Choosing the best DUI attorney in Solano County.
If you are looking for a Solano County DUI lawyer, 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 Solano 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.
DUI and criminal defense in Solano County.
I've been defending criminal cases in Northern California since 1999, and Solano County is one of nine counties I work in. Solano straddles the Interstate 80 corridor between Sacramento and the Bay Area, which makes it heavy CHP territory.
My Sacramento office serves Solano County — 701 E Street in Sacramento. If you were arrested in Fairfield, Vacaville, Vallejo or Dixon, this page covers what happens next. Call (916) 277-8299 for a free case evaluation.
Serving clients at Solano County Superior Court.
Solano County Criminal Court
530 Union Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 207-7380
Every criminal case arising in Solano County is prosecuted here, by the Solano County District Atty at 675 Texas St #4500, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 784-6800.
That charging decision happens after the arrest, not during it. The DA can file what you were arrested for, file something different, add charges, reduce them, or decline the case entirely. That gap is where I have the most leverage, and it's the stretch most people spend waiting to see what happens.
Knowing how this court runs its criminal calendar and how this District Attorney's office evaluates cases is county-level knowledge. You earn it by being there.
What criminal charges in Solano County involve.
Criminal charges in Solano County are violations of California state law punishable by jail, prison, fines or other penalties, ranging from misdemeanours to serious felonies. The District Attorney prosecutes felony cases and most misdemeanours originating here.
Arrests commonly follow traffic stops on Interstate 80, Interstate 680 and State Route 12, DUI enforcement along those corridors, domestic disputes, retail theft allegations and drug possession stops. Which agency responds depends on where you were — city police inside the incorporated cities, the Sheriff elsewhere, and the CHP on the highways.
The consequences of a conviction reach well past the sentence. They create a permanent record affecting employment, housing, professional licences and immigration status.
Who arrested you still matters.
Solano County has these agencies working inside it, and which one arrested you shapes what evidence exists:
- Fairfield Police Department — 1000 Webster St, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 428-7300
- Vacaville Police Department — 660 Merchant St, Vacaville, CA 95688. (707) 449-5200
- Vallejo Police Department — 111 Amador St, Vallejo, CA 94590. (707) 648-4321
- Dixon Police Department — 201 W A St, Dixon, CA 95620. (707) 678-7070
- Solano County Sheriff's Office — 530 Union Ave #100, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 784-7000
- California Highway Patrol — working Interstate 80, Interstate 680 and State Route 12
The report drives the case. Who wrote it, what equipment they used, whether body-worn footage exists and how the stop was documented all vary by agency, even though the courtroom does not. So when you call, tell me who arrested you.
Where you're booked.
Someone arrested in Solano County is generally booked into Solano County Jail at 500 Union Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 784-7100.
Two things worth knowing if you're the one making calls rather than the one in custody. Jail phone lines are recorded and those recordings get used in prosecutions, so keep the call to reassurance and logistics. And under California law a relative can ask an attorney to go and visit someone in custody, which means you don't have to wait for them to reach you.
What I defend in Solano County.
DUI defense
CHP works Interstate 80, Interstate 680 and State Route 12 through the county, so many Solano DUIs arrive with CHP paperwork rather than a city report. Remember a California DUI is two cases: the criminal one here, and a separate DMV proceeding with a 10-day deadline nobody at the roadside will remind you about. See DUI defense.
Domestic violence
An arrest usually brings a criminal protective order before your first appearance, and it can keep you out of your own home. Which section gets charged matters enormously. See domestic violence defense and Penal Code 273.5.
Everything else
Drug charges, theft and property crimes, violent crimes, weapons charges, white collar allegations, juvenile matters and record clearing. See all practice areas.
Why Solano County clients call me.
Knowledge of Solano County courts
I appear at Solano County Criminal Court and have been practising in Northern California since 1999. Knowing how this court runs its criminal calendar, how this District Attorney's office evaluates cases and what local judges do at sentencing is county-level knowledge, and you earn it by being there rather than reading about it.
Experience with Solano County law enforcement
I regularly handle cases involving arrests by the agencies listed above. Different departments use different equipment, keep different body-camera practices and write reports differently. Knowing which is which is how you find the weaknesses in a report.
Understanding Solano County
Solano straddles the Interstate 80 corridor between Sacramento and the Bay Area, which makes it heavy CHP territory. Most people I represent here have jobs, families and community ties in the county, and those things matter in negotiation and at sentencing.
Accessible to Solano County residents
My Sacramento office is at 701 E Street. If the other location is easier for you, I have offices in both Sacramento and Roseville.
How I defend cases in Solano County.
- Immediate case assessment. I read the police report, arrest records and witness statements early, to find the weaknesses before the District Attorney finalises charging decisions.
