum of 12.5 hours of school.

What the evaluation asks and how the result is used is explained in the CRN evaluation and alcohol highway safety school.

What local programs apply to a repeat DUI?

Allegheny County runs several DUI programs of its own:

DUI Court. One of six problem-solving courts. The court describes it as long-term judicial intervention, intensive probation and treatment for people with repeat DUIs. A person asks to join through an attorney with a DUI Court Referral Form, and the District Attorney can also identify cases at the pretrial screening stage.
DUI Alternative to Jail. An educational program in place of a jail or house arrest sentence. The court lists $600 for a shared room and $825 for a private room, paid within 60 days of sentencing, after a CRN, a $100 drug and alcohol assessment and six support meetings.
PDQ. The county says the Plea Disposition Quickly program may be available to repeat offenders or people who violated ARD (Local Rule 571.5).
Ignition interlock. The court has run its own interlock program since 2001, at 5300 Perry Highway. Its FAQ lists $1,300 for a year, with a $175 first month and installation fee and a $75 removal fee.

The mandatory sentences these programs work around are in the Pennsylvania DUI penalties chart and what happens on a second DUI.

How do I reach the District Attorney or a public defender?

The District Attorney's office is in Room 303 of the Courthouse, 436 Grant Street, (412) 350-4401. The Public Defender is at 542 Forbes Avenue, Suite 400. The office says clients can earn up to 175% of the federal poverty guidelines, that people held in jail qualify automatically and are interviewed there before the preliminary hearing, and that an application must be in at least three business days before the next court date or it is rejected. It does not take traffic citations unless a mandatory sentence applies.

Where do I get court records?

The county's Department of Court Records, Criminal Division, is in the Courthouse and open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: the docket counter, expungements and summary appeals in Room 114, criminal records in Room 220, and DUI matters in Room 222. Its fee schedule lists $25 for a criminal record check, $232 for an expungement petition and $94 for a summary appeal, and it accepts no personal checks. A summary appeal must be filed within 30 calendar days of the decision, in person in Room 114. A PennDOT license suspension appeal is a civil case filed elsewhere, as explained in appealing a PennDOT license suspension. Sealing an old case is covered in clearing a criminal record.

Which jail and police agencies are involved?

Allegheny County Jail: 950 Second Avenue, Pittsburgh. For arraignment times and bail, the jail points families to (412) 350-3240.
State Police, Troop B: covers almost all of the county from its Pittsburgh station at 449 McCormick Road, Moon Township. Troop D covers the exceptions it lists, among them Harrison Township, Tarentum, Brackenridge and State Route 28.

What police may do at the roadside is in your rights during a traffic stop.

DUI questions that apply in Allegheny County

Pennsylvania's DUI law is the same in every county. These pages answer the questions that come next:

Criminal questions that apply in Allegheny County

What changes the answer?

Where the arrest happened. Inside the City of Pittsburgh, the preliminary hearing is normally at the Municipal Court building; elsewhere it is usually at the district court on the complaint.
Custody. A person held only on the case gets a hearing within 14 days of the preliminary arraignment, others within 21 days (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540(G)(1)).
The prosecutor's ARD policy. ARD needs a motion by the District Attorney (Pa.R.Crim.P. 310), and the county's office says it can deny eligibility.
The blood alcohol level. It sets the ARD license suspension (75 Pa.C.S. 3807(d)) and, after a conviction, the penalty tier.
Prior DUIs. A repeat offense changes the sentence and the programs on offer, from DUI Court to PDQ.
A death or serious injury. Vehicle homicide cases are centralized at the Municipal Court building under Local Rule 131.1.

A worked example

For example, take a hypothetical case (not a real one): a driver with no record is stopped in the City of Pittsburgh late on a Saturday and arrested for DUI. The preliminary arraignment happens overnight at the Arraignment Court on First Avenue, where bail is set. The preliminary hearing is held in the same building about a week later, with an assistant district attorney presenting the case. The driver books a CRN evaluation at the Manor Building, because the arrest was in Allegheny County, and asks the District Attorney's office to consider ARD. If ARD is offered, the driver pays the $450 county administrative fee on top of costs, finishes the safety school assigned by ZIP code, and serves the suspension that matches the test result.

Common mistakes in Allegheny County cases

Going to the Courthouse for the preliminary hearing. It is at the Municipal Court building or the district court, not on Grant Street.
Applying for a public defender too late. Applications less than three business days before court are rejected.
Scheduling the CRN in your home county. The court requires it in the county of arrest.
Assuming ARD is automatic. The District Attorney decides, and the $450 fee is only one of the costs.

What to do this week

Find the district court or Municipal Court address on your paperwork and look up the case on the UJS Portal.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, apply to the Public Defender now, at least three business days before your next date.
For a DUI, call (412) 350-4632 about the CRN evaluation.
Write down your test result and the date you were tested; it will matter for ARD and the license.
Keep every notice from the court and from PennDOT in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Pittsburgh Municipal Court the same as the Courthouse?

No. The Municipal Court building is at 660 First Avenue and handles arraignments, city preliminary hearings and city traffic cases. The Courthouse is at 436 Grant Street, where cases held for court are arraigned, negotiated and tried.

Can I get ARD for a DUI in Allegheny County?

Possibly, if it is a first DUI and the District Attorney agrees. The office does not publish a full list of its criteria, so whether a case qualifies is a question to raise early.

What if I missed a court date?

Pretrial Services tells people who missed court to report to its office on the 4th floor of the Manor Building, 564 Forbes Avenue, by 9:00 a.m. on a weekday. The case is then processed through Motions Court the same day.

I live in Butler or Beaver County. Do I have to come to Pittsburgh?

Usually, yes. The case stays in the county where the arrest happened, and the court requires the CRN evaluation there too. Your own county's courts are covered on the Butler County and Beaver County pages.

Do you take Allegheny County cases?

Yes. I also take DUI and criminal cases in Allegheny County, though most of my work is in Lawrence County and the neighboring counties.

If you have a DUI or criminal case in Allegheny County, I can tell you where it stands and what comes next. You can read more about my practice, and the first consultation is always free and confidential.

DUI and criminal cases in Allegheny County: courts and local process