How does a criminal or DUI case in Downingtown work?

Last updated October 25, 2026.

A Downingtown case usually starts with the Downingtown Police Department at 10 West Lancaster Avenue, which patrols both Downingtown Borough and East Caln Township. A borough case goes to District Court 15-4-02 at 231 Boot Road, but an East Caln case goes to District Court 15-2-07 in Exton. Cases held for court then move to the Chester County Justice Center in West Chester.

Giribaldi Law serves clients in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties from our office in Media. For how cases are routed across the whole county, see our guide to criminal, DUI and family cases in Chester County.

Which court and office handles each step?

The split matters. The same department, from the same building on Lancaster Avenue, files cases in two different district courts, because the county assigns East Caln Township to 15-2-07 and the borough to 15-4-02. Your complaint or citation names the court, so go by your papers rather than by the police department's address.

Who patrols which roads in Downingtown?

The department's own primary coverage map lists Downingtown Borough and East Caln Township, and says the department is also responsible for the Downingtown Area School District campus off Manor Avenue, which includes Downingtown West High School, the Downingtown STEM Academy and Downingtown Middle School. The same document says the section of U.S. Route 30, the Downingtown-Coatesville Bypass, that arches through the upper parts of East Caln and the borough is covered by the Pennsylvania State Police from the Embreeville barracks.

So a DUI stop on the bypass is likely to be a State Police case even though it happened inside Downingtown, and the trooper who made the stop, not a borough officer, would be the witness. The case still goes to the district court for the place of the offense (Pa.R.Crim.P. 130), which means 15-4-02 for the borough section and 15-2-07 for East Caln.

Dispatch runs through the county. The borough says the Chester County Department of Emergency Services answers all 911 calls and non-emergency calls from Downingtown and East Caln, at 610-383-7000 around the clock, and dispatches police, fire and medical units.

How does a Downingtown case move, step by step?

1. Arrest, citation or summons. Downingtown officers or State Police troopers file the complaint. After a warrantless arrest, the person must be brought before an issuing authority without unnecessary delay (Pa.R.Crim.P. 519), where bail and the next date are set.
2. Bail. For cases in the Court of Common Pleas, the Clerk of Courts takes bail weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. After hours, bail is posted at Chester County Prison, 501 South Wawaset Road, which asks you to call first at 610-344-5040 and takes cash only up to $9,500. Anyone on supervised bail must contact the county's bail agency within 48 hours of release. The release types are covered in how bail works in Pennsylvania.
3. Preliminary hearing. At Boot Road or in Exton, set within 14 days if the person is in custody on this case only, otherwise within 21 days (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540(G)). What happens there is explained in what happens at a preliminary hearing in Pennsylvania.
4. ARD or the trial track. First DUI cases usually apply for DUI-ARD at the preliminary hearing; other cases held for court go to formal arraignment.
5. The Justice Center. ARD hearings, pleas, trials and sentencing take place in West Chester; see what to expect at the Chester County Justice Center.

These stages are set by statewide rules, so our walk-through of what happens after an arrest applies here, with Delaware County details for comparison.

How do I get a Downingtown crash report?

The department takes crash report requests through an online form on its CRIMEWATCH page. The form asks for the incident number the department gave you, the date of the crash, the driver's name and the requester's contact information, so keep the incident number from the scene. The form asks for an incident number given by the Downingtown Police Department, so a crash handled by the State Police, for example on the Route 30 bypass, has to be requested from the State Police instead.

In a pending criminal case, the police file normally reaches your lawyer through discovery from the District Attorney rather than through a records request. A crash that injured someone changes a DUI case sharply; see DUI crashes with injuries.

What happens with a Downingtown parking ticket?

Parking tickets are handled by the borough, not the police station. The borough says a regular parking fine starts at $15 and rises to $20 after 7 calendar days. It can be paid at Borough Hall during business hours by cash, check or money order, in the drop box behind Borough Hall at any time, or by card online. Appeals are accepted within 7 days of the ticket date.

If the ticket is not paid, the borough issues a citation, and the fine plus court costs become due at the district court, which then issues a summons to appear. At that point it is a summary case. A summary conviction at a district court can be appealed to the Clerk of Courts within 30 days for a new trial, with a $51 filing fee; see what a summary offense is in Pennsylvania.

One more local change: PennDOT District 6 lists a Downingtown Station Project, a train station relocation in the Borough of Downingtown. The borough separately runs commuter parking at the train station, so parking rules near the station are worth checking on the borough's site before you park.

How does DUI-ARD work after a Downingtown arrest?