- Testing the case. Motions to suppress evidence from an unlawful stop or search, questioning witness credibility, testing whether every element of the charge is actually supported, and identifying constitutional problems.
- Evidence investigation. Obtaining surveillance and body-worn footage before it's overwritten, interviewing witnesses, and checking agency reports against what the physical evidence shows.
- Negotiation. Working directly with Solano County deputy district attorneys on charge reductions and alternative resolutions. Most criminal cases resolve this way, and the leverage comes from knowing precisely what the file will and won't support.
- Trial readiness. Where the offer isn't reasonable, taking the case to trial at Solano County Criminal Court.
- Personal attention. You work directly with our attorneys.
Areas I serve in Solano County.
Fairfield
Fairfield Police Department, 1000 Webster St, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 428-7300. The county seat, and where the courthouse sits.
Vacaville
Vacaville Police Department, 660 Merchant St, Vacaville, CA 95688. (707) 449-5200.
Vallejo
Vallejo Police Department, 111 Amador St, Vallejo, CA 94590. (707) 648-4321.
Dixon
Dixon Police Department, 201 W A St, Dixon, CA 95620. (707) 678-7070.
Counties I also serve
- Sacramento County
- Placer County
- Yolo County
- El Dorado County
- San Joaquin County
- Butte County
- Yuba County
- Sutter County
Some cities in this county have enough demand for a particular charge to warrant their own page:
- Fairfield DUI attorney. The head term for that charge in that city.
- Vacaville DUI attorney. The head term for that charge in that city.
What a conviction actually costs.
Immediate
- County jail for misdemeanours, or state prison for felonies
- Fines, which vary widely by charge
- Probation with conditions — testing, counselling, search terms
- Restitution to anyone alleged to have lost money or property
- A protective order, sometimes before your first appearance
Long-term
- Professional licences — nursing, medical, contracting, commercial driving
- Firearm prohibition, which attaches separately from any sentence
- Immigration consequences for non-citizens
- A permanent record affecting employment, housing and background checks
- Custody, where family court runs its own process on its own timeline
Exposure varies by charge. Rather than quote ranges that may not apply to you, see the practice pages or call for the realistic range on your facts.
Questions I get every week.
Which courthouse will my Solano County case be heard in?
Solano County Criminal Court at 530 Union Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 207-7380. Cases from across Solano County are heard there regardless of which city you were arrested in. Check your paperwork for the date and department, and call me if it's unclear.
Does it matter which Solano County city I was arrested in?
Not for the court or the prosecutor — every Solano County case runs through the same Superior Court under the same District Attorney. What changes is which agency wrote the report, and that matters a great deal to the evidence.
Where is the Solano County District Attorney?
Solano County District Atty at 675 Texas St #4500, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 784-6800. The DA decides what gets charged, and that decision happens after the arrest rather than during it. Being arrested for something doesn't mean that's what gets filed.
Where would someone be booked in Solano County?
Solano County Jail at 500 Union Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 784-7100. If you're the one making calls for somebody else, read what to do when someone is arrested first — the process is much the same, and under California law a relative can ask an attorney to visit.
Why does a stop on Interstate 80 get handled differently?
Because it's frequently the California Highway Patrol rather than a city police department. CHP works Interstate 80, Interstate 680 and State Route 12 through Solano County. Different agency means different equipment, different reporting practice and different body-camera coverage, and all of that shapes what's in your file.
What does a criminal defense attorney cost?
Criminal defense generally runs on a flat fee for a defined scope rather than an hourly meter, and what it costs depends on the charge, your record and how far the case is likely to run. I won't quote a number before reading the file. See how criminal defense fees work.
Can I use the public defender instead?
If you qualify financially, yes. The Solano County Public Defender is at 675 Texas St #3500, Fairfield, CA 94533. Public defenders are specialists carrying heavy caseloads — a real option rather than a consolation prize. I've written the honest comparison at public defender vs private attorney.
How soon after a Solano County arrest should I call?
Before your first court date if you possibly can. The window between arrest and filing is when the DA is still deciding what to charge, and that's where the most can be done. If it's a DUI there's also a separate 10-day DMV deadline already running. See DUI defense.
Get started.
I've been licensed in California since 1999, license #203402, with a J.D. from U.C. Hastings and a B.A. from U.C. Davis. I'm admitted in all California state courts and in the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California.
Our clients work directly with our attorneys, who are personally familiar with every aspect of the case. You'll find no 'one size fits all' approach here. I treat my clients the way I'd want an attorney to treat my mother, if she met with one.
Call (916) 277-8299 before your first court date. Have your citation or booking paperwork ready and the name of the agency that arrested you.
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