Where is the ARD hearing for a Harrisburg case held?

Harrisburg ARD cases are heard at the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas, 101 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101. Preliminary hearings are held at the Magisterial District Court that covers the arrest location — including MDJ 12-1-04 (Harrisburg), 12-2-02 (Susquehanna Twp.), and 12-3-04 (Lower Paxton).

How much does ARD cost for a Harrisburg DUI?

Program fees typically fall in the $1,800–$2,600 range once court costs, CRN, Alcohol Highway Safety School, and supervision fees are added — plus your defense fee. Those figures are program and court costs — our defense fee is a separate flat fee quoted before you hire us.

What is the deadline to apply for ARD in Dauphin County?

Applications are generally due before the formal arraignment; missing that deadline can push the case onto the trial list.

Does ARD keep a Harrisburg DUI off my record?

Yes, when you complete it. ARD is not a conviction. On successful completion the charges are dismissed and the record is expungeable — which is why the expungement petition at the end matters as much as the admission at the beginning.

How long is the license suspension on ARD in Dauphin County?

ARD suspensions are shorter than conviction suspensions and depend on BAC tier: no suspension for general impairment, 30 days at .10–.159, and 60 days at .16 or higher or for a controlled-substance DUI. Refusal cases carry a separate 12-month implied-consent suspension that ARD does not erase.

ARD Program · Harrisburg, PA

ARD Program Lawyer in Harrisburg, PA.

Charged with a first-offense DUI in Harrisburg? ARD ends the case with no conviction, a shorter suspension, and an expungement at the end. Attorney Sean P. Quinlan handles ARD applications in Dauphin County personally — free consultation, flat fee.

(717) 724-7503 Schedule a consultation

Harrisburg · Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition

The fastest way out of a first Harrisburg DUI.

ARD is Pennsylvania's diversion program for first-time, non-violent offenders. It is not a plea and not a conviction: you complete supervision and conditions, the Commonwealth dismisses the charges, and the arrest is expunged.

Dauphin County runs one of the most structured ARD programs in Central PA. The DA screens applications through a dedicated ARD unit and typically requires a completed CRN evaluation before the ARD hearing.

(717) 724-7503 Check ARD eligibility

Court & District Attorney

Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas — 101 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101. Applications are screened by the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office.

From Harrisburg

Our Camp Hill office sits less than 4 miles across the Susquehanna from downtown Harrisburg — most Harrisburg clients meet with us the same day they call.

3425 Simpson Ferry Rd, Suite 100, Camp Hill, PA 17011

The Harrisburg ARD process, step by step.

1. Preliminary hearing or waiver
Most ARD candidates waive the preliminary hearing once we confirm the evidence and the DA's screening posture — but only after we've reviewed the affidavit, BAC or lab work, and the stop.
2. CRN evaluation & drug-and-alcohol assessment
Required before admission in every Central PA county. Scheduling it early is the single most common reason one applicant gets into ARD ahead of another.
3. ARD application to the District Attorney
Filed with the DA's office, usually before formal arraignment. Late applications get the case listed for trial instead.
4. ARD hearing
You appear in the Court of Common Pleas, the terms are placed on the record, and supervision begins.
5. Program compliance
Alcohol Highway Safety School, supervision, any treatment condition, costs and restitution, and a clean record during the term.
6. Dismissal and expungement
On successful completion the charges are dismissed and we file the expungement petition — the step people most often skip.

More Dauphin County ARD and DUI.

Harrisburg · practice areas

Start with the Pennsylvania ARD program lawyer hub.

Statewide ARD eligibility, cost, and timeline behind this Harrisburg page.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

ARD questions from Harrisburg drivers — eligibility, cost, deadlines, suspensions, and expungement.

ARD is generally available to first-time, non-violent offenders — most first-offense DUIs, plus many first-offense drug possession and theft cases. Dauphin County District Attorney's Office controls admission for Harrisburg cases. Dauphin County runs one of the most structured ARD programs in Central PA. The DA screens applications through a dedicated ARD unit and typically requires a completed CRN evaluation before the ARD hearing. You may be excluded if a child was in the vehicle, there was a serious-injury accident, or you have qualifying priors. Under Act 58 of 2025, a prior ARD within 10 years now counts as a prior offense.

Free Consultation

The sooner we talk, the more we can do.

Every hour matters in a DUI or criminal case. Call directly and speak with Attorney Quinlan — not an intake desk.

(717) 724-7503 Schedule a consultation