Which Orange County courthouse hears a case depends on where the arrest happened. The Superior Court of California, County of Orange operates several justice centers, and criminal and traffic matters are assigned by city.

If you are trying to work out where a case will be heard, start with the city of the arrest and use the table below. For the wider picture of how bail works in the county, see Orange County bail bonds.

Orange County justice centers

What every Orange County justice center has in common

• Full security screening. Every justice center requires you to pass through a weapons screening device, with hand-carried items x-rayed.
• Leave these in the car. Knives of any kind including pocket knives, scissors, corkscrews, mace, pepper spray and knitting needles are all prohibited.
• Criminal and traffic hours are generally Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Arrive early. Screening queues at the busier centers can take longer than people expect.

The courthouse most of our clients deal with

Our three offices are in Anaheim, Brea and La Habra, and all three of those cities are assigned to the North Justice Center in Fullerton — along with Buena Park, Fullerton, La Palma, Placentia and Yorba Linda. That is the courthouse we know best and the one behind most of the calls we take.

You can read more about that eight-city area on our North Orange County bail bonds page.

If someone is still in custody

A courthouse is where the case goes; it is not where someone is held immediately after arrest. That is usually a city police facility first, then the Orange County Sheriff’s Department system. Working out which is free and takes a few minutes.

Call the office nearest the city of the arrest — Anaheim (714) 520-2002, Brea (657) 286-5038, or La Habra (562) 690-8303. All three are open 24 hours.

Please note: American Freedom Bail Bonds is a private bail bond agency licensed by the State of California (licence 1841014). We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange. Court details on this page are published for the convenience of families and are drawn from the court’s own published information. Always confirm current hours and procedures with the court directly before you travel.

Los Angeles County courthouses

We also work Los Angeles County from our La Habra office on the county line. Release rules there differ substantially from Orange County — see our Los Angeles County guide.

• Southeast District — Norwalk Courthouse, Whittier Courthouse, Downey Courthouse
• East District — Pomona Courthouse South, West Covina Courthouse
• South District — Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, Long Beach

Which cities each courthouse covers

• North Justice Center — Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia, Yorba Linda
• Central Justice Center — Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin, Villa Park
• West Justice Center — Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton, Westminster
• Harbor Justice Center — Irvine, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita