A criminal case in Spokane County can take anywhere from a few weeks to well over a year, depending on whether you are charged with a misdemeanor or a felony, how complex the evidence is, and whether the case resolves through a plea agreement or goes to trial. Simple misdemeanors handled in Spokane Municipal Court or the District Court often close in one to three months, while felonies in Spokane County Superior Court routinely take six months to a year or more. Trials, contested motions, and crowded court dockets can extend any case significantly. Having an attorney who knows the local courts and prosecutors can often make the difference between a case that drags on and one that moves efficiently toward the best available outcome.
What Are the Main Stages That Determine How Long Your Case Takes?
Every criminal case in Washington moves through a predictable sequence of court events, but the time each stage takes varies widely. Understanding the stages helps you set realistic expectations from the moment of arrest to final resolution.
- Arraignment: Your first formal court appearance, where charges are read and you enter a plea. For misdemeanors this typically happens within a few days to a couple of weeks of arrest. For felonies, an arraignment in Spokane County Superior Court usually follows a preliminary hearing or grand jury process.
- Pre-trial hearings and motions: These include hearings on suppression of evidence, discovery disputes, and other legal issues. Each motion hearing can add weeks to a schedule.
- Plea negotiations: The majority of criminal cases in Washington resolve through a negotiated plea — often before a trial date is ever set. How quickly this happens depends on the complexity of the charges, the strength of the evidence, and the responsiveness of the prosecutor’s office.
- Trial: If no agreement is reached, the case proceeds to a bench or jury trial. Trial scheduling in Spokane County Superior Court can add months to the timeline, especially for serious felonies.
- Sentencing: If convicted — whether by plea or verdict — sentencing is usually scheduled a few weeks after the finding of guilt, though complex cases with contested sentencing issues can take longer.
How Long Do Misdemeanor Cases Take in Spokane?
Misdemeanors are heard in Spokane Municipal Court (for offenses alleged within Spokane city limits) or Spokane County District Court (for offenses elsewhere in the county). These courts handle a high volume of cases — DUI, domestic violence misdemeanors, theft, and similar charges — and they move relatively quickly compared to Superior Court.
In our experience, a straightforward misdemeanor with no contested issues can resolve in one to three months. A misdemeanor that involves a suppression motion, a contested breath test, or a domestic violence no-contact order dispute may take four to six months or longer. Washington law does give defendants the right to a speedy trial, and those timelines create some structural pressure on the schedule — but continuances, by agreement or at a party’s request, are common and can extend things considerably.
If you are weighing whether to fight a misdemeanor or accept an early offer, it is worth reading our post on whether you need a lawyer for a misdemeanor charge in Washington — the answer almost always affects both the outcome and the timeline.
How Long Do Felony Cases Take in Spokane County Superior Court?
Felony cases are filed in Spokane County Superior Court, and they move on a longer track. After arraignment, a case typically goes through a series of pre-trial conferences before a trial date is set. From the date of arraignment, it is common for felony cases to take anywhere from six months to well over a year before reaching a final resolution.
Several factors push felony timelines longer:
- Volume and complexity of discovery: Felony cases often involve police reports, body camera footage, forensic lab results, financial records, or digital evidence. Reviewing everything takes time, and obtaining complete discovery from the prosecutor sometimes requires formal requests or court orders.
- Expert witnesses: Cases involving forensic evidence, mental health evaluations, or accident reconstruction may require experts whose schedules and reports add months.
- Severity of charges: Serious violent offenses, sex offenses, and major drug trafficking cases are among the most time-consuming. Prosecutors tend to be more deliberate, and defense preparation is more intensive.
- Court availability: Spokane County Superior Court manages a substantial felony docket. Jury trial slots are a finite resource, and when multiple cases are scheduled for the same week, trials get bumped.
To understand how charge severity shapes what you are facing from the start, see our overview of the difference between misdemeanors and felonies in Washington.
Does Hiring an Attorney Change the Timeline?