The Chester County DA runs ARD, a diversion program ordinarily for first offenders. For DUI, its application information sheet sets a fast track: the applicant applies at the preliminary hearing, at Boot Road or in Exton, and waives the preliminary hearing, formal arraignment and the filing of a criminal information. An assistant district attorney then gives an ARD hearing date in the Court of Common Pleas, eight to 16 weeks after the application. If the application is denied, that date becomes the formal arraignment date.

• Within 24 hours of applying: contact the county's Pretrial Services Unit and follow every bail condition.
• Before admission: a Court Reporting Network evaluation through the county DUI Program ($75), Alcohol Highway Safety School at the Government Services Center in West Chester ($225), and any recommended treatment.
• By the morning of the ARD hearing: the $300 DUI Program fee and all other costs; the DA estimates about $2,000.75 for a six-month program and $2,310.75 for 12 months.
• Community service: at least 40 hours, some or all of which may be waived if conditions are finished on time.

The ARD license suspension depends on the test: none under 0.10%, 30 days from 0.10% to under 0.16%, and 60 days at 0.16% or higher or with an unknown result (75 Pa.C.S. 3807(d)). The three counties are compared in how DUI ARD differs in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties. The first steps after the arrest are in what happens after a DUI arrest, step by step.

What changes the answer?

• Borough or East Caln. The same police department, but different district courts: 15-4-02 for the borough, 15-2-07 for East Caln.
• Who stopped you. The Route 30 bypass is covered by the State Police from Embreeville, not by borough officers.
• Your record. State law bars DUI ARD after a DUI conviction or ARD within ten years, apart from a narrow exception, after a crash that killed or seriously injured someone else, or with a passenger under 14 (75 Pa.C.S. 3807(a)(2)). The DA adds its own denials, including any prior felony.
• Whether you were held. Custody on this case only shortens the preliminary hearing deadline to 14 days (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540(G)).
• Whether it is a summary or parking matter. Unpaid tickets become district court citations with added court costs.

For example: a Saturday night DUI on Lancaster Avenue

Here is a hypothetical. A driver with no record is stopped by Downingtown officers on Lancaster Avenue in the borough and charged with a first DUI with a blood result of 0.17%. The driver is released on supervised bail and calls the bail agency within 48 hours. Because the stop was in the borough, the complaint lists District Court 15-4-02 at 231 Boot Road; had it happened in East Caln, the case would have gone to Exton.

With a lawyer, the driver applies for DUI-ARD at the preliminary hearing and signs the waivers, then calls Pretrial Services within 24 hours, completes the CRN evaluation and safe driving school, and pays every fee before an ARD hearing about three months later. At 0.17%, the ARD suspension would be 60 days. This is only an illustration of how the steps fit together; real cases depend on their facts and the DA's discretion.

What mistakes do people make with Downingtown cases?

• Going to the wrong district court. East Caln cases go to Exton, not Boot Road.
• Requesting a crash report from the wrong agency. The borough's form needs a Downingtown Police incident number, which a State Police crash on the bypass will not have.
• Losing the incident number. The department's crash report form asks for it.
• Letting a parking ticket ride. After 7 days the fine rises, and unpaid tickets become citations with court costs.
• Waiving the preliminary hearing without advice. Once it is waived, the DA's sheet says a defendant is not entitled to send the case back for one.

What should I do this week?

1. Check the court number on your paperwork: 15-4-02 or 15-2-07.
2. Note whether a borough officer or a state trooper made the stop.
3. If you are on supervised bail, contact the bail agency within 48 hours of release.
4. For a crash, request the report with your incident number.
5. Talk with a lawyer before the preliminary hearing about DUI-ARD.
6. Read our first-week DUI checklist; the statewide steps apply in Chester County too.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Downingtown police station?

At 10 West Lancaster Avenue. The office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the 24-hour non-emergency number is 610-383-7000.

Which district court handles Downingtown?

District Court 15-4-02 at 231 Boot Road handles the borough, Caln and East Brandywine. East Caln Township, which Downingtown police also patrol, goes to 15-2-07 in Exton.

Does Downingtown police patrol Route 30?

Not the bypass. The department's coverage map says the State Police from Embreeville cover the section of the Route 30 bypass through the upper parts of the borough and East Caln.

How much is a Downingtown parking ticket?

The borough lists $15 for a regular violation, rising to $20 after 7 calendar days. Unpaid tickets become district court citations with court costs added.

Where does my case go after the preliminary hearing?

To the Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, West Chester.

Do you handle cases elsewhere in Chester County?

Yes. For another Chester County borough, see how a Phoenixville case works. For the county seat, see our West Chester page. For the City of Coatesville, see how a Coatesville case works.

Call Giribaldi Law at (610) 891-8303 or contact us online for a free consultation about a Downingtown case.