What should I expect at the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach for a DUI, criminal or traffic case?

If a DUI or misdemeanor arrest happened in the Southern Region, from Lantana south to the Broward County line, the county court case is heard in this building. This page sets out what the court, the Clerk and the State Attorney publish about it. It does not replace the notice to appear or court notice, which names the courtroom and time for each case. For the county as a whole, see our Palm Beach County DUI and criminal defense page.

What happens at the South County Courthouse, step by step?

1. The citation or notice. An arrest or citation by an agency in the Southern Region leads to a court date here; the notice names the courtroom and time.
2. Before the date. A lawyer may file a written plea of not guilty, which waives the arraignment; a defendant without one should plan to attend.
3. Arrival. Park free in the garage across SW 2nd Avenue, go through the entrance and find the courtroom on the notice.
4. Arraignment. The weekly DUI, misdemeanor and criminal traffic arraignment calendar is where pleas are entered and the first-time DUI program's plea, if offered, is taken.
5. Afterward. Payments, records and forms are handled at the Clerk's branch in Room 1S-124; pretrial hearings follow, and a case set for jury trial moves to West Palm Beach.

Which cases are heard at the South County Courthouse?

The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit's Administrative Order 4.603 splits the County Court's Criminal Division into four regions and sends every case assigned to the Southern Region to the South County Courthouse. The order draws the region from the northern city limits of Lantana south to the Broward County line and west to 20-Mile Bend. It also lists the departments whose citations requiring a mandatory hearing before a judge are scheduled here:

The order was signed on November 27, 2023 and replaced the 2019 version. A case from an agency outside this list normally goes to another regional courthouse, which our county page lists.

What happens at a DUI or misdemeanor arraignment here?

The State Attorney's Office keeps a branch office in Suite 100 of the South County Courthouse complex. It says misdemeanor, criminal traffic and driving under the influence arraignments are held weekly at the courthouse and are staffed by the Assistant State Attorneys assigned there, and that the office also includes a unit that handles juvenile cases. Across its satellite offices, the State Attorney says many misdemeanor cases end in plea offers or pretrial diversion, and a case in which a jury trial is requested moves to the main courthouse in West Palm Beach.

Arraignment is the hearing where a plea is entered. Whether you must stand in the courtroom, or whether a lawyer can file a written plea of not guilty instead, is explained on our page about whether you have to go to your arraignment in Florida. Timing here matters for one local program: the State Attorney's first-time DUI offer has to be accepted at the arraignment stage at one of its satellite courthouses, which include South County, and before defense motions or demands are filed. Its exact terms are quoted on our page about the Palm Beach County first-time DUI program.

What can the Clerk's office here do?

The Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller lists its South County branch in Room 1S-124, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays, with a criminal line at (561) 355-2996. The Clerk says this branch provides all services related to misdemeanor and traffic violations and accepts payment of parking citations issued by the Sheriff's Office. It also offers a Self-Service Center with legal forms, free Navigator help with form preparation, public viewing stations and record searches. For court hours and closings, the Clerk points to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit's website.

The Delray Beach Police Department tells drivers that traffic tickets are paid or disputed at the South County Court House, which its equipment-violation instructions describe as one block east of police headquarters. Whether paying a ticket is the right choice is covered on our traffic tickets page.

How do I get there, and where do I park?

The Clerk's directions are to leave I-95 heading east on Atlantic Avenue, and it says free parking is available in the garage across SW 2nd Avenue. The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit lists the address as 200 West Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33444. Plan to arrive early enough to find the courtroom listed on your notice.

What else near the courthouse matters after a DUI?

• Driver license office: FLHSMV lists the Tax Collector's service center at 501 S. Congress Ave., Delray Beach, for driver license and motor vehicle services, by reservation only. FLHSMV describes driver license services as including reinstatements. License hearings themselves are handled by the Bureau of Administrative Reviews office FLHSMV lists for Palm Beach County, in Lauderdale Lakes.
• DUI school: FLHSMV's list of licensed DUI programs includes two Delray Beach locations on West Atlantic Avenue: Metro Traffic School Palm Beach and Pride Integrated Services. The list is FLHSMV's, not a recommendation. The full county list is on our page about DUI school in Palm Beach and Broward County.

What to do with the license and the DUI program in the days after an arrest is set out, day by day, in our first-week checklist after a DUI arrest. The whole process is in what happens after a DUI arrest in Florida.

Where else might a south county case be heard?

Not every step happens in Delray Beach. A person who is not released after arrest sees a judge first at the jail on Gun Club Road, described on our page about the Palm Beach County jail and first appearance. Jury trials move to the main courthouse at 205 North Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. Local police details for the cities this courthouse serves are on our city pages:

• Boca Raton, where the firm's office is.
• Delray Beach, one block from police headquarters.
• Boynton Beach, the next city north.

What changes the answer?

