The building

What it looks like when you arrive

The North Justice Center sits back from Berkeley Avenue behind a surface car park, with the address — 1275 — set high on the front elevation and Superior Court of California · North Justice Center lettered beneath it. The public entrance and the Collections counter (Department N1) are at ground level under the overhang.

It 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.

The North Justice Center is the Orange County courthouse that hears criminal and traffic matters for the northern part of the county. If someone was arrested in Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia or Yorba Linda, this is where the case goes.

This page collects the practical details families ask us for most: where it is, which number to call, what the hours are, and what you cannot bring through the door.

Court details

The criminal and traffic line offers automated information 24 hours a day, with customer service agents available during business hours.

Cities the North Justice Center serves

The court assigns eight cities to this courthouse:

• Anaheim — we have an office here
• Brea — we have an office here
• La Habra — we have an office here
• Buena Park
• Fullerton — the courthouse itself is in Fullerton
• La Palma
• Placentia
• Yorba Linda

We serve all eight. Our offices are in Anaheim, Brea and La Habra only — we do not have an office in Buena Park, Fullerton, La Palma, Placentia or Yorba Linda, and we serve those cities from whichever of the three is nearest. More detail is on our North Orange County bail bonds page.

Security screening — what you cannot bring

The North Justice Center is a full security facility. Everyone entering passes through a weapons screening device, and hand-carried items are x-rayed.

The court prohibits weapons of any type. Items specifically named include:

• Knives of any kind, including pocket knives
• Scissors
• Corkscrews
• Mace and pepper spray
• Knitting needles
• Anything else that may be deemed potentially offensive

There is no cloakroom for prohibited items, so leave them in your vehicle. This catches people out constantly — a keyring pocket knife or a small canister of pepper spray is enough to send you back to the car park and risk missing a hearing.

The Self-Help Center

The court runs a Self-Help Center at this location on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., reachable on (657) 622-6623. It is a court service, not ours, and it is a reasonable first stop if you have procedural questions we cannot answer.

“Fullerton courthouse” and “North Justice Center” are the same building

People search for both, and the paperwork uses only one. The court’s official name for this building is the North Justice Center. Locally almost everyone calls it the Fullerton courthouse, because it stands at 1275 North Berkeley Avenue in Fullerton. There is no separate Fullerton court — if a notice says North Justice Center and someone tells you to go to the Fullerton courthouse, you are being sent to the same place.

Two related mix-ups are worth heading off. The Fullerton City Jail is a different facility with a different address, and it is not at the courthouse. And the Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana — the Central Justice Center — is a different building again, used for different case types.

Getting there, parking and access

The North Justice Center sits on North Berkeley Avenue, a short distance north of downtown Fullerton and close to the 91 and 57 freeways. The court publishes a detailed parking map for visitors and jurors, together with a facility floor plan, on its own website — both are linked in the sources below and are worth opening before a first visit, because the building is larger inside than the frontage suggests.

Arrive early enough to clear screening. Everyone entering passes through a weapons screening device and every hand-carried object is x-rayed, and there is no cloakroom for prohibited items — anything questionable stays in the car. The items that turn people around most often are pocket knives, scissors, corkscrews, and mace or pepper spray.

Where the person is held before the court date

A courthouse is not a jail, and this is the point at which most families lose a day driving to the wrong place. Where someone is held depends on the arresting agency and how far booking has progressed.

• City police facilities. Arrests in the cities this court serves may begin at the local department — Fullerton, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, La Habra or Placentia — before transfer.
• County intake. Orange County felony bookings are processed through the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana, which accepts bail around the clock.
• County housing. After intake, people are frequently housed at Theo Lacy in Orange or the James A. Musick Facility in Irvine.

Bail is posted where the person is held, not at this courthouse. Confirm the location before travelling anywhere.

Bail questions that come up around this courthouse

• What the amount will be. It comes from the 2026 Orange County Uniform Bail Schedule, adopted annually by the superior court judges under Penal Code § 1269b(c) — not from the jail and not from the arresting officer.
• When a hearing has to happen first. For serious and violent felonies and for 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. That hearing happens here, and it is why some releases cannot be bought forward.
• Whether bail is needed at all. On a misdemeanor, Penal Code § 1270(a) entitles a defendant arraigned in custody to own recognizance release unless the court makes a finding against it on the record.
• Changing the amount. That is a bail reduction motion under Penal Code § 1289, brought by a defense attorney with notice to the district attorney. No bail agency can arrange it.

