Royal Oak Drunk Driving Charges in the 44th District Court

Refused a breath or blood test? You have 14 days.

If you refused an evidentiary chemical test after your arrest, you have 14 days from the date of the officer’s notice to request a hearing with the Secretary of State. If no hearing is requested, the Secretary of State must suspend your license for one year, or two years for a second refusal within seven years (MCL 257.625e, 257.625f). This license action is separate from the criminal case in the 44th District Court.

How implied consent hearings work

How Royal Oak OWI cases move through the 44th District Court

The 44th District Court hears drunk driving cases arising in:

City of Royal Oak
City of Berkley

The 44th District Court has served both Royal Oak and Berkley since January 2015, when the former 45A District Court in Berkley merged into it.

Berkley location: 3338 Coolidge, Berkley, MI 48072, (248) 658-3400.

Misdemeanor charges

A first or second OWI, High BAC, or OWVI charge is a misdemeanor. The case stays in the 44th District Court from arraignment through any pretrial conferences, motion hearings, trial, and sentencing. If you are placed on probation, the court’s probation department supervises it.

Felony charges

A third-offense OWI, and OWI causing serious injury or death, are felonies. The case begins in the 44th District Court with a probable cause conference and a preliminary examination. If the judge binds the case over, it moves to the Oakland County Circuit Court (6th Circuit), 1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Pontiac, MI 48341, for trial or plea.

Who prosecutes the case

Charges brought under the Michigan Vehicle Code are prosecuted by the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. Many cities and townships instead charge a first- or second-offense OWI under a local ordinance that mirrors state law, and their own attorneys prosecute those cases. The ticket or complaint shows which one applies. Do not contact the prosecutor about your case yourself; statements you make can be used against you.

Sobriety and treatment court

The State Court Administrative Office lists a Hybrid DWI/Drug Court for this court (contact: (248) 246-3600). These programs combine frequent testing, treatment, and regular court review, and they are generally aimed at repeat offenders and people with substance use disorders.

The City of Royal Oak budget describes the court's Hybrid Alcohol/Drug Treatment Court as a two-year, four-phase program of intensive supervision in which each of the court's two judges carries a caseload. Participants attend therapy and support-group meetings and meet with a specially trained probation officer.

For someone facing a second or later offense, admission matters for more than sentencing. After 45 days of suspension or revocation, the Secretary of State can issue a restricted license to a participant admitted into a specialty court interlock program, once an ignition interlock is installed on every vehicle the person owns or drives (MCL 257.304; MCL 600.1084). Whether a particular person is eligible, and whether admission is in their interest, is a decision to make with counsel.

Michigan OWI penalties

The same state law applies in every Michigan district court. The court decides the sentence within these ranges, and the Secretary of State imposes the license sanctions.

Michigan OWI penalty ranges by offense
Offense	Jail or prison	Fine	Community service	Driver’s license
OWI, first offense (.08 or more, or under the influence)	Up to 93 days	$100–$500	Up to 360 hours	30-day suspension, then 150 days restricted
High BAC (.17 or more), first offense	Up to 180 days	$200–$700	Up to 360 hours	1-year suspension; after 45 days, restricted driving with an ignition interlock
OWVI (visibly impaired), first offense	Up to 93 days	Up to $300	Up to 360 hours	90 days restricted
Second offense within 7 years	Fine of $200–$1,000, plus jail of 5 days to 1 year, community service of 30–90 days, or both			Revocation: at least 1 year before reinstatement may be sought (5 years if another revocation within the prior 7 years)
Third offense (any time) — felony	Fine of $500–$5,000, plus either 1–5 years in prison, or probation with 30 days to 1 year in jail and 60–180 days of community service			Revocation, same minimum periods

Costs, probation of up to two years for a misdemeanor, alcohol and drug testing, treatment, and vehicle immobilization or forfeiture can be added. A jail term for a second or third offense cannot be suspended unless the defendant successfully completes a specialty court program (MCL 257.625(9)(d)). A first-offense conviction may qualify to be set aside after five years, but it stays on the Secretary of State driving record (MCL 780.621c).

More detail: first-offense OWI penalties, High BAC, and OWVI.

Alcohol and drug testing on bond and probation

Michigan district courts commonly order alcohol and drug testing as a condition of bond and of probation. Testing may include preliminary breath tests at appointments, urine tests, and continuous alcohol monitoring. Urine tests for alcohol metabolites (EtG and EtS) generally detect drinking for about one to three days, depending on the amount consumed and the laboratory cutoff. Incidental exposure to alcohol in products such as hand sanitizer and mouthwash can produce low-level positive results. If you receive a positive result you believe is wrong, talk with your lawyer before you discuss it with probation.

Finding your case and court date

The state court directory does not list online case records for this court. Call the clerk at (248) 246-3600 for hearing dates and case status. Have your full name, date of birth, and ticket or case number ready. Your next court date also appears on the paperwork you received at release or by mail. Missing a court date can lead to a bench warrant, so confirm every date.

44th District Court website

What gets examined in an OWI defense

Every case turns on its own records, but the same questions come up in most cases in the 44th District Court:

Whether the officer had a lawful basis for the stop and for the arrest.
How the standardized field sobriety tests were administered and scored, and whether the video matches the report.
For a breath test, whether the operator followed the required observation period and procedures on the Intoxilyzer 9000, and what the instrument’s records show.
For a blood test, how the sample was drawn, stored, transported, and analyzed, and whether the chain of custody is documented.
Whether the timing of drinking means the alcohol concentration was lower at the time of driving than at the time of the test.

William Maze has been qualified by Michigan courts as an expert witness in standardized field sobriety testing and in DataMaster and Intoxilyzer 9000 breath testing. See the curriculum vitae.

Request a free case evaluation

Call (734) 941-8800 or send the details below. Consultations are confidential.

Full Name *

Email Address *

Phone Number *

Date of Arrest

Charges You're Facing *

Blood Alcohol Content (If Known)

Where Were You Arrested? *

Next Court Date (If Known)

Case Details * We keep what you send confidential, but submitting this form does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship, so please share only what we need to evaluate your case.

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Or call (734) 941-8800

Getting to the court

44th District Court
400 E. 11 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48067
(248) 246-3600

Directions in Google Maps

Sources for the legal and scientific statements on this page

Penalty, license, set-aside, and testing information on this page was reviewed against these sources in September 2026. Court staffing, prosecutor assignments, and contact details change; confirm them with the court before relying on them.