QUEENSLAND

Maroochydore DUI Lawyers

In shortBoorman Lawyers are experienced, dedicated drink driving, drug driving and DUI lawyers who regularly appear at Maroochydore Magistrates Court and represent clients facing alcohol, drug and serious traffic charges at this courthouse. Maroochydore Magistrates Court in Cornmeal Parade hears drink and drug driving charges from the central Sunshine Coast. We assist clients at Maroochydore Magistrates Court by appearing at court mentions, guilty pleas and sentencing hearings, preparing comprehensive sentencing submissions and character reference material, advising on compulsory licence disqualification periods and mandatory alcohol interlock rules under Queensland law, and preparing section 87 restricted work licence and special hardship order applications.

Court: Maroochydore Magistrates Court, Cornmeal Parade, Maroochydore Qld 4558. Phone (07) 5376 5100. Closes at 4pm on Wednesdays.
Listings (2026 calendar): Notices to Appear and short sentences each weekday at 9am; traffic, section 87 and special hardship applications on Tuesdays at 9am.
Licence: every conviction brings a disqualification under TORUM s 86, even if no conviction is recorded.

Queensland law · law checked 20 Oct 2026

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What's on this page

Which options do you have at Maroochydore?

Each row below is a decision you may face between your Notice to Appear and sentence. They are all Queensland law options, and the right mix depends on the evidence, your licence type and your reading.

Your choice	It may suit you if	What it costs you	Where it sits at Maroochydore
Plead guilty on the first date	You accept the charge and your references and program certificate are ready	Disqualification starts on the day; no time left to gather material	The 9am weekday list, which takes Notices to Appear and sentences of up to 20 minutes
Adjourn before entering a plea	You need the police brief, a Traffic Offenders Program or work licence affidavits	Any suspension until court keeps running	A later mention date set by the court
Plead guilty and apply for a work licence (s 87)	You held an open Queensland licence, read under 0.15 and were not driving for work	Affidavits, an employer statement and proof of extreme hardship	Tuesday 9am list, which includes section 87 applications
Plead not guilty	You dispute the driving, the test or how it was done	A hearing on a later date, with witnesses	Set down by the court after a mention
Ask that no conviction be recorded	You plead guilty and your record and material are strong	The disqualification still applies	Decided at sentence (Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 s 12)
Apply for a s 79E order	You are suspended until court and fall within the narrow categories	An application, with evidence	Before the charge is decided

Your notice sets the first date. The court decides adjournments, so have a reason ready if you ask for one.

What does each choice mean for your licence?

Queensland's Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (TORUM) decides the licence outcome, not the plea alone. The table shows first-offence results. A penalty unit is $172.70 from 1 July 2026.

Charge	Until court	Disqualification on a guilty plea	Maximum penalty	After the disqualification
No alcohol limit (learners, P-platers and some other licence holders)	24 hours, if under 0.10	3 to 9 months (1 to 9 for particular vehicles) (s 86)	20 units ($3,454) or 3 months	Probationary licence; interlock if 0.10 or more
General alcohol limit, 0.05 to under 0.10	24 hours	2 to 9 months	20 units ($3,454) or 3 months	Probationary licence for at least a year
Middle alcohol limit, 0.10 to under 0.15	Suspended until the charge is decided (s 79B)	3 to 12 months	28 units ($4,835) or 6 months	12 months on an interlock (ss 91I, 91N)
0.15 or more, under the influence, or failing to give a specimen	Suspended until decided	At least 6 months	40 units ($6,908) or 9 months	12 months on an interlock

Not recording a conviction does not avoid the disqualification. A second offence within 5 years raises every figure. Our QLD drink driving penalties guide has the full tables, and our Queensland drink driving offences guide explains each charge. For drug detections, see our QLD drug driving guide.

Which list will your matter be in?

The 2026 calendar for Maroochydore Magistrates Court sets out these arrangements:

Every weekday, 9am: arrests, bail, Notices to Appear and sentences expected to take 20 minutes or less.
Tuesdays, 9am: traffic matters, including summonses, section 87 work licence applications, special hardship applications and section 131 applications.
Mention callovers, 9.30am: on set dates each month, listed in the calendar.
Thursdays, 9am: probation and parole breaches.

Registry hours are 8.30am to 4.30pm, except Wednesday, when it closes at 4pm. Check the Maroochydore 2026 calendar before your date, and follow your notice if it says something different.

Is a work licence realistic?

Only if every s 87 condition is met. You must have held an open Queensland licence, been under 0.15, and not been driving for work or in a truck, tractor or bus. You must also have had no licence suspension, cancellation, disqualification, or drink or drug driving conviction in the past 5 years. Then you need to show you are fit and proper, and that refusal would cause extreme hardship by depriving you or your family of your means of earning a living (TMR – restricted licence). You apply after the finding of guilt and before the disqualification is ordered. For a middle alcohol limit offence, the restricted licence carries the interlock condition (s 87 note, s 91K). Our DUI restricted work licence guide covers the affidavits.

The Tuesday list also takes special hardship applications. Those relate to other kinds of licence suspension and do not apply to a court-ordered drink driving disqualification. Our special hardship licence guide explains the difference.

What should you have ready for Cornmeal Parade?

A Traffic Offenders Program certificate, if you completed one.
Two or three references from people who know about the charge.
An employer letter, or affidavits if you are applying under s 87.
Your traffic history and any counselling or GP letters.
A lift home, because a disqualification starts on the day.

If you think the police facts or the testing are wrong, get advice before you plead. Our guide to Queensland drink driving defences sets out the issues, and the court process guide explains each step.

How do you get to court without a car?

The courthouse is in Cornmeal Parade in central Maroochydore. Buses run to the Maroochydore and Sunshine Plaza area. If you are suspended, you cannot drive yourself there, so arrange a lift or check the Translink timetable before the day. After sentence, the interlock rules are in our QLD alcohol interlock guide.

Which Sunshine Coast courts are nearby?

Our Sunshine Coast drink driving page compares the Coast's courts. The nearest to Maroochydore are Nambour (about 14 km), which sits as a circuit of Maroochydore, and Caloundra (about 16 km). Attend the court named on your notice. More is on our Queensland traffic law page.

Queensland penalty changes in 2026: check your offence date (law checked 20 Oct 2026).

Offences on or after 31 August 2026: higher maximum fines apply. They are 20 penalty units ($3,454) for the general alcohol limit and no alcohol limit offences, 28 ($4,835.60) for the middle alcohol limit and 40 ($6,908) for driving under the influence of liquor or a drug. A first general alcohol limit conviction (0.05 to under 0.10) on an open licence now carries 2 to 9 months' disqualification. For offences before 31 August 2026 it was 1 to 9 months. Police can now give an eligible first low-range driver on an open Queensland licence an infringement notice of $1,295 instead of a court charge. Unless the driver elects to go to court, a 2-month disqualification follows. It counts as a conviction, and there is no work licence for that period. Drug driving (a relevant drug present) has not changed yet. The maximum is 14 penalty units ($2,417.80) or 3 months, with 1 to 9 months' disqualification on an open licence and 3 to 9 months for learner, P-plate and unlicensed drivers.

Offences on or after 1 December 2026: minimum fines start for drink and drug driving. For example, the minimum is 7.5 penalty units for low range and for drug driving. The drug driving maximum rises to 28 penalty units, and a first offence on an open licence carries 2 to 9 months' disqualification. A new offence of driving with a relevant drug present while over an alcohol limit adds 1 month to the disqualification range.

An offence committed before a change is generally dealt with under the penalties in force when it happened. Sources: TORUM ss 78E, 79, 79B, 79H–79J and 86, as amended by the Queensland Community Safety Act 2024 and the Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026. Penalty unit $172.70 from 1 July 2026.

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Maroochydore drink driving FAQs

Which day are work licence applications heard at Maroochydore?

Under the 2026 calendar, section 87 applications are listed on Tuesdays at 9am with other traffic matters. The application must be made before the disqualification is ordered.

Can I be sentenced on my first date?

Possibly. The 9am weekday list takes Notices to Appear and short sentences. If your material is not ready, you can ask for an adjournment, but any suspension continues.

If no conviction is recorded, do I keep my licence?

No. The court must still disqualify you under TORUM s 86. Not recording a conviction affects your criminal history, not your licence.

My reading was 0.12. Can I drive until court?

Usually not. A reading of 0.10 or more means you are suspended until the charge is decided (s 79B). A s 79E order is possible only in narrow cases.

Is my matter at Maroochydore or Nambour?

Your Notice to Appear names the court. Nambour sits as a circuit of Maroochydore on set dates, so check the notice carefully.

Sources and date checked

Sources and references for this page, checked 20 Oct 2026.

Queensland Courts – Magistrates Courts directory (Maroochydore) — checked 19 Oct 2026
Queensland Courts – Maroochydore Magistrates Court 2026 calendar (PDF) — checked 20 Oct 2026
Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (Qld) – reprint current from 21 September 2026 (ss 79, 79B, 79E, 86, 87, 91I, 91N) — checked 20 Oct 2026
Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 (Qld) – s 12 (recording a conviction) — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Government (TMR) – Restricted (work) licence — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Government (TMR) – Being charged with drink driving — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Community Safety Act 2024 (Act No. 45), ss 93–104 – TORUM amendments commenced 31 August 2026 — checked 20 Oct 2026
Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026 (Act No. 23) – assent 21 September 2026; pt 10 div 3 commences 1 December 2026 — checked 20 Oct 2026
TORUM legislative history (commencement of amending Acts) — checked 20 Oct 2026

This page is general information about Queensland law only. It is not legal advice. Every matter turns on its own facts.

Maroochydore Magistrates Court — court details

Maroochydore Magistrates Court

Street: Cornmeal Parade, Maroochydore QLD 4558
Postal: PO Box 732, Maroochydore Qld 4558
Phone: (07) 5376 5100
Email: courthouse.maroochydore@justice.qld.gov.au
Registry hours: 8.30am – 4.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday · 8.30am – 4.00pm Wednesday
Facilities: Wi-Fi, videoconferencing, remote witness room

➜ Get directions

Queensland Courts, Magistrates Courts directory (saved 19 Oct 2026) and Maroochydore Magistrates Court 2026 calendar (checked 20 Oct 2026). These are the court registry's details, not Boorman Lawyers office details. Check your court papers for your listing time and courtroom.

QLD Traffic Law

Choose your QLD traffic law topicQLD

Guides for Queensland traffic law matters.

QLDDrink Driving OffencesRead guide →QLDDrink Driving PenaltiesRead guide →QLDDrink Driving DefencesRead guide →QLDDrug Driving Offences & PenaltiesRead guide →QLDNo Conviction Drink DrivingRead guide →QLDDUI Restricted Work LicenceRead guide →QLDSpecial Hardship LicenceRead guide →QLDAlcohol Interlock LawsRead guide →QLDTraffic Offenders ProgramRead guide →QLDAppeal Immediate DUI Police SuspensionRead guide →QLDDangerous DrivingRead guide →QLDDUI Court Process GuideRead guide →

Enquire about legal representation

Call 1300 941 900 or make an enquiry about legal representation.

What to have ready

Court & next listing date: Which court is on your paperwork and when your matter is listed.
Charge or reading (if known): Tell us the charge or reading if you have it — you do not need your full police facts yet.
Work & driving needs: Let us know if you rely on your licence for work or family responsibilities.

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