Where is the ARD hearing for a Lancaster case held?

Lancaster ARD cases are heard at the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas, 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602. Preliminary hearings in Lancaster route through the Central Court system rather than individual MDJs for most DUI arrests.

How much does ARD cost for a Lancaster DUI?

Lancaster ARD total costs typically range from $1,900 to $2,700 depending on BAC tier and any restitution. 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 Lancaster County?

Applications are usually filed after Central Court and before the ARD hearing; late-filed packets can be denied on scheduling grounds.

Does ARD keep a Lancaster DUI off my record?

Yes, when you complete it. ARD is not a conviction. On successful completion the charges are dismissed, and Pa.R.Crim.P. 320(A) directs the judge who dismisses them to also order expungement of the arrest record. Some counties still expect a motion or a proposed order, which your attorney handles — and the record is not clear until the order is entered and processed, which is why the end of an ARD case matters as much as the admission at the beginning.

How long is the license suspension on ARD in Lancaster 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 · Lancaster, PA

ARD Program Lawyer in Lancaster, PA.

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

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Lancaster · Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition

The fastest way out of a first Lancaster 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.

Lancaster County runs a distinctive Central Court intake for DUI cases and its own ARD track. The DA screens ARD applications alongside the CRN evaluation and requires a completed application packet.

(717) 724-7503 Check ARD eligibility

Court & District Attorney

Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas — 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602. Applications are screened by the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.

From Lancaster

Lancaster is about a 50-minute drive east of our Camp Hill office on PA-283. Because DUI preliminary hearings are centralized at the courthouse rather than spread across the county's nineteen magisterial district courts, covering a Lancaster city DUI from Camp Hill is straightforward.

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

The Lancaster 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, Rule 320 directs the judge who dismisses the charges to also order expungement; confirm the order was entered and processed.

More Lancaster County ARD and DUI.

Lancaster · practice areas

Start with the Pennsylvania ARD program lawyer hub.

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

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

ARD questions from Lancaster city 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. Lancaster County District Attorney's Office controls admission for Lancaster cases. Lancaster County runs a distinctive Central Court intake for DUI cases and its own ARD track. The DA screens ARD applications alongside the CRN evaluation and requires a completed application packet. You may be excluded if a child was in the vehicle, there was a serious-injury accident, or you have qualifying priors. Act 58 of 2025 created a separate § 3802(h) DUI-following-diversion offense when a new DUI occurs within 10 years of qualifying diversion.
Lancaster ARD cases are heard at the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas, 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602. Preliminary hearings in Lancaster route through the Central Court system rather than individual MDJs for most DUI arrests.
Lancaster ARD total costs typically range from $1,900 to $2,700 depending on BAC tier and any restitution. Those figures are program and court costs — our defense fee is a separate flat fee quoted before you hire us.
Applications are usually filed after Central Court and before the ARD hearing; late-filed packets can be denied on scheduling grounds.
Yes, when you complete it. ARD is not a conviction. On successful completion the charges are dismissed, and Pa.R.Crim.P. 320(A) directs the judge who dismisses them to also order expungement of the arrest record. Some counties still expect a motion or a proposed order, which your attorney handles — and the record is not clear until the order is entered and processed, which is why the end of an ARD case matters as much as the admission at the beginning.
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.

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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.

Call (717) 724-7503 Schedule a consultation