Solano County DUI Courthouse Information

Solano County DUI cases are handled in two courthouses.  The main court is in Fairfield at the Hall of Justice located at 600 Union Avenue and the Vallejo Courthouse is located at 321 Tuolumne Street.  I have handled several misdemeanor and felony cases in Solano County and have found both the judges and prosecutors to be willing and able to negotiate creative solutions to both DUI and criminal cases.

The Solano County Criminal Division files, processes and maintains criminal records of felonies, misdemeanors and infractions. The Division maintains an index of filings and records of criminal dispositions. A criminal case begins when a person suspected of a crime is indicted by a grand jury or a prosecutor (district attorney) files formal charges (complaint) with the Superior Court. In all criminal cases, the defendant (person accused of a crime) is presumed innocent.

Please note that all Driving under the Influence (DUI) charges are filed with the Criminal Division.

The courthouse is open 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The Clerk’s Offices are open by drop-in 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM or by appointment 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Click Courthouse Hours to learn more about regular and holiday hours.

All visitors to the Superior Court of Solano County are required to pass through our security system (metal detectors) when entering the court buildings. Please click on Court Security to review the screening process and a comprehensive list of items prohibited.

All three courthouses are located in downtown Fairfield. A parking garage with limited time zone parking is located adjacent to the Solano County Government Center, at the corner of Delaware and Jefferson Streets. Limited time zone parking is also available directly in front of the Hall of Justice.

Parking for the disabled is located on Union Avenue and in the Old Courthouse parking lot (501 Texas Street). Vehicles must display appropriate State issued placard.

Parking lots in the Downtown Business areas are privately owned and are reserved for merchants and their customers. We appreciate your cooperation in respecting the downtown businesses and encourage you not to park in privately owned lots.

All buildings are wheelchair accessible. There are ramps on either side of the entrance to the Hall of Justice. There is a ramp which leads to an elevator for the Old Courthouse. Access to the Law and Justice Center is via the main entrance door facing Union Avenue. There are elevators in all three buildings and each building has wheelchair-accessible restrooms. Click ADA Accommodations to learn about the Americans With Disabilities Act and ADA Accommodations.

The Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak Train Station is less than a ten-minute walk to all Fairfield Court locations. The address for the train station is 177 Main Street, Suisun City, 94585. You may wish to use this stop to increase your transit options.

The courthouse offers free public wifi by connecting to the network “court public.” Connection speed may vary based on how many people are accessing the network. Click Wireless Access to learn more about how to connect and read the court’s policy and disclaimer regarding usage of its public hotspot.

DUI cases are also heard in the Vallejo Courthouse located at 321 Tuolumne Street.

The courthouse is open 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The Clerk’s Offices are open by drop-in 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM or by appointment 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Click Courthouse Hours to learn more about regular and holiday hours.

The Vallejo branch court is located on the west side of Tuolumne Street, with the nearest cross street being Virginia Street. The parking lot may be entered either from Tuolumne Street (main entrance) or Virginia Street. Upon entering the parking lot from Tuolumne Street, the court is on the left and the health & social services building is on the right. There is disabled parking immediately behind the health & social services building.

The Vallejo Courthouse is served by SolTrans Route 4 from the Vallejo Transit Center in downtown Vallejo.

The court is wheel chair accessible. There is wheel chair access from the entrance drive to the sidewalk near the front of the court (closest to Tuolumne Street) marked by a crosswalk on the entrance driveway. A wheel chair ramp may be found at that location, which leads to the main entrance to the court. The entrance has a sliding door, which is open during business hours. Should the door be closed, it is motion sensitive, and is automatically activated upon being approached. The restrooms are wheel chair accessible, although the doors are manually operated swinging doors. All court activities are conducted on the ground floor of the building.

The courthouse offers free public wifi by connecting to the network “court public.” Connection speed may vary based on how many people are accessing the network. Click Wireless Access to learn more about how to connect and read the court’s policy and disclaimer regarding usage of its public hotspot.

RECENT SOLANO COUNTY DUI CASE RESULTS

Solano County Fairfield DUI .19% BAC First Offense DUI High BAC DUI Enhancement

Outcome  3 Years DUI Probation, $1,850 fine, Three month DUI School & Two days Weekend Work

Description  Client was arrested for driving under the influence after being found passed out behind the wheel at a stoplight by the Vacaville Police Department. The high blood alcohol content was a problem but today we settled the DUI case favorably for PROBATION GRANTED for 3 years, $1,850 fine, three month DUI School and two days Weekend Work in lieu of county jail. License suspended for thirty days and restricted for one year by California Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV.

Solano County Fairfield DUI .21% BAC First Offense FELONY DUI Injury Collision

Outcome: MISDEMEANOR: Probation Granted: Three Years, $2000 Fine, Nine Month DUI School & Four Days SWAP in lieu of actual jail time.

Description: Client arrested by California Highway Patrol for felony driving under the influence after being involved in an injury causing collision. Client submitted to blood test at the hospital with result of .21% BAC. Settled case today for MISDEMEANOR: Probation Granted: Three Years, $2000 Fine, Nine Month DUI School & Four Days SWAP in lieu of jail.  An excellent result considering we started with a felony DUI and client was actually looking at time in the California State Prison system.

Solano County Fairfield DUI .10% BAC First Offense DUI Collision

Outcome: Probation Granted: Three Years, $1900 Fine, Three Month DUI School & NO SWAP

Description: Client arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol by the California Highway patrol after being involved in a  motor vehicle collision. Blood Test returned result of .10% blood alcohol concentration. Settled case today for Probation Granted: Three Years, $1900 Fine, Three Month DUI School and credit for time served, so client didn't have to do any community service or weekend work program.

Solano County Vallejo DUI .17% BAC First Offense DUI High BAC Enhancement

Outcome:  HIGH BAC ENHANCEMENT DISMISSED & THREE MONTH DUI SCHOOL & NO SWAP

Description: Client stopped by California Highway Patrol after report of weaving by a third party. Breath tests return result of .16% BAC with a later blood test of .17% blood alcohol concentration. Settled the DUI case today for excellent result of three years probation, fine of $1,900, three month DUI School and NO JAIL OR SWAP. ENHANCEMENT DISMISSED. Client's license suspended by the DMV for 30 days pursuant to the APS suspension and restricted for five months for work related driving.

Solano County Fairfield DUI .19% BAC First Offense DUI High BAC Enhancement

Outcome: ENHANCEMENT DISMISSED: Three Years Probation, Three Month DUI School & NO SWAP

Description: This was an unfortunate case where I worked tirelessly to get my client out of a driving under the influence case,  but in the end was unable to do so. Client was observed driving by an independent witness who followed him until he pulled over and ultimately went to sleep. The Fairfield Police eventually arrived and conducted a DUI investigation which included a breath test with result of .19% BAC. My client was a father of three kids and the sole provider for his family and desperately needed a reduction to save his job. I appeared many times to try to get this done, but after a year of court appearances, finally settled the case today for an otherwise good result. Client received three years of informal court probation, paid a fine of approximately $1,900 and completed a 3 month DUI School. Client didn't get any jail, SWAP or community service, but did suffer a license suspension of thirty days followed by five months of restriction. I sincerely hope that this DUI client does not lose his job as this would be an unintended consequence of DUI which could put a family on the welfare rolls.

Solano County Fairfield Petition for Early Termination of DUI Probation

Outcome: PETITION GRANTED , PROBATION TERMINATED EARLY & DUI CONVICTION DISMISSED

Description: I represented client about a year and a half ago for a Solano County DUI arrest where she blew a .16% BAC after drinking away the fact that she and her boyfriend of eight years had just broken up. She received the minimum three years of probation, but now only half way done, she found herself out of a job and looking for work in a highly competitive market. The present DUI conviction and probation created an insurmountable hurdle to getting even an interview. Since she had no other criminal history and completed all of her probation requirements, we petitioned the court for early termination of the DUI probation and an expungement of the DUI conviction. Honestly, I wasn't overly optimistic considering that District Attorney's routinely object to these petitions and judges are inclined to deny them absent extraordinary circumstances. Today, I was pleasantly surprised when the DA did not object and the court granted the petition. In the end, client's driving under the influence probation was terminated and the conviction expunged thus allowing her to deny she had ever been convicted on her subsequent employment applications.

