Napa County DUI

Napa County DUI Lawyer Robert Tayac represents clients accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or driving with a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit of 0.08% in the Napa County Superior Court and before the California Department of Motor Vehicles. As well, Mr. Tayac represents out of state drivers who were arrested for driving under the influence while visiting California.

Additionally, a person arrested for a DUI in Napa County will have a separate California DMV driver's license suspension case stemming from an arrest for driving with a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit. This second DUI case will be before the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ Driver Safety Office located in San Francisco or at a designated DMV satellite office. The DUI criminal case is unrelated to the Department of Motor Vehicles' case. The Napa County Superior Court is located at the county seat in the City of Napa. All DUI cases stemming from a driving under the influence arrest occurring in Napa County are handled at the Napa County Courthouse.

Robert Tayac specializes in DUI defense in Napa County and is a present or former member of professional organizations whose focus is related to this practice area, including the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD), California DUI Lawyers Association (CDLA), National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ), and California Public Defenders Association (CPDA). Additionally, Mr. Tayac is familiar with the specific procedures of the Napa County Superior Courts. The firm only accepts a California DUI or California DMV case and does not represent clients in any court or tribunal outside of the State of California. However, Robert Tayac does represent clients from out of state who have been arrested for driving under the influence while visiting Napa County. Driving under the influence is often referred to as driving while impaired.

A drunk driving arrest in Napa County most often initiates two separate cases. The first case is the California DUI criminal case which will be prosecuted by the Napa County District Attorney’s office at the Superior Court located in Napa. The Napa County District Attorney will almost always charge a person arrested for DUI in Napa County with at least two separate criminal violations following a DUI arrest made by a California Highway Patrol officer, Napa County deputy sheriff, or local police officer of Napa, American Canyon, Calistoga, St. Helena, or Yountville. The first charge is for driving under the influence of alcohol, medication or drugs in violation of California Vehicle Code section 23152, subdivision (a).

The second charge is for driving with a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .08 percent or greater in violation of California Vehicle Code Section 23152, subdivision (b). If a DUI arrest involved an accident resulting in an injury to a person other than the person arrested, a more serious felony DUI criminal case will be charged by the Napa County District Attorney in violation of California Vehicle Code section 23153, subdivisions (a) and (b). The second case is a California Department of Motor Vehicles Administrative Per Se (APS) case, in which the arrested person’s privilege to drive is at risk of being suspended. Drivers arrested for driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or higher in California have only 10 days from the date of arrest to request a DMV Administrative Per Se (APS) hearing. If a DMV hearing is not requested by a driver or lawyer for the driver within ten (10) days of the DUI arrest, any California driver’s license will automatically be suspended thirty (30) days from the date of the arrest for a minimum of four (4) months.

If the person arrested in Napa County for DUI has an out of state driver license, the privilege of that person to drive within the State of California will be suspended indefinitely thirty (30) days from the date of the arrest and will usually not be restored until a California driving under the influence school is completed. As well, a driving suspension imposed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles for a California DUI will usually trigger a third case with the state agency which issued any out of state driver’s license.

To suspend a driver’s license, the California Department of Motor Vehicles must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the police had reasonable cause to believe a violation of California Vehicle Code Section 23152 or Section 23153 was committed, that the arrest was lawful, and that the driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or greater. California Department of Motor Vehicles Administrative Per Se (APS) hearings can be won, but usually only by an attorney with specialized knowledge of the hearing process, the type of evidence presented and familiarity with the possible defenses.

The stakes are high for a person arrested for DUI in Napa County. A motorist accused of driving under the influence in Napa County faces the possibility of jail, a long period of probation, large fines, driver’s license suspensions, mandatory alcohol education classes, ignition interlock devices, and other punishment. For that reason, it is critical that you have only a qualified Napa County DUI lawyer handle your case. If you or someone you know has been arrested or may be accused of driving under the influence, or driving with a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit in Napa County, please read the information contained in this website and call the office to discuss your case with me.

Phone: 707-576-9900
Fax: 415-552-6099
Toll Free: 800-901-1888

Napa County General Information

Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the state of California. It is part of the Napa, California Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Napa. Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood.

Napa County includes the cities and towns of and unincorporated districts of American Canyon, Calistoga, Napa, St. Helena, and Yountville. The unincorporated communities of Napa County include Aetna Springs, Angwin, Berryessa Highlands, Capell Valley, Chiles Valley, Circle Oaks, Deer Park, Dry Creek, Gordon Valley, Lokoya, Los Carneros, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Pope Valley, Rutherford, Soda Canyon, Spanish Flat, and Vichy Springs. Napa County was formed and became one of the original California counties when the state became part of the United States.