Choosing the best DUI attorney in Sacramento.
If you are looking for a DUI attorney in Sacramento, start with the question that matters most: who will actually be handling your case? I am Chris Parkhurst, Esq. I have been defending cases in Sacramento County since 1999, and my State Bar number is 203402. You work with us directly rather than with an intake team or a call center.
What that means in practice is straightforward. I read your file before I tell you what I think of it, I explain what it actually supports, and I give you the realistic range of outcomes rather than the encouraging end of it. For the detail on the charge itself, see DUI defense. To find out what happens next in your case, call.
Why choose me for your Sacramento DUI.
Local court experience that matters
I have been appearing in Sacramento County's criminal courts since 1999, and what that gives you is knowledge of how this court actually runs: how the calendar moves, what the District Attorney's office typically does with a first-offence filing, when a matter is realistically going to be resolved and when it is not. That is knowledge of procedure and practice. It is not a claim that outcomes turn on who I know, because they do not, and any lawyer who tells you otherwise is selling something.
I know Sacramento and its communities
Where in the city you were stopped changes the case more than most people expect. A stop on the K Street corridor at closing time is a Sacramento Police report. A stop on Interstate 5 or Highway 50 is almost certainly the CHP. A stop in Arden-Arcade is the Sheriff, because that is unincorporated county rather than city. Those three agencies hold their records on different systems, retain footage on different schedules, and respond to requests at different speeds.
Fast response for Sacramento residents
Time matters here for a concrete reason rather than a rhetorical one. The DMV window is ten days. Body camera and dashcam footage sits on agency retention schedules. Breath machine calibration and maintenance records exist for a particular device on particular dates. The window before charges are filed is where the most can be done, and it closes quietly rather than with a notice.
Comprehensive DUI services
I handle every kind of DUI matter arising in Sacramento:
- First-offence DUI. The most common filing, and the one where diversion of the licence consequence matters most.
- Second and third offence DUI. Exposure changes once a prior falls inside the washout period.
- Felony DUI. Charged on a fourth offence, on a prior felony DUI, or where someone was injured.
- DUI causing injury. Vehicle Code 23153, which can be filed as a misdemeanour or a felony.
- Chemical test refusal. A refusal allegation carries its own longer licence suspension, separately from the DUI.
- DUI of drugs. Including prescription medication. There is no per se number, which changes how it is proved.
- DMV hearings. The administrative case, on a ten-day clock, run separately from the criminal one.
- Commercial driver DUI. A commercial licence is held to a stricter standard and can be reached by conduct in a personal vehicle.
DUI defence in Sacramento.
If you are facing a DUI in Sacramento, what you need is someone who knows this court, understands how the Sacramento County District Attorney's office approaches these filings, and will tell you plainly what the evidence in your file actually supports. I have been licensed to practise in California since 1999, State Bar number 203402, and I defend DUI cases across nine Northern California counties from offices in Sacramento and Roseville.
Whether you are dealing with a first offence, a prior conviction inside the washout period, a refusal allegation, or a case where someone was injured, the work is the same in shape and different in detail: establish what was actually recorded, test whether the stop and the testing hold up, and deal with the DMV case before its deadline runs. You'll work directly with one of our attorneys throughout your case.
How I help Sacramento residents.
Thorough investigation of your Sacramento DUI
What I request, and what I look at:
- The arrest report, and whether what it describes matches what the recordings show
- Body camera and dashcam footage, requested before the retention period runs
- Calibration and maintenance records for the specific breath device used
- The blood sample, where one was taken, and whether it can still be retested
- The gap between the time of driving and the time of the test
- Dispatch recordings and the reason given for the stop
Testing the case in Sacramento County court
When your case is in front of the court, you will have someone who:
- Knows how this court runs its criminal and traffic calendars
- Understands how the District Attorney's office approaches DUI filings here
- Will challenge the stop, the testing and the sufficiency of each count where the file supports it
- Handles the DMV hearing alongside the criminal case rather than as an afterthought
- Is prepared to take the case to trial where the offer does not reflect the evidence
Personal service for Sacramento clients
You work directly with our attorneys throughout:
- My office is at 701 E Street, in the downtown court district
- You will have my contact details, not a case number and a queue
- Updates as the case moves, and an explanation of each decision before it is made
- A straight answer about what your file actually supports, including when that answer is not the one you were hoping for
Law enforcement agencies in Sacramento.