• The arresting agency. Only the agencies AO 4.603 lists for the Southern Region schedule mandatory-hearing citations here.
• Custody. A person not released after arrest sees a judge first at the Gun Club Road jail, not here.
• A jury trial request. The case moves to the main courthouse in West Palm Beach, according to the State Attorney.
• A felony charge. Felonies are circuit court cases (s. 26.012(2)(d)), outside the county court's regional calendar.
• Age. The State Attorney's South County office includes a unit that handles juvenile cases, which follow juvenile court rules.

A worked example

For example, picture a hypothetical Delray Beach police DUI arrest of a first-time driver, released the next morning. The notice sets an arraignment at the South County Courthouse about a month later. Before that date the driver hires a lawyer, who asks the State Attorney's office about the first-time DUI program and, because the plea must come at arraignment and before any defense motions or discovery demands, files nothing that would disqualify the driver. On the day, the driver parks in the free garage across SW 2nd Avenue, goes to the courtroom on the notice, and either enters the program plea or, if the program is not offered or chosen, the lawyer enters a not guilty plea and the case continues. Any fine payments afterward go through the Clerk's branch office in the building. This is a hypothetical walk-through, not a prediction.

Common mistakes people make

• Going to the main courthouse in West Palm Beach for a Southern Region arraignment.
• Arriving late and searching for parking; the Clerk points to the free garage across SW 2nd Avenue.
• Paying a criminal traffic citation as if it were a civil ticket without understanding the plea.
• Filing discovery demands before deciding about the first-time DUI program.

For anyone with a first court date here, a step-by-step plan for the days before it is in the first week after being charged with a crime.

What to do this week

1. Check the notice for the date, time and courtroom.
2. Confirm the arresting agency is one AO 4.603 assigns here.
3. Decide with a lawyer whether a written not guilty plea or a program fits.
4. Plan the drive and parking.
5. Bring your notice, ID and any paperwork the court or your lawyer asks for.

Questions people ask before a South County Courthouse date

Before you walk in

• If the arrest was only days ago, start with the first 48 hours in Palm Beach or Broward.
• Bail conditions that follow you to Delray Beach are explained in Florida bond rules.
• The license deadline, which runs separately from this court, is in the 10-day rule after a DUI arrest.
• The license hearing is held elsewhere, as explained in the FLHSMV formal review.
• Out-of-state defendants on this calendar should read a Florida DUI with a non-Florida license.

What the State may rely on

• A refusal count on the same citation is covered in refusing a breath or urine test.
• How the breath result was produced is checked against Florida's breath testing rules.
• A blood result from a hospital is covered in blood draws in DUI cases.
• A drug-impairment allegation is discussed in DUI involving marijuana or medication.
• A driver under 21 faces the rules in the under-21 0.02 rule.

What is at stake on this calendar

• Sentencing ranges for each conviction are in the DUI penalty table.
• A collision on the same night is covered in DUI cases with property damage or injury.
• Costs on top of the fine are itemized in what a DUI really costs.
• The vehicle order at sentencing is explained in impound after a DUI.
• Work driving during a revocation is covered in business-purposes licenses.
• The device on your car is covered in interlock requirements.
• Insurance filings after a conviction are in the FR-44 rule.
• Misdemeanor ceilings, 60 days or 1 year, are in our penalties by degree.

Ways a case here can end

• A plea to reckless driving is weighed in reducing a DUI to reckless driving.
• Programs other than the DUI offer are in diversion in both counties.
• A dismissal or nolle prosequi is explained in dropping charges before trial.
• Trial deadlines are in the speedy trial rule.
• The phrase "adjudication withheld" on a plea form is explained in withheld adjudication.
• Clearing the record later is covered in sealing after a DUI case.

Traffic tickets

• Traffic hearings for south county tickets are often set here; how to request one, and the alternatives, are in the pay, school or hearing guide.
• Before a traffic hearing, count your points with the Florida points and suspension page.

Criminal traffic charges

• Suspended-license cases are among the criminal traffic arraignments here; see driving while suspended.
• Leaving the scene of a property-damage crash is a misdemeanor, a county court case that may be heard here; see leaving the scene.
• Reckless driving arraignments are held here too; compare reckless and careless driving.
• Before a court date, check whether your citation is criminal or civil.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the South County Courthouse?

At 200 West Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33444, according to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, with free parking in the garage across SW 2nd Avenue.

What are the Clerk's hours there?

The Clerk lists Room 1S-124, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.

Are DUI arraignments held there every week?

Yes. The State Attorney says misdemeanor, criminal traffic and DUI arraignments are held weekly at the South County Courthouse.

Is first appearance held in Delray Beach?

No. A person held after arrest sees a judge at the jail on Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach.

Can I pay a traffic ticket there?

The Clerk says this branch provides all services related to misdemeanor and traffic violations, and Delray Beach police send drivers there to pay or dispute tickets.

How can Mr. Mead help with a South County Courthouse case?

Mr. Mead's office is in Boca Raton, inside the Southern Region, and his practice is devoted entirely to criminal defense. He works one-on-one with each client, Spanish and Portuguese are spoken, and you can call 24 hours. His background is on the firm overview page.

Every case is different, and no result can be promised. If you have a DUI, misdemeanor or criminal traffic case at the South County Courthouse, a confidential phone call to (561) 362-6677 is a sound first step.

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