DWI defense in St. Louis County Circuit Court

Court information

Details above come from this court’s own published information. Courts change schedules, addresses and procedures — confirm with the court before relying on anything here for a court date.

What to know about this court

Traffic commissioners hear your license case first

Under the circuit’s Local Rule 62, traffic commissioners — not judges — hear non-felony state motor vehicle violations, municipal ordinance motor vehicle violations, and petitions for trial de novo or review from Department of Revenue decisions in the first instance.

The waiver almost nobody knows about

If you want your license petition heard by a judge rather than a commissioner, you must file a motion for hearing before a judge at the same time you file the petition. The rule states that if no motion is filed at the same time, the right to have the petition heard by a judge in the first instance is deemed waived. A motion for rehearing before a judge must then be filed within 20 days of the commissioner’s findings.

Interstate stops land here

I-270, I-64/40, I-44 and I-170 run through the county, and Highway Patrol stops on those roads are typically charged under state law rather than a city ordinance — which means Clayton, not a municipal courtroom.

Your license case is separate, even in this building

The Missouri Department of Revenue is running its own action against your driver’s license, and it does not wait for your criminal case. You have 15 days from the date your Notice of Suspension (Form 2385) was issued to request an administrative hearing, and the Department states that missing it means no hearing and no further appeal. If that hearing goes against you, the petition for review is filed in the circuit court for the county of arrest — which can be this courthouse — but it is a separate civil case with its own file number, not part of your criminal docket. What to do about it →

Flat-fee defense in St. Louis County Circuit Court

We appear in this court. You get one flat fee, quoted at the end of a free consultation and set out in writing before any work starts, covering the stages your agreement names — not an hourly meter that runs every time you call with a question. See what the fee covers, or ask for your number.

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