About This PageSan Jose only

This page is written for people dealing with a DUI arrest connected to San Jose and Santa Clara County. It does not promise an outcome, repeat generic “fight your case” language, or pretend that a court charge and a license action are the same thing. Its purpose is practical: identify the paperwork that matters, explain why the DMV Administrative Per Se process needs separate attention, and point out the local criminal-court path.

San Jose criminal matters are handled through Santa Clara County Superior Court. The Hall of Justice on West Hedding Street is the criminal venue the court lists for San Jose and a group of nearby communities. Meanwhile, a DMV suspension notice can create a ten-day hearing deadline that begins independently of the criminal calendar. Those two facts change how a DUI defense should be organized during the first days after an arrest.

The information here is a starting point, not legal advice and not a substitute for a lawyer reviewing the actual records. DUI defense is evidence work: preserving video, requesting reports, examining chemical-test documentation, confirming the court assignment, and protecting the right to contest the DMV action. A person facing a charge needs that work done from original documents and current notices, not from a copied checklist that was written for another county.