Scope: Northampton County, Pennsylvania — local criminal procedure. Statewide criminal law is covered on our criminal defense and DUI pages. County procedure was checked against the official sources below on August 11, 2026. Reviewed by James Madsen, Esq. on . Individual notices and court orders control.
How a criminal case moves through Northampton County
Most Northampton County misdemeanor and felony cases begin with a criminal complaint handled in a magisterial district court. If the defendant waives the preliminary hearing, or the charges are held for court after a hearing, the case moves to the Court of Common Pleas in Easton. The Commonwealth then files a criminal information and formal arraignment follows. Not every case reaches every stage: charges may be withdrawn, dismissed, or changed along the way.
Formal arraignment is an important procedural marker, but one local deadline can arrive earlier. Northampton County’s current DUI ARD materials tell applicants both to apply within ten days after the preliminary hearing and to make sure the application reaches the court before formal arraignment. Pretrial Services and the county’s three treatment courts create other local decision points. The sections below explain those mechanics without predicting what will happen in an individual case.
Who this is for—and what it does not cover
This page is for adults charged with a misdemeanor or felony—including DUI—in Northampton County, and for family members trying to understand the next steps. It does not cover juvenile matters, summary traffic citations, or the substantive defenses to a particular charge. For a summary citation, begin with our Pennsylvania traffic-defense guide.
Your preliminary hearing is ordinarily at the originating district court—including DUI
Pennsylvania rule and Supreme Court orders. Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 130 ordinarily places a criminal proceeding in the magisterial district where the offense allegedly occurred, subject to listed exceptions and transfers. On June 20, 2025, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania denied Northampton County’s petition to expand its preexisting Central Court arrangement to DUI preliminary hearings. The Court directed all cases then docketed in Central Court for preliminary hearings on alleged violations of 75 Pa.C.S. § 3802 to be reassigned to their originating magisterial district courts within 60 days. Reconsideration was denied July 29, 2025.
Current Northampton County instruction. Consistent with those orders, the county’s current DUI ARD page says the preliminary hearing is held at the “District Magistrate.” In ordinary terms, the hearing is at the magisterial district court where the case originated—not a countywide “DUI Central Court”—unless an authorized transfer, assignment, continuance, or later order says otherwise.
Practice note. Older sites may still describe Northampton “DUI Central Court.” Do not choose a location from an old article. A summons identifies the issuing authority and the place, date, and time for appearance; later court notices can change that setting.
DUI ARD: follow the ten-day instruction—and file before formal arraignment
Northampton County publishes two timing instructions. The current DUI ARD FAQ says to apply within ten days after the preliminary hearing. The program overview separately warns that an application not received by the court before formal arraignment will not be considered. Those instructions are not fully harmonized. Treat the earlier ten-day instruction as the safe working deadline, ensure that the completed application is received before formal arraignment, and confirm the current form, destination, notarization, and packet requirements with the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office or DUI Program.
Pennsylvania law. ARD is discretionary. Section 3807 establishes DUI eligibility restrictions and program requirements. Under Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure 310–313, the attorney for the Commonwealth decides whether to move for ARD, and the judge decides whether to grant the motion. Meeting a filing instruction keeps the request available; it does not guarantee admission. Start gathering the current application materials promptly rather than waiting for formal arraignment. Current ARD and treatment-court applications are collected in our Northampton County court-forms resource.
A completed DUI ARD can also matter if a later DUI is alleged. Read our explainer about what completed ARD means for a later DUI after Shifflett and Act 58.
Bail and jail: what Pretrial Services does
New commitments. Northampton County says Pretrial Services officers investigate new commitments to the county prison daily, prepare background reports and recommendations for the court, and schedule matters requiring further bail-status review. Judges and magisterial district judges retain final bail authority. Daily investigation does not itself promise a bail change or release.
Bench warrants. The county separately says people held on bench warrants are identified and scheduled within 72 hours for a video-link hearing before the motions judge. Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 150 supplies a related binding protection for covered court-case bench warrants: after a person is lodged in the jail of the county of issuance, the hearing must occur without unnecessary delay, and the person generally may not be detained on that warrant without a hearing beyond 72 hours—or the close of the next business day when the period expires on a nonbusiness day. The rule has scope limits and exceptions, including a different provision for a multicounty investigating-grand-jury warrant, and its comment says it does not govern probation or parole warrants. The precise basis for custody matters.
Supervised release. The county says supervised defendants report weekly. Additional court-ordered conditions may include substance testing, drug-and-alcohol or mental-health evaluation, treatment, no-contact restrictions in domestic-violence matters, or electronic monitoring. An individual bail order controls, and counsel may seek modification under the applicable rules.
The county’s three treatment courts
Northampton County lists three treatment courts: Mental Health Court, Recovery Court, and Veterans’ Court. Each uses an application and screening process, and admission is not automatic. Their legal structures and potential outcomes differ. Depending on the program and track, participation may involve diversion of eligible new charges, disposition of a probation or parole violation, or participation following a guilty plea and sentence. Participants face structured treatment or services, close supervision, and regular court review.
What to bring to a consultation
- Every paper received, including the citation, complaint, summons, and later hearing notices.
- Bail paperwork or commitment information if someone is in custody, including whether the custody is based on a case bench warrant, probation or parole matter, or another order.
- The docket number and dates of any earlier ARD, convictions, or supervision. Those details can affect ARD eligibility and repeat-offense analysis.
This page describes county procedure as published by the court and checked on the date shown. Procedures and schedules can change, individual notices and court orders control, and nothing here promises an outcome. It is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.