Central Justice Center, Santa Ana
The Orange County courthouse for central county cities — including Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin and Villa Park — and the venue for many felony matters.
The building
What it looks like when you arrive
Central Justice Center, Santa Ana is a full security facility. Leave knives, scissors, pepper spray and anything blade-like in the car — there is no property storage at the screening point. Allow extra time for the queue at the entrance.
The Central Justice Center in Santa Ana is Orange County’s principal courthouse. It hears the widest range of matters of any justice center in the county — criminal and traffic alongside civil, limited civil and small claims.
Court details
| Address | 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701 |
|---|---|
| General information | (657) 622-6878 |
| Criminal (felony & misdemeanor) | (657) 622-8459 |
| Traffic | (657) 622-8459 |
| Civil & small claims | (657) 622-6878 |
| Probate & mental health | (657) 622-8452 |
| Appeals | (657) 622-7533 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (most departments) |
| Case types | Traffic, minor offenses, criminal, unlimited civil, limited civil and small claims |
Cities it serves
For criminal and traffic matters the court assigns these cities to Central Justice Center. It also handles limited and unlimited civil and small claims for all Orange County cities.
Security screening
This is a full security facility. Everyone passes through a weapons screening device and hand-carried items are x-rayed. Knives of any kind including pocket knives, scissors, corkscrews, mace and pepper spray are all prohibited, and there is nowhere to check them — leave them in your vehicle.
Where people are held
Santa Ana is also where county custody is centred. The Intake Release Center at 550 N Flower St is a short distance from this courthouse and accepts bail 24 hours a day. Other facilities are listed on our Orange County jails page.
Why this courthouse matters beyond its four cities
The Central Justice Center is assigned four cities for routine criminal and traffic matters — Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Villa Park. But the court’s own assignment list goes further, and this is the part most people miss: all Orange County cities use this courthouse for limited civil, unlimited civil and small claims, and all Orange County cities come here for various felony and mental health hearings.
So an arrest in Anaheim, Fullerton or Huntington Beach is normally heard at the North or West Justice Center — but certain felony proceedings from anywhere in the county can still be calendared here. If a notice says Santa Ana and the arrest happened elsewhere, that is not necessarily a mistake.
Which number to call
| Department | Phone |
|---|---|
| General information | (657) 622-6878 |
| Felony | (657) 622-8459 |
| Misdemeanor | (657) 622-8459 |
| Traffic | (657) 622-8459 |
| Civil / Small Claims | (657) 622-6878 |
| Small Claims Advisory Program | (714) 845-7560 or (714) 571-5200 |
| Probate / Mental Health | (657) 622-8452 |
| Appeals | (657) 622-7533 |
| Court reporter / interpreter services | (657) 622-6878, option 2 and option 8 |
| Alcohol liaison (Health Care Agency) | (714) 834-3007 |
Hours
- Criminal — felony and misdemeanor: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Appearance in court required.
- Traffic: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Appearance in court required.
- Civil and small claims: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Probate and mental health: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Self-Help: Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Correspondence for criminal, traffic and minor offense matters goes to P.O. Box 1138, Santa Ana, CA 92702-1138 — not to the street address. The court publishes a detailed parking map for visitors and jurors and a facility floor plan on its own site, both linked below.
Bail is posted at the jail, not here
The Intake Release Center at 550 North Flower Street in Santa Ana is a short distance away and accepts bonds 24 hours a day — it is where Orange County felony bookings are processed. Theo Lacy in Orange also accepts bonds, but only between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The amount itself comes from the 2026 Orange County Uniform Bail Schedule. For serious and violent felonies and specified domestic violence offenses, Penal Code § 1270.1 requires a hearing in open court before release on own recognizance or on any amount other than the scheduled one — and for felony matters drawn from across the county, that hearing may well be held here.
Official sources
- Superior Court of California, County of Orange — Central Justice Center
- 2026 Orange County Uniform Bail Schedule (PDF)
Last verified: 18 September 2026 against the court’s published location page. Hours, numbers and case assignments change — confirm with the court before traveling.
Questions we are asked about the Central Justice Center
Where is the Central Justice Center?
700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701.
What is the phone number for the Central Justice Center?
General information is (657) 622-6878. Felony, misdemeanor and traffic matters all use (657) 622-8459.
What are the Central Justice Center’s hours?
Criminal, traffic, civil, small claims, probate and mental health all operate Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Self-Help runs Monday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Which cities does the Central Justice Center serve?
Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Villa Park for routine matters, plus all Orange County cities for limited civil, unlimited civil and small claims, and all Orange County cities for various felony and mental health hearings.
What cases are heard at the Central Justice Center?
Traffic, minor offenses, criminal, unlimited civil, limited civil and small claims.
Can I post bail at the Central Justice Center?
No. Bail is posted at the jail where the person is held — usually the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana, which accepts bonds 24 hours a day.
How we help, and from where
Bail is posted at the jail, not at the courthouse. Our three offices — Anaheim, Brea and La Habra — are open 24 hours, and those are our only physical locations. Full addresses are on our locations page, and the communities we cover are listed under areas we serve.
See all Orange County courthouses, or start with Orange County bail bonds for the county-wide picture.
Someone in custody right now?
Call the office nearest the city of the arrest. We will locate them, confirm the bail amount, and tell you honestly what can happen tonight.
What the Central Justice Center handles
Central Justice Center — 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701, (657) 622-6878.
The Superior Court’s own location page states that this facility handles traffic, minor offenses, criminal, unlimited civil, limited civil, and small claims. It is the broadest of the Orange County justice centers, and the criminal and traffic operations are run as their own department with their own counter and phone line.
For anyone dealing with an arrest, that breadth is the point: a case can be here alongside matters that have nothing to do with bail, so confirm the department as well as the building. The release paperwork names the courthouse, date and time, and it governs. See release paperwork.
Full security facility
The Superior Court designates its justice centers full security facilities. Everyone entering passes through a weapons screening device and all hand-carried objects are x-rayed. The court names specifically: knives including pocket knives, scissors, corkscrews, mace, pepper spray and knitting needles. There is no property storage at screening, so anything you cannot bring in has to go back to the car — which is how people miss their own hearing. See what to expect at court.
Related: arraignment and the PC 825 48-hour clock, bail reduction hearings, and every Orange County courthouse.
Our three offices
Anaheim, CA 92801(714) 520-2002
Brea, CA 92821(657) 286-5038
La Habra, CA 90631(562) 690-8303