Solano County Fairfield DUI .16% BAC First Offense DUI High BAC Enhancement

Outcome: ENHANCEMENT DISMISSED, THREE MONTH DUI SCHOOL, One DAY JAIL

Description: Client was stopped by the California Highway Patrol in Fairfield for speeding. A breath test then showed an elevated BAC of .16% and he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Client later charged by the district attorney with DUI and an enhancement for high BAC above .15%. Client ordered to attend AA meetings during the pre-trial phase of the case. Today, I lucked out and a former prosecutor from San Francisco was working with a fair prosecutor who was handling the case. I was expecting the DA to let go of the enhancement to settle the case, but he really held onto it and it was only with great difficulty that I was able to convince him into offering my client a standard DUI. Ultimately the DA relented and client received the minimum sentence of three years court probation, fine of $2,000, three month DUI school and one day of jail. Client's license suspended for thirty days and restricted for five months by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Solano County Vallejo DUI .19% BAC First Offense DUI High BAC Enhancement Under 21 Zero Tolerance

Outcome: Probation Granted: 3 Years, Fine $1,900, THREE MONTH DUI SCHOOL and 3 DAYS SWAP

Description: Client was only 20 years old when he was stopped in a mall parking lot with a car full of friends and beer while trying to push start a disabled vehicle. Complicating matters, client had suffered a prior APS suspension for driving at a .04% BAC two years earlier. Client arrested and charged with enhanced high BAC DUI. Today, I successfully settled the case for minimum sentence of three years informal court probation, fine of approximately $1,900, 3 MONTH DUI SCHOOL, and three days of SWAP in lieu of actual jail. As client was under 21, his license was subject to a one year hard suspension.

Solano County Fairfield DUI .17% BAC First Offense DUI High BAC Enhancement

Outcome: ENHANCEMENT DISMISSED, NO SWAP AND THREE MONTH DUI SCHOOL

Description: Client was a mess after breaking up with her boyfriend. Driving on I-80, she was stopped by the CHP for swerving after she was reported by another driver. Breath test came back .17% BAC and she was arrested for DUI. Today, we successfully settled the case for minimum punishment of three years informal court probation, fine of about $1,800, THREE MONTH DUI SCHOOL and most importantly, NO JAIL, SWAP OR COMMUNITY SERVICE. Client's license suspended by the DMV for thirty days and restricted for five months.

Solano County Fairfield Driving on Suspended License Vehicle Code Section  14601.2

Outcome: CHARGES DISMISSED. CASE REDUCED TO INFRACTION

Description: This was a long case that worked out really well for the client, a single mother who regrettably picked a driving on a suspended license charge while on probation for her second offense DUI. Client was previously represented by cheap/inexpensive DUI attorney who just breezed her through the process without fully explaining her post conviction probation requirements. I appeared with my client, obtained a critical continuance ("1 out of 99 chance" according to both the clerk and D.A.) which helped get her license reinstated prior to sentencing. Client received greatly reduced sentence of  California Vehicle Code 12500 INFRACTION, for fine of approximately $300. As her charged offense had a MINIMUM 10 day jail sentence, this was a remarkable outcome.

Solano County Fairfield .21% BAC First Offense DUI High BAC Enhancement

Outcome: ENHANCEMENT STRICKEN, NO JAIL OR SWAP

Description: Settled a high BAC first offense DUI case in Fairfield for an out of state client. Client never had to appear and received minimum sentence. Enhancement stricken for three years of probation, fine of $1,300, and no jail, SWAP or a DUI school requirement. License in California suspended for six months and client will have to request a 1650 waiver packet from the DMV to lift the California DMV hold due to not completing a DUI school in the State of California.