Which agency stopped you is the first thing worth establishing in a Sacramento DUI, because it determines what records exist and how quickly I have to ask for them.
Sacramento Police Department
- Address. 5770 Freeport Blvd #200, Sacramento, CA 95822
- Contact. (916) 808-5471
- Jurisdiction. The city of Sacramento itself. Most surface-street DUI stops inside the city limits are theirs.
California Highway Patrol
- Address. Multiple area offices serving the region
- Contact. (916) 861-1300
- Jurisdiction. Interstate 5, Highway 50, Interstate 80 and Highway 99. Four major routes meet in or beside the city, so the CHP writes a large share of Sacramento DUI reports.
Sacramento County Sheriff's Office
- Address. 4500 Orange Grove Ave, Sacramento, CA 95841
- Contact. (916) 874-5115
- Jurisdiction. The unincorporated county surrounding the city, and the Main Jail where people arrested in Sacramento are booked.
Also operating in the city:
- Sacramento Regional Transit police — the light rail system and its stations.
- Sacramento State University Police — the campus and the surrounding streets.
- UC Davis Medical Center police — the medical centre campus in Oak Park.
- California State Police / CHP Capitol Protection — the Capitol grounds and state facilities.
More on the agencies that make arrests across the city is on the Sacramento page.
Courts serving Sacramento.
A DUI arrest in Sacramento is prosecuted by the Sacramento County District Attorney in the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento. Which courthouse hears it depends on the matter, and the date and location printed on your citation or release paperwork is the authority rather than anything on this page.
Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse
- Address. 720 9th St, Sacramento, CA 95814
- Telephone. (916) 874-5522
- What it handles. The main criminal courthouse for Sacramento County, and where most felony matters are heard.
- Note. Downtown, a short walk from the District Attorney's office and from my office on E Street.
Carol Miller Justice Center
- Address. 301 Bicentennial Cir, Sacramento, CA 95826
- Telephone. (916) 875-7746
- What it handles. Traffic and a share of the misdemeanour calendar, which is where a number of first-offence DUI matters are handled.
- Note. Out toward the county's eastern side rather than downtown, so check your paperwork before you drive anywhere.
Sacramento County District Attorney
- Address. 901 G St, Sacramento, CA 95814
- Telephone. (916) 874-6218
- Role. This is the office that decides what is filed, and it makes that decision after the arrest rather than during it.
For how this office charges cases and what happens between arrest and arraignment, see Sacramento County.
About Sacramento.
Quick facts
| Population | About 525,000 |
|---|---|
| County | Sacramento County — and the county seat |
| Area | About 100 square miles |
| Incorporated | 1849 |
| Median household income | About $77,000 |
| Major industries | State government, healthcare, education, agriculture and food, and a growing technology sector |
Population, area and income figures are approximate and drawn from US Census Bureau data. They are rounded deliberately, because precise figures on a page like this go stale without anyone noticing.
Sacramento overview
Sacramento is California's capital and the seat of Sacramento County, which means the city carries both a large resident population and a substantial daily commuter population working in state government. That pattern shows up in enforcement: downtown fills on weekday mornings and empties in the evening, and the drive home is when a good many DUI stops happen.
The city sits at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers, and four major routes meet in or beside it: Interstate 5, Highway 50, Interstate 80 and Highway 99. That concentration of freeway is the single most important geographic fact about DUI here, because it means the California Highway Patrol rather than Sacramento Police writes a large share of the reports.
Sacramento is also unusual in how much unincorporated county sits inside what looks like the city. Arden-Arcade, Carmichael and other communities are policed by the Sheriff rather than by Sacramento Police, and there is nothing on the ground that tells you which side of the line you are on.
Notable landmarks and areas in Sacramento.
Sacramento covers a lot of ground, and these are the areas that come up most often in the cases I handle:
- The State Capitol and Capitol Park. The centre of state government, and the reason downtown fills and empties on a weekday rhythm that shapes evening traffic.
- Old Sacramento Waterfront. The historic district on the river, with a concentration of licensed premises and a steady weekend pattern.
- Midtown and the K Street corridor. The main bar and restaurant district, and the origin of a large share of the city's late-night DUI stops.
- Golden 1 Center. Event nights change downtown traffic considerably, and enforcement downtown reflects that.
- Sutter's Fort. The original settlement, in the middle of what is now Midtown.
- Sacramento State University. Its own campus police force, and a student population concentrated along the J Street corridor.
- Land Park and William Land Park. Residential south of downtown, policed by Sacramento Police.
- Natomas. North of the river, with Interstate 5 and Interstate 80 running through it.
- Arden-Arcade. Unincorporated rather than city, so the Sheriff responds there rather than Sacramento Police, and the boundary is not obvious on the ground.
Serving Sacramento County communities.
Besides Sacramento, I represent clients across the county and the eight counties around it:
Elk Grove Folsom Citrus Heights Rancho Cordova Galt Carmichael Antelope West Sacramento Davis Roseville Rocklin Woodland
The county page sets out the court, the District Attorney and the process: Sacramento County.
Sacramento DUI questions I hear most.
How long do I have to request a DMV hearing after a Sacramento DUI arrest?
Ten days from the date of arrest. The request is separate from anything that happens in the criminal case, and if it is not made in time the suspension proceeds by default with nobody having examined whether the stop or the test was sound. It is the first deadline in the case. See licence and DMV matters.
Which courthouse will my Sacramento DUI be heard in?
It depends on the matter. The Gordon D. Schaber courthouse at 720 9th Street is the main criminal courthouse, and the Carol Miller Justice Center on Bicentennial Circle handles traffic and part of the misdemeanour calendar. The date and location printed on your citation or release paperwork is the authority. Bring it and I will confirm.
Does it matter whether Sacramento Police or the CHP arrested me?
It matters a great deal. Four major freeways meet in or beside the city, so the CHP writes a large share of Sacramento DUI reports, while surface-street stops inside the city are usually Sacramento Police, and Arden-Arcade and Carmichael are the Sheriff. The three keep records on different systems and retain footage on different schedules.
I was charged with two DUI counts from one stop. Why?
Almost every DUI is charged twice, under Vehicle Code 23152(a) for driving while impaired and 23152(b) for driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more. They are two allegations proved in different ways, which is why a case can be weak on one and strong on the other. See DUI defence.
Can a Sacramento DUI be reduced to a wet reckless?
A wet reckless under Vehicle Code 23103.5 exists only as a negotiated outcome from a DUI filing, so it is not something you can be arrested for. Whether it is available depends on the evidence, the record and how this District Attorney's office is approaching the case. Nobody can tell you before reading the file.
Will a DUI affect my professional licence or my job?
It can, and the licensing board reaches its own conclusion independently of the court, often triggered by the conviction and sometimes by the arrest. Commercial drivers are held to a stricter standard again. If you hold a licence or drive for work, say so on the first call, because it changes what an acceptable resolution looks like.
What does a Sacramento DUI defence cost?
It depends on whether there is a prior, whether a refusal or an injury is alleged, and whether the case is likely to resolve or be tried. Call and I will tell you what representation in your situation would cost before you commit to anything. For the general picture, see what a criminal defence lawyer costs in California.
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