Find Daley Center
Use the map for orientation. Your court notice, citation, or bond paperwork controls the exact courtroom and arrival instructions.
If you were arrested for a DUI or a traffic offense inside Chicago city limits, this is almost certainly where your case is heard. The Richard J. Daley Center is the largest courthouse in Cook County, and it takes the DUI and traffic call for every Chicago Police Department arrest in the city.
Volume is the thing to understand about this building. It processes a high number of DUI cases a day, which means prosecutors are stretched and procedural shortcuts happen. That cuts both ways: it is also why cases here are more often negotiable than defendants expect.
Our attorneys are former Illinois prosecutors who worked these courtrooms. We know which ones apply stricter scrutiny to breathalyzer evidence and which prosecutors will consider a negotiated reduction.
Daley Center hours, transit, parking, and contact
Cook County lists Daley Center hours as Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Clerk’s Office is in Suite 1001 and can be reached at (312) 603-5030. The Traffic Section lists Room 400 and phone (312) 603-2600 for traffic case information.
The building is served by the CTA Red Line at Lake and Blue Line at Washington, CTA bus routes 56, 60, 124, and 157, and nearby Metra stations at Union Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center, and Van Buren Street. Several public parking lots are within walking distance; the court says visitors are not reimbursed for lot or metered-street parking. Review Cook County’s current cellphone and electronic-device policy(opens in a new tab) before you arrive.
What the Daley Center handles
- Misdemeanor DUI arrests made by Chicago Police anywhere in the city
- Traffic citations issued within Chicago city limits
- License and suspension matters tied to those cases
What goes somewhere else instead
This is the part that sends people to the wrong building, so it is worth being exact about:
- A felony traffic charge does not stay here. Cook County lists felony traffic offenses among the matters heard in the Pretrial Division at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
- A misdemeanor that is not a traffic offense, such as battery, theft or resisting arrest, goes to the neighbourhood branch court for the district where the arrest happened, not to the Daley Center.
- A felony case is heard at 26th and California once it clears a preliminary hearing.
Daley Center DUI and traffic courtroom information
The Traffic Section is based in Room 400. Cook County’s current court-reporter listing identifies Rooms 401 through 410 as the misdemeanor traffic courtrooms that use digital recording. The public court pages do not publish a permanent DUI-versus-traffic assignment chart or one universal call time. Check the courtroom, date, and time on your own notice, or call the Traffic Section at (312) 603-2600 before traveling.
The official Traffic Section page(opens in a new tab) is the best place to confirm current instructions.
Allow time for building entry and screening. Bring your citation, bond paperwork, and identification. If you are running late or cannot attend, contact your attorney and the court as soon as possible instead of assuming the call will wait.
The Daley Center matters we handle
- DUI defense, whether it is a first DUI or a repeat charge
- Traffic ticket defense for citations and license issues
- Criminal defense if the charge is upgraded out of this building
A Chicago DUI call runs on volume, and the practical question is usually not guilt or innocence but what the State can actually prove and what it will agree to. Nicholas Ktenas is a former Cook County prosecutor who screened and valued cases like yours before he defended them. That does not decide an outcome. It does mean the read you get on your case is based on how these files are actually handled, not on guesswork.
Request a free, confidential case review before your court date.
For the other five districts, see Cook County court districts. The official court listing for this building is on the Cook County Circuit Court site(opens in a new tab).
Questions about a DUI or traffic case at the Daley Center
Most misdemeanor Chicago DUI cases are handled through the Daley Center’s Traffic Section, but felony traffic offenses are handled in the Pretrial Division at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse. Check your paperwork because the charge classification and court assignment control.
That charge is not heard at the Daley Center. A misdemeanor that is not a traffic offense, such as battery, theft or resisting arrest, goes to the neighbourhood branch court for the district where the arrest happened. Check the address on your citation or bond paperwork, since it will likely point you to a different building.
Not to the Daley Center. Cook County lists felony traffic offenses in the Pretrial Division at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse. If a felony case has a preliminary hearing elsewhere and survives it, the case can then move to a felony trial assignment at Leighton.
Yes, when the suspension is tied to the DUI or traffic case being heard here. License and suspension matters connected to that case are handled alongside it rather than in a separate building. A charge that gets upgraded to a felony would move to a different court instead.
The building processes a high number of DUI cases every day, which stretches prosecutors thin and can lead to procedural shortcuts in how a case is handled. That volume does not decide any single case on its own, but it is part of what an attorney looks at when reviewing what the State can actually prove.
Get a read on your Daley Center case before you appear
You will speak to an attorney, not an intake screener. Tell us what you were charged with, which building you have been told to appear at, and when.
Bring your citation or bond slip to that conversation if you have it. The classification printed on it is what sets your exposure, and it is the first thing worth checking. A charge is not a conviction.
For a step-by-step overview, read our guide to the Illinois DUI court process before your first appearance.
If your case involves a traffic citation, our guide to preparing for traffic court explains what to bring and what to expect.
Start a free, confidential case review. If we are not the right firm for your case, we will say so.
For current building details, see the official Richard J. Daley Center listing(opens in a new tab), Traffic Section(opens in a new tab), and DUI information(opens in a new tab).
Last reviewed 08/26/2026