If a court date has already been missed

A missed appearance at this courthouse usually produces two separate things at the same hearing: a bench warrant, and — where a bond was posted — a forfeiture that starts the 180-day period under Penal Code § 1305. Missing court is also chargeable in its own right under § 1320 or § 1320.5; see failure to appear.

The useful thing to know is that all three clocks reward acting the same day. Section 1305 gives several routes back — an appearance, a surrender, an arrest in the underlying case — and every one of them is time-limited.

Official sources

• Superior Court of California, County of Orange — North Justice Center
• North Justice Center facilities and services (ADA)
• 2026 Orange County Uniform Bail Schedule (PDF)

Last verified: 17 September 2026 against the court’s published location page. Hours, phone numbers and case assignments change — confirm with the court before travelling.

There is a holding facility inside this building

The California Board of State and Community Corrections classifies the holding facility at the North 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.

Questions we are asked about the North Justice Center

Where is the North Justice Center?

1275 North Berkeley Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92832-1258.

Is the North Justice Center the same as the Fullerton courthouse?

Yes. North Justice Center is the court’s official name for the building; locally it is called the Fullerton courthouse. There is no separate Fullerton court.

What is the phone number for the North Justice Center?

General information is (657) 622-5600. Criminal and traffic matters both use (657) 622-8459.

What are the North Justice Center’s hours?

Criminal and traffic are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Self-Help Center runs on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Which cities does the North Justice Center serve?

Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia and Yorba Linda.

Can I post bail at the North Justice Center?

No. Bail is posted at the jail where the person is held. For an Orange County felony booking that is usually the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana.

What cases are heard at the North Justice Center?

Traffic, minor offenses and criminal matters for the north Orange County cities listed above.

Where the courthouse fits in the process

A courthouse is where the case is heard. It is not where someone is held straight after an arrest.

1. Arrest by the city police department — or, in Yorba Linda, by Orange County Sheriff’s deputies.
2. Booking, either at a city facility or in the county system. The main county booking and release point is the Central Men’s and Women’s Jail / Intake Release Center at 550 N Flower St, Santa Ana.
3. Bail, where the charge carries a bail amount. Some holds prevent release regardless of money, and we will tell you plainly if that is the situation.
4. First appearance at the North Justice Center, where the charges are formally read and the court addresses custody and future dates.

What happens at that first appearance depends entirely on the charge and the individual circumstances. That is a question for a defense attorney, not for a bail agency, and we will say so rather than guess.

How a bail bond fits in

Bail is posted at the jail, not at the courthouse. If someone is in custody and bail has been set, the bond can often be posted before the first court date. Once it has been posted, the timing of the release belongs to the jail.

Because all three of our offices sit in cities assigned to this courthouse, the North Justice Center is the court we deal with most. That familiarity is the practical benefit of using a local agency rather than a call centre.

Call whichever office is nearest the city where the arrest happened:

All three are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. See all of our office locations, the areas we cover on our service areas page, or read more frequently asked questions.

Other Orange County courthouses — Central, West and Harbor — are listed on our Orange County courthouses page, and the county-wide overview is on Orange County bail bonds.

Please note: American Freedom Bail Bonds is a private bail bond agency licensed by the State of California (license 1841014). We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange, or the North Justice Center. The details below are published for the convenience of families and are drawn from the court’s own published information. Court hours and procedures change — always confirm directly with the court on (657) 622-5600 before you travel. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

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: North Justice Center (facility 3770) 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.

What the North Justice Center handles

North Justice Center — 1275 North Berkeley Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92832-1258, (657) 622-5600.

The Superior Court’s own location page states that this facility handles traffic, minor offenses, and criminal matters. It is the courthouse most of our north county work runs through, serving the communities around Anaheim, Fullerton, Brea, La Habra, Buena Park, Placentia and Yorba Linda.

Assignment still follows the filing decision and the charge, and the Superior Court publishes no public city-by-city criminal assignment table — the release paperwork governs. See release paperwork and the city walkthroughs for Anaheim, Brea, La Habra, Fullerton and Buena Park.

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.