Local resources: courts, jail, police, and DDS
The offices a DUI case in Helen, White County, and Habersham County passes through, with the address and number from each office's own website or an official source. Confirm hours by phone before you go.
How a DUI case moves here
- Arrest and booking. Helen Police make arrests inside the city; the White County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia State Patrol cover the rest of the county. People arrested in White County are booked at the White County Jail on Hulsey Road in Cleveland.
- Bond. Helen Municipal Court says bonds for city cases are handled through the Helen Police Department. The White County Jail says only a judge may set bond conditions and lists the bonding companies it works with.
- The 30-day license deadline. If the officer served a DDS 1205 notice (because you refused testing or tested at 0.08 or more, 0.02 if under 21), you have 30 calendar days from the serve date to request an ALS hearing or apply for the ignition interlock limited permit. You may choose only one. See the ALS hearing guide.
- First court date. Printed on your citation. Arrests inside Helen go to Helen Municipal Court; misdemeanor traffic cases from the rest of White County go to White County Probate Court; felony cases go to Superior Court.
- Resolution. Dismissal, a plea, or trial. Georgia law does not allow first offender treatment for DUI.
- After a conviction. The DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program, a clinical evaluation, community service and probation, and license reinstatement through the Georgia Department of Driver Services.
What this site covers
What this site covers. This site covers Helen and White County, and neighboring Habersham County (Clarkesville, Cornelia, Demorest, Baldwin, and Mount Airy), where many people who work in or visit Helen live or drive through. The two counties have separate courts and jails; the lists below are split by county. Georgia's DUI law and the 30-day DDS deadline are the same in both.
Courts
Which court hears your case depends on where the arrest happened and how serious the charge is. Your citation names the court; when in doubt, call it.
Helen Municipal Court
25 Alpenrosen Strasse, Helen, GA 30545
Arrests inside the City of Helen. Court is held at City Hall on the second Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. Bonds for city cases are handled through the Helen Police Department.
White County Probate Court
59 South Main Street, Suite H, Cleveland, GA 30528
Handles misdemeanor traffic cases, including DUI, from White County outside the city limits. Open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
White County Superior Court and Clerk of Court
59 South Main Street, Suite B, Cleveland, GA 30528
Felony cases, and misdemeanors transferred to it. White County is part of the Enotah Judicial Circuit.
Law enforcement and the jail
Helen Police Department
25 Alpenrosen Strasse, Helen, GA 30545
City police, at Helen City Hall. Handles bonds for Helen Municipal Court cases.
White County Sheriff's Office and Jail
1210 Hulsey Road, Cleveland, GA 30528
County jail for White County arrests. Inmate services (Monday to Friday, 8 to 5): 706-219-7846. The jail warns families about scammers who claim they can get someone released; if in doubt, hang up and call the sheriff's office.
Prosecutor, public defender, and state offices
Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney (White County office)
59 South Main Street, Cleveland, GA 30528
Prosecutes cases in White County Superior Court.
Enotah Judicial Circuit Public Defender
59 S. Main Street, Suite C, Cleveland, GA 30528
Represents people the court finds unable to afford a lawyer in the Enotah Circuit, which includes White County. Apply as early as you can.
Georgia Department of Driver Services: Gainesville Customer Service Center
1400 Calvary Creek Pkwy, Gainesville, GA 30507
The nearest DDS center for license paperwork, reinstatement, and in-person ALS hearing requests. Open Tuesday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon. Check hours online before you go.
Georgia Department of Driver Services: ALS hearing requests by mail
RM-Hearing Requests, P.O. Box 80447, Conyers, GA 30013
Mailing address DDS gives for most ALS hearing requests (some requests go to its Regulatory Compliance Division instead; the form says which). Requests can also be made online or at a customer service center.
Habersham County (Clarkesville, Cornelia, Demorest)
A DUI arrest in Habersham County stays in Habersham County's courts. Misdemeanor DUI cases are heard in the State Court of Habersham County, and the county's Solicitor General prosecutes them; the county says people charged with DUI must appear before the judge. An arrest by a city police department can instead go to that city's municipal court. Your citation names the court.
State Court of Habersham County
Habersham County Courthouse, 295 Llewellyn Street, Clarkesville, GA 30523
Misdemeanor and traffic cases, including DUI, from across Habersham County. The phone is the Clerk of Court, who handles filings and case status; the judge's office is 706-778-0800.
Habersham County Superior Court and Clerk of Court
Habersham County Courthouse, 295 Llewellyn Street, Clarkesville, GA 30523
Felony cases. Habersham is in the Mountain Judicial Circuit with Banks, Rabun, and Stephens counties. Traffic fines can be paid at the Clerk of Court's office.
Habersham County Sheriff's Office and Detention Center
1000 Detention Drive, Clarkesville, GA 30523
County jail. The detention center answers inmate, bond, and release questions at any time.
Georgia Department of Driver Services: Toccoa Customer Service Center
62 Doyle St, Toccoa, GA 30577
The full-service DDS center east of Habersham County, including reinstatements. The Gainesville center is listed above. The phone is the DDS call center.
DDS and your license
Administrative suspensions after a Georgia DUI arrest are handled by the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS). Within 30 calendar days of the serve date on the DDS 1205, you can request an ALS hearing ($150) online, by mail, or at a customer service center, or apply for the ignition interlock limited permit if you are eligible; you can choose only one. Step by step: the ALS hearing guide.
The nearest DDS customer service center to Helen is in Gainesville (listed above). DDS-certified Risk Reduction programs and ignition interlock providers are listed on the DDS website; those that ask to be listed appear in the directory.