Columbia · Boone County
DWI Lawyer in Columbia & Boone County
Arrested for DWI in Columbia or anywhere in Boone County? Two separate clocks start the same day, and the one that decides whether you keep driving is the shorter of the two. We appear in Boone County courtrooms regularly, from our office in Jefferson City.
Act quickly
What happens after a DWI arrest in Columbia?
A Boone County DWI arrest starts two separate processes. One moves through the courts and decides your record. The other moves through the Missouri Department of Revenue and decides whether you keep driving. The license deadline is the tighter one.
Your criminal case
The charge moves from your first appearance through pretrial motions, negotiation, and, if it comes to it, trial. This is where your record and your freedom are decided.
Your driver’s license
You generally have 15 days from the notice of suspension or revocation to request an administrative hearing. Miss it and the license action takes effect on its own, whatever happens in court. A chemical test refusal carries its own one-year revocation, challenged separately in circuit court.
Where your case is heard
Where will my Columbia DWI case be heard?
It depends on who filed the charge.
Boone County Courthouse
State DWI charges in Boone County are heard in the 13th Judicial Circuit at the Boone County Courthouse, 705 East Walnut Street in downtown Columbia. Felony DWIs are always heard here.
Columbia Municipal Court
A DWI charged under a City of Columbia ordinance is heard in the Columbia Municipal Court, a division of the 13th Circuit, at 600 East Broadway. Municipal and state cases move differently, and which court you are in changes your options.
Boone shares the 13th Circuit with Callaway County, and we appear in both regularly.
A local option
Does Boone County have a DWI court?
Yes. The 13th Judicial Circuit runs a DWI court, a treatment court for eligible people facing DWI charges, with court supervision, testing, and treatment as part of probation.
Why it can matter
Under Missouri law, a first-offense DWI with a blood alcohol of 0.15 percent or more can be resolved with a suspended imposition of sentence in a circuit with a DWI court only if the person completes the program. For a repeat offender, completing it with the required community service can be an alternative to the mandatory jail time before probation.
Whether it fits you
DWI court is demanding and is not right for everyone. Whether to pursue it is a decision to make with a lawyer after looking at the evidence, not before.
University of Missouri students
What if I am under 21 or a student at Mizzou?
Drivers under 21 face a lower limit. A driver under 21 stopped with a blood alcohol of 0.02 percent or more can have their license suspended, even without a DWI charge.
Beyond the courtroom
A DWI can affect university discipline, scholarships, professional school applications, and, for international students, immigration status. Those consequences need to be considered alongside the criminal case, not after it.
Parents calling for a student
Parents often make the first call. We are glad to talk, but the student is the client, and confidentiality belongs to them.
What changes as offenses add up: see first offense, second offense, and third offense DWI in Missouri.
How we defend a DWI
How do you beat a DWI in Boone County?
By testing every step the State relies on. A DWI case is only as strong as the stop, the arrest, and the testing behind it.
The stop
An officer needs a valid reason to pull you over. If the stop was unlawful, the evidence that came after it may not survive a motion to suppress.
Field sobriety tests
These are subjective and easy to administer incorrectly. Health, footwear, road conditions, and the officer’s instructions can all skew the result.
Breath and blood testing
Breath instruments must be maintained and the observation period followed. Blood draws need a warrant or valid consent and an intact chain of custody.
Procedure and rights
Whether the required warnings were given, and whether you were allowed to try to reach a lawyer before deciding on a test, can change the case.
Answers
Columbia DWI questions we hear
Where will my Columbia DWI case be heard?
State charges are heard in the 13th Judicial Circuit at the Boone County Courthouse, 705 East Walnut Street in Columbia. A DWI charged under a City of Columbia ordinance goes to the Columbia Municipal Court at 600 East Broadway, which is a division of the 13th Circuit.
How long do I have to save my license after a DWI in Columbia?
Generally 15 days from the notice of suspension or revocation to request an administrative hearing with the Department of Revenue. That deadline runs separately from your court date.
Does Boone County have a DWI court?
Yes. The 13th Judicial Circuit operates a DWI court, a treatment court program for eligible defendants that combines supervision, testing, and treatment as part of probation.
Can a college student lose their license for drinking and driving under 21?
Yes. In Missouri, a driver under 21 stopped with a blood alcohol of 0.02 percent or more can face an administrative license suspension, even if not charged with DWI.
Do you take Boone County cases from Jefferson City?
Yes. Our office is in Jefferson City, about 30 miles from Columbia, and we appear in the 13th Judicial Circuit regularly.
More on DWI cases: refusing a breath test, whether to request a DOR hearing, marijuana DWI, and when a DWI can mean jail. Can the charge be reduced? See whether a Missouri DWI can be reduced. If someone was hurt, see DWI with injury in Missouri.
A college student or young adult? See student and young adult defense in Columbia, including Columbia Municipal Court and the University of Missouri conduct process.
Facing something other than a DWI in Boone County? See our Columbia criminal defense page. For Missouri DWI law generally, see DWI and DUI defense. Already convicted? See appeals and post-conviction in Boone County.
Talk to us
The license clock is already running.
If you were arrested for DWI in Columbia or anywhere in Boone County, call before the 15-day license deadline passes.
Attorney advertising. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. The information on this page is general and is not legal advice. It reflects Missouri law as of September 2026. Contacting Vindex Law, PC does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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