Quick answer: Towson is where Baltimore County decides DUI cases. The county runs its District Court out of three buildings — Towson, Catonsville and Essex — but it has only one Circuit Court, and that one sits in Towson with the elected State’s Attorney for Baltimore County. Every county DUI that reaches a jury ends up here, no matter where the stop happened.
I’m David Waranch, and I’ve handled thousands of Maryland DUI and traffic cases, including in the Towson courts. This page is about how a DUI moves through Towson — which building, which forum, and which choices cannot be unmade later. For the county-wide picture, see my Baltimore County DUI lawyer page.
A jury trial has to be demanded before your Towson trial starts, not after it goes badly. Under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 4-302(e)(1), the District Court is deprived of jurisdiction only where a defendant who is entitled to a jury trial demands one “at any time prior to trial in the District Court.” Once the evidence starts, that choice is gone. You still have 30 days to appeal for a completely new trial across town in the Circuit Court — but that is a second full case, not a correction, and it is a much worse place to be than having picked the right forum at the start.
Towson Is the County Seat, and That Decides Where Your Case Goes
Venue follows the stop, not your address. Pulled over on Dulaney Valley Road and you answer in Baltimore County even if you live in Timonium or out of state. Cross into Baltimore City on the way home and you are in a separate jurisdiction with its own courts and its own State’s Attorney — see DUI lawyer in Baltimore City.
Inside the county, the Maryland Judiciary lists three District Court locations: Towson, Catonsville and Essex. Which one hears your case follows where the charge was written, and it is printed on the paperwork you were given — do not assume Towson just because Towson is the county seat.
What is unique to Towson is everything above the District Court. The Circuit Court for Baltimore County sits only here, and so does the county’s elected State’s Attorney, whose assistants staff all three District Court locations. So a DUI written in Essex is prosecuted by the same office — and if it ever leaves the District Court, it comes to Towson.
Neither Charge Can Be Paid — Both Require You in Court
There is no prepayment option on a Maryland DUI or DWI. Both appear on the District Court’s preset fine schedule as must appear, so the only real question is which Towson courtroom you stand in and in front of which forum. If you cannot tell from your charging papers, payable vs. must-appear tickets in Maryland walks through it.
| Charge | Maximum on a first conviction | Second conviction | Points | Jury trial available? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUI — Transp. § 21-902(a)(1) | 1 year or $1,200 or both | 2 years or $2,400 or both | 12 | Yes — the penalty exceeds 90 days |
| DWI — Transp. § 21-902(b)(1) | 2 months or $500 or both | 1 year or $500 or both | 8 | Not on a first offense; yes on a second |
Those figures come from Md. Code, Transp. § 21-902; why the State charges both together is covered in DUI vs. DWI in Maryland.
Two Ways a Towson DUI Leaves the District Court
The 90-day line in § 4-302(e)(2)(i) is what makes the last column of that table work: unless the offense permits imprisonment for more than 90 days, there is no entitlement to a jury. A first-offense DWI at two months falls under the line; a DUI at one year clears it comfortably. That is why the jury option is real in almost every Towson DUI and almost never real in a standalone first DWI.
Know the trap-door before you demand one. Section 4-302(e)(2)(ii) lets the Towson judge deny the jury trial if the prosecutor recommends in open court that no sentence over 90 days be imposed, the judge agrees not to impose one, and the judge agrees not to increase bond if an appeal is noted. A jury demand can therefore end with the case staying downstairs with a ceiling on it — sometimes the better result.
| Route to the Circuit Court in Towson | The deadline | What you actually get |
|---|---|---|
| Demand a jury trial — Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 4-302(e) | Any time before the District Court trial begins | Trial before a Baltimore County jury, unless the judge and prosecutor cap the exposure at 90 days |
| Appeal after conviction — Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 12-401 | 30 days from final judgment, by filing an order for appeal with the District Court clerk | A trial de novo — an entirely new trial, not a review of the transcript |
Two things about that appeal surprise people. Section 12-401(f) applies the de novo rule even where sentence followed a guilty plea, so pleading out downstairs does not forfeit the new trial. And § 12-401(g)(2) lets the Circuit Court stay a District Court jail sentence and release you while the appeal is pending, with a jury right preserved by § 12-401(g)(1).
“In every other case, including a criminal case in which sentence has been imposed or suspended following a plea of nolo contendere or guilty … an appeal shall be tried de novo.” — Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 12-401(f)
Where Towson DUI Stops Happen
Towson’s DUI arrests cluster on a short list of roads, and the road often tells you which agency made the stop. I-695, the Beltway, runs past the south and west edge of Towson and draws state police on top of county patrols; the interchanges at York Road and Dulaney Valley Road funnel late traffic onto surface streets within a mile of downtown.