An attorney does not have a magic button to make a case disappear faster, but a skilled defense lawyer can absolutely affect the pace and direction of your case in meaningful ways.
Experienced defense attorneys know the prosecutors and judges in Spokane County, understand how to request and review discovery efficiently, and can identify early on whether a case has weaknesses the prosecution may not want to test at trial. That knowledge often leads to earlier, better plea offers — or a well-prepared motion that resolves a case before trial. Conversely, if the facts warrant fighting, a prepared attorney can move the case toward trial without unnecessary delay.
Our Spokane criminal defense attorneys handle cases in every court in Eastern Washington — from Spokane Municipal Court to Spokane County Superior Court — and we know how to navigate each one effectively.
What Can You Do to Help Your Own Case Move Forward?
There are practical things defendants can do — or avoid doing — that affect how quickly and smoothly a case resolves:
- Stay in contact with your attorney. Missed calls and unreturned emails slow everything down.
- Appear at every hearing. Failure to appear results in a bench warrant, which restarts the clock under the worst possible circumstances.
- Follow all conditions of release. Violations can land you in jail pending trial, removing any flexibility in scheduling.
- Be patient with the process. Rushing to accept a bad plea deal just to end the stress is one of the most common mistakes we see. A few extra months of patience can make a meaningful difference in the long-term consequences you face.
The criminal justice system in Spokane County moves at its own pace, and trying to shortcut it without legal guidance usually backfires. If you have been charged and want to understand where your case is headed and how long it might take, call Schwab Law, P.L.L.C. at (509) 795-1894 for a consultation.
Key takeaways
- Misdemeanor cases in Spokane typically resolve in one to three months; contested misdemeanors can take four to six months or more.
- Felony cases in Spokane County Superior Court commonly take six months to over a year from arraignment to resolution.
- Most cases resolve through plea negotiations before trial — how quickly depends on evidence complexity and prosecutor responsiveness.
- Court docket congestion, discovery volume, and contested motions are the most common causes of delay in Spokane County.
- An experienced local defense attorney can help move a case efficiently and avoid the pitfalls that extend timelines unnecessarily.
Frequently asked questions
What is the speedy trial right in Washington and does it limit how long my case can last?
Washington court rules give criminal defendants the right to a trial within a set period after arraignment, but that period can be extended by continuances agreed to by both parties or granted by the court. In practice, continuances are common in Spokane County courts, and the speedy trial clock is often reset, so the right does not automatically cap your case at a short window.
Can a felony case in Spokane be resolved without going to trial?
Yes — the large majority of felony cases in Spokane County Superior Court resolve through a negotiated plea agreement rather than a jury trial. Whether that is the right choice depends entirely on the facts of your case, the strength of the evidence, and the terms being offered, which is why having a defense attorney evaluate the offer is critical.
Does being held in jail instead of released on bail affect how fast my case moves?
It can. Washington law provides some procedural protections for in-custody defendants that are designed to move cases more quickly, but those protections have limits and can be waived. Being in custody also limits your ability to assist in your own defense — gathering documents, meeting with your attorney, or locating witnesses — which can complicate preparation.
What typically causes the longest delays in Spokane County criminal cases?
The most common causes of extended timelines are delayed or incomplete discovery from the prosecution, the need for forensic or expert analysis, contested pre-trial motions, and limited jury trial availability in Spokane County Superior Court. Cases involving serious violent charges, complex financial evidence, or multiple co-defendants tend to take the longest.
Helpful resources
- Spokane County Superior Court — Criminal Division
- Washington State Courts — Court Finder and General Information
- Washington State Legislature — Revised Code of Washington (RCW)
- Spokane Municipal Court
Have a criminal defense question about your own situation? Learn more about how we can help, or call Schwab Law, P.L.L.C. at (509) 795-1894 for a consultation.
This article is general information about Washington law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change and every situation is different — for advice about your specific circumstances, please consult a licensed Washington attorney.
