The deadline nobody tells you about.
A California DUI is two separate cases. One is criminal, and a Amador City arrest is heard in Amador County. The other is administrative, run by the DMV, and it decides whether you keep your licence.
The DMV case has a 10-day deadline from the date of arrest to request a hearing. It runs whether or not you have spoken to anyone. If that window closes without a request, the suspension proceeds without anyone putting your side of it.
If you are inside those ten days, call now and we will deal with the rest afterwards. (916) 277-8299.
How to choose a DUI attorney in Amador City.
I'm Chris Parkhurst, Esq., State Bar number 203402, and I've been defending DUI cases in Northern California since 1999. You work with us directly rather than with an intake team.
In my opinion the question worth asking any attorney is simply whether they have appeared in the courthouse your case is going to, and how recently. For Amador City that is Amador Superior Court. Knowing how that court runs its calendar and how that District Attorney's office evaluates a DUI is county-level knowledge, and you earn it by being there.
What you've actually been charged with.
Most California DUI arrests are charged under Vehicle Code section 23152. Whether it is a misdemeanour or a felony depends on your record and on whether anyone was injured — an injury allegation moves it to a different section entirely.
I am not going to set out penalty ranges here, because the range that applies to you depends on facts I would need to read. For how the charge works, see DUI defense. For your licence, see licence suspension. If you hold a commercial licence the threshold is lower and the consequence is your job — see DUI and the commercial driver.
Who stopped you in Amador City.
Amador City is the least populous incorporated city in California — 200 residents at the 2020 census, across about three tenths of a square mile, sitting directly on Highway 49. Nearly every stop here is a highway stop.
The agencies working here:
- Amador County Sheriff's Office — Amador City has no city police department, so the Sheriff patrols it
- California Highway Patrol — working Highway 16 and Highway 49
The report drives the case. Who wrote it, what equipment they used, whether body-worn footage exists and how field sobriety testing was recorded all vary by agency, even though the courtroom does not. So when you call, tell me who stopped you and where.
Where a Amador City case is heard.
Amador Superior Court
500 Argonaut Ln, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 257-2600
Prosecuted by the Amador County District Attorney, 708 Court St #202, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 223-6444.
Someone arrested here is generally booked into the Amador County Jail, 700 Court St, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 223-6522.
That charging decision happens after the arrest, not during it, and the gap before filing is where the most can usually be done. For the wider county picture see Amador County.
What I look at first.
- The DMV request. If the ten days are still open, that gets done before anything else.
- The reason for the stop. Whether there was a lawful basis to pull you over at all is where a surprising number of these cases turn.
- The testing. Breath and blood results depend on equipment, calibration, timing and procedure. Each of those is checkable.
- The report itself. What it says, what it leaves out, and whether it matches the footage.
- Your record and your job. What a good outcome looks like is not the same for everyone, and a commercial licence changes it completely.
Around Amador City.
My Sacramento office is at 701 E Street, and I appear in Amador County. In many cases I appear for you and you do not have to be there at all.
Other places I serve in this county:
Amador City covers ZIP code 95601, with a population of around 200. If you were stopped near Keystone Mine, Amador Whitney Museum, or anywhere on the through-roads, that is the ground this page covers. Tell me the cross street when you call — where exactly you were stopped decides which agency wrote the report, and sometimes which county files the case.
Amador City questions I hear most.
How long do I have after a Amador City DUI arrest?
Ten days from the arrest to request a DMV hearing. That is separate from the criminal case, it runs on its own clock, and nobody at the roadside is required to remind you. Miss it and the suspension proceeds with nobody arguing your side. See the DMV hearing.
Where is a Amador City DUI case heard?
At Amador Superior Court, 500 Argonaut Ln, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 257-2600. Prosecuted by the Amador County District Attorney.
Who would have arrested me in Amador City?
An Amador County Sheriff's deputy — Amador City has no police department of its own. On Highway 16 and Highway 49 it may have been the CHP. Different agency, different report.
Where would I be booked?
Generally the Amador County Jail, 700 Court St, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 223-6522.
Is a DUI always a misdemeanour?
No. It depends on your record and on whether anyone was injured. Which section gets charged changes the exposure substantially. See felony DUI.
What will it cost?
It depends on the charge, whether it resolves before filing and whether it goes to trial. I quote a flat fee for a defined scope, agreed in writing before you pay anything. The consultation is free.
Being arrested is one of the more frightening things that happens to people, and the waiting afterwards is often worse than the arrest. I treat my clients the way I would want an attorney to treat my mother, if she met with one.
Call (916) 277-8299. The consultation is free.
