Orange County

Four justice centers, one county

Orange County splits its adult criminal calendar across four justice centers. The arraignment — the first court appearance — happens at whichever one covers the arresting city, usually within a couple of court days of the arrest.

All four are full security facilities. You will pass through a weapons screening device and your belongings will be x-rayed. Knives, scissors, mace and pepper spray are not permitted, so leave them in your vehicle. Criminal and traffic divisions are generally open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Our three offices — Anaheim, Brea and La Habra — all sit inside the North Justice Center area, so that is the corner of the county we know best.

The four justice centers

Choose the courthouse handling the case

Each page has the address, the cities it covers, what to expect on arrival and how bail works at that location.

NorthNorth Justice Center1275 N Berkeley Ave, Fullerton, CA 92832
Serves Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia and Yorba Linda. The closest justice center to all three of our offices.Courthouse detailsCentralCentral Justice Center700 Civic Center Dr W, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Serves Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin and Villa Park, and hears many of the county’s felony matters.Courthouse detailsWestWest Justice Center8141 13th St, Westminster, CA 92683
Serves nine west county cities: Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton and Westminster.Courthouse detailsHarborHarbor Justice Center4601 Jamboree Rd, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Serves the coastal and south county communities, including Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point and San Clemente.Courthouse detailsOrangeLamoreaux Justice CenterJuvenile, family law and domestic violence restraining orders at 341 The City Drive South — not adult criminal arraignments.