Schwab Law defends criminal and DUI charges in Bellingham through the firm’s Western Division. Bellingham Municipal Court on C Street hears misdemeanors filed by the City, and Whatcom County Superior Court on Grand Avenue hears felony matters from across the county.
How we help Bellingham clients
Bellingham combines a large student population with a working port and a border crossing, and the caseload reflects that mix — first offenses by people who have never been in a courtroom, alongside charges where the consequences reach well past the sentence.
Where is a Bellingham criminal case heard?
Misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors filed by the City of Bellingham are heard in Bellingham Municipal Court at 2014 C Street. Whatcom County also has municipal courts in Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden, Sumas and Everson-Nooksack, so a charge from a nearby town may be on an entirely different calendar.
Felony charges from anywhere in Whatcom County are filed by the county prosecutor in Whatcom County Superior Court at 311 Grand Avenue in Bellingham.
Can a conviction affect crossing into Canada?
It can. Canada makes its own admissibility decisions, and some criminal convictions — impaired driving among them — can result in a traveler being refused entry regardless of how the Washington court treated the case. For people who cross the border for work, family or routine errands, that consequence can outweigh the sentence entirely.
Border admissibility is a separate body of law from your criminal case, and we are not Canadian immigration counsel. What we can do is factor it into how the charge itself is handled, because what you are ultimately convicted of is what another country looks at.
What charges do we handle in Bellingham?
- DUI and physical control, plus the Department of Licensing case
- Minor in possession and alcohol-related charges
- Domestic violence allegations and no-contact orders
- Assault in the fourth degree and felony assault
- Theft, shoplifting and property crimes
- Drug possession and distribution charges
- Protection order petitions and responses
Questions from Bellingham clients
Where is Whatcom County Superior Court?
At 311 Grand Avenue in Bellingham. It hears felony matters from across Whatcom County, including cases arising in Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine and the smaller communities.
Will a first offense stay on my record?
A conviction does. Washington allows some convictions to be vacated after a waiting period, but a DUI conviction specifically can never be vacated — it is permanent and counts as a prior offense if there is ever a next one.
