Orange County courthouses
Lamoreaux Justice Center
Orange County’s juvenile, family law and domestic violence courthouse in the City of Orange — and why an adult criminal case is almost certainly not heard here.
The Lamoreaux Justice Center handles juvenile, family law and domestic violence matters for Orange County. It is the courthouse families are most often sent to by mistake: if an adult was arrested and booked on a criminal charge, the arraignment is almost certainly at one of the county’s adult criminal justice centers, not here.
Courthouse details
| Courthouse | Lamoreaux Justice Center (LJC) |
| Address | 341 The City Drive South, Orange, CA 92868-1569 |
| Handles | Juvenile (delinquency and dependency), family law, domestic violence restraining orders |
| Self-Help Center | (657) 622-5720 |
| ADA coordinator | (657) 622-7769 · adainformation@occourts.org |
| Security | Full security facility — weapons screening and x-ray of hand-carried items for everyone entering |
Source: the Superior Court of California, County of Orange. Verified 18 September 2026. Confirm hours and department before travelling.
Where an adult criminal case actually goes
Orange County splits adult criminal work across four justice centers by the city of arrest, not by where the person lives:
- North Justice Center, Fullerton — Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia, Yorba Linda and the rest of north county.
- Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
- Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center, Westminster.
- Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach.
The full list, including the Costa Mesa Justice Complex for traffic and minor offences, is on Orange County courthouses.
Where Lamoreaux does matter for a bail case
Two situations bring a bail question to this building.
- Domestic violence restraining orders. A DV arrest usually produces a protective order, and the restraining-order side of the case can sit here while the criminal case sits at an adult justice center. The order can bar someone from returning home even after release. See protective orders and EPOs and PC 273.6.
- Juvenile custody. A minor is not held in an adult jail and is not bailed in the way an adult is — juvenile detention decisions are made by the juvenile court. If you are trying to find a minor, the adult inmate systems will not show them. Call us and we will point you to the right place rather than sell you a bond that does not apply.
Practical notes
- It is a full security facility: everyone passes through weapons screening and hand-carried items are x-rayed. Allow time.
- The City Drive South address is in the City of Orange, near the UCI Medical Center campus — not in Santa Ana, where the Central Justice Center is.
- Accommodation request forms are available in the lobby and at all public counters.
There is a holding facility inside this building
The California Board of State and Community Corrections classifies the holding facility at the Lamoreaux Juvenile Justice Center as a Court Holding facility. Under California Code of Regulations, Title 15, § 1006, that means a facility constructed within a court building, used for the confinement of persons solely for the purpose of a court appearance, for a period not to exceed 12 hours.
Two practical consequences. First, this is not somewhere to visit — nobody is housed here, and there is no visiting programme. Second, if a person is in court holding they have been brought from a jail for a hearing and will go back to that jail afterwards unless the court releases them. Where someone is actually held, and where a release happens, is covered in what kind of jail is holding them.
If the person in custody is a minor
Juvenile delinquency court does not use bail the way adult criminal court does, and there is no bond to post. Can a juvenile get bail in California? explains the detention hearing, the parent or guardian’s role, and why a minor will not appear in the adult inmate search.
Questions we get asked most
Is the Lamoreaux Justice Center a criminal court?
It handles juvenile delinquency and dependency, family law, and domestic violence restraining orders. Adult criminal arraignments in Orange County are heard at the North, Central, West or Harbor justice centers depending on the city of arrest.
Where is the Lamoreaux Justice Center?
341 The City Drive South, Orange, CA 92868-1569.
Can I post bail at Lamoreaux?
Bail is posted at the custody facility or the court handling the criminal case. For an Orange County adult arrest that is the jail or the criminal justice center covering the arresting city.
My child was arrested — do I need a bail bond?
Juvenile cases do not work like adult bail. Detention decisions are made by the juvenile court, and a minor will not appear in the adult inmate search. Call before buying anything.
Related resources
Orange County courthouses · North Justice Center · Central Justice Center · West Justice Center · Harbor Justice Center · Domestic violence bail · Orange County inmate search
The holding area inside the courthouse is itself a classified facility
Most people never think about where a defendant waits during a court appearance. The Board of State and Community Corrections classifies it as a facility in its own right: Lamoreaux Juvenile Justice Center (facility 3550) is listed as class CH — a Court Holding facility.
Under Title 15 § 1006 a Court Holding facility is for court appearance only, and may not hold a person more than 12 hours. That single number explains several things families find baffling:
- Why someone is moved back the same day. A person brought here from county custody must return — the courthouse cannot hold them overnight. See jail transfers.
- Why release does not happen at the courthouse. When a bond is posted for someone in custody, the release is processed at the custody facility, not here. See how long release takes.
- Why transport timing drives the day. Court transport runs on its own schedule, which is why an early hearing can still mean a late return.
This is not a regular jail, and it should not be treated as one. A Court Holding facility exists only to hold people who are at the courthouse for a court appearance. It is not a custody facility where someone serves time, where visiting happens, or where routine jail bail is posted. Unless the court or the facility specifically tells you otherwise, do not travel to the courthouse to visit someone or to post bail — visiting and bail are handled at the custody facility holding the person. Find that facility first with find an inmate, and see sending money to an inmate and what to bring.
Every classification in both counties is explained on what kind of jail is holding them, and the Orange County facilities are listed in our Orange County jail guide.
Lamoreaux is not an adult criminal courthouse
Lamoreaux Justice Center — 341 The City Drive South, Orange, CA 92868-3205, (657) 622-6878.
This is the fact that saves a wasted trip. The Superior Court’s own location page states that this facility handles Juvenile, Family Law and Domestic Violence matters. It is not where adult criminal cases are generally heard, so a person looking for an adult bail matter is usually looking at the wrong building — see Central, North, Harbor or West instead.
Two consequences matter for bail:
- Juvenile. A minor is generally not in the adult bail system at all, and there is usually no bail amount to post. See can a juvenile get bail in California. The BSCC separately classifies the Lamoreaux holding area as a Court Holding facility — court appearance only, not exceeding 12 hours.
- Domestic violence. Protective orders issued in these proceedings bind the restrained person, and breaching one is its own offence — see protective orders and EPOs and violating a court order. Penal Code 1270.1 may require a hearing before release in specified serious cases.
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.
Talk to a licensed agent now
Open 24 hours(714) 520-2002
North county and the 57 corridor(657) 286-5038
North county and the LA County line(562) 690-8303