York Road, MD 45, is the spine — the bar and restaurant strip through the center of town, then a straight run south toward a Baltimore City line that is not marked in any way a driver notices at 1 a.m. Dulaney Valley Road, MD 146, handles the mall, the hospital corridor and the run north past Goucher College. These are lit, low-speed, heavily patrolled roads, so most Towson stops start with something small — a lane touch, a signal, an equipment issue.
The lawfulness of that initial stop is a separate question from the impairment evidence, and where most arrests grow out of minor traffic contacts it is often the first thing worth attacking. Other charges from the same stop are covered at reckless driving in Towson and across Baltimore County traffic defense.
Towson University, Goucher, and Drivers Under 21
Two campuses inside the town line mean Towson sees a high share of under-21 arrests, and Maryland treats those drivers differently. Md. Code, Transp. § 16-113(b) puts a mandatory alcohol restriction on every licensee under 21 — no alcohol in the blood at all while driving, printed on the license. On a § 21-902 conviction while under 21, Transp. § 16-205(d-1) requires the MVA to suspend for a full year, two years on a second. The rest is in underage DUI in Maryland.
The Statewide Questions, and the Other Towson Charges
The law itself is the same in Cumberland as it is on York Road, so rather than restate it here, these pages answer it in full.
| Your question | Answered in full at |
|---|---|
| What are the penalties, start to finish? | Maryland DUI penalties · first-offense DUI penalties |
| My license — the 45-day paper and the 10-day deadline | temporary licenses after a DUI |
| Can I drive to work? Interlock or restricted? | license restrictions after a DWI |
| The MVA case is separate from court — how? | the MVA per se hearing · MVA hearings in Towson |
| Can I avoid a conviction with a PBJ? | PBJs in drunk driving cases |
| This is not my first DUI | second and subsequent DUI offenses |
| What does the breath number actually prove? | blood alcohol concentration explained |
A DUI rarely arrives alone. These are the other Towson charges I defend, each in the same courts described above.
| Charge in Towson | Why it travels with a DUI |
|---|---|
| Driving while suspended | Often the second stop, after the MVA action from the first |
| Driving while revoked | Treated more harshly than suspension, with a longer road back |
| Driving without a license | Charged differently depending on whether a license ever issued |
| Driving without insurance | Court penalty plus separate MVA uninsured-motorist penalties |
| Hit and run | Severity turns on injury and on what you knew at the time |
| CDL violations | Federal masking rules mean a Maryland PBJ will not protect a commercial record |
| Bench warrants | A missed Towson date, and arrest exposure that grows while it sits |
| Expungement | Clearing an eligible charge once the case has ended |
A non-traffic charge from the same night runs through my Maryland criminal defense practice; statewide background is in the Maryland traffic violation guide. Outside Baltimore County I defend DUI cases in Ellicott City, Glen Burnie, Frederick, Silver Spring, Hyattsville and Upper Marlboro. More on my attorney profile.
Common Questions
Not necessarily at first. The District Court of Maryland in Baltimore County has three locations – Towson, Catonsville and Essex – and the one your case is set in follows where the charge was written, not where you live. Your charging papers name the courthouse. What is only in Towson is the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, so if your case moves out of the District Court on a jury trial demand or an appeal, it comes to Towson regardless of where you were stopped.
For a DUI under Transp. 21-902(a), yes. Cts. and Jud. Proc. 4-302(e)(2)(i) gives a jury entitlement only where the penalty permits imprisonment of more than 90 days, and a first-offense DUI carries up to one year. A standalone first-offense DWI under 21-902(b) carries two months, so there is no jury right on that charge alone. The demand must be made before the District Court trial begins, and the judge may still deny it if the prosecutor recommends and the judge agrees to cap any sentence at 90 days.
Baltimore County, because venue follows the stop rather than your address. Baltimore County and Baltimore City are separate jurisdictions with separate courts and separate elected State’s Attorneys, and the Beltway around Towson is county road. Living in the city does not move the case, and a Baltimore City lawyer’s familiarity with the city courthouse does not transfer to Towson.
Law Offices of David R. Waranch — 301-563-9575 · toll-free 1-877-566-2408. Hablamos Español.
Last updated: August 2026. Statutory references: Md. Code, Transp. §§ 16-113, 16-205, 21-902; Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §§ 4-302, 12-401. This page is general information about Maryland law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.