DUI Lawyer in Lancaster County.

Yes. The Lancaster County DA's office runs a structured ARD intake for eligible first offenses — no conviction, a BAC-tier license suspension, supervision, CRN evaluation and alcohol highway safety school, then expungement on completion. Child-in-vehicle cases, injury accidents, prior DUI convictions, and a prior ARD within 10 years are common disqualifiers.

Your first court date is the preliminary hearing before the Lancaster City MDJ, usually a few weeks after the arrest, and blood or breath results often arrive between the stop and that hearing. We use that window to request the discovery packet, review the stop and testing procedure, and decide whether ARD or a suppression challenge is the better path.

First-offense penalties depend on your BAC. General Impairment (.08–.099) carries a mandatory minimum of 6 months' probation, a $300 fine, and no license suspension. High BAC (.10–.159) adds a 12-month suspension and 48 hours minimum jail. Highest BAC (.16+), refusals, and controlled-substance DUIs trigger 72 hours minimum jail, a 12-month suspension, and fines up to $5,000. Ignition interlock is required on most suspensions.

Many first-time offenders may apply for Pennsylvania's Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program, but admission is at the District Attorney's discretion. ARD avoids a conviction, and the ARD license suspension under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3807(d) ranges from none to 90 days. You may be disqualified if a child was in the vehicle, there was a serious-injury accident, or you have certain 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.

Pennsylvania's implied consent law triggers a 12-month PennDOT license suspension for refusing chemical testing (18 months with a prior refusal suspension or a prior DUI sentence) — separate from the criminal DUI and applied even if you're acquitted. The refusal and the underlying DUI are challenged separately and often have different defenses.

The review starts with your charge, county, citation or complaint, court notices and any PennDOT correspondence. You can discuss the stop, testing, prior record and licensing concerns, then discuss representation and the quoted fee. No outcome is guaranteed.

Traffic citations from $550; DUI cases quoted after a free case review.

No. Pennsylvania ARD is governed by 75 Pa.C.S. § 3807; admission and case-specific requirements must be reviewed. Successful completion and dismissal invoke Rule 320's arrest-record expungement process, subject to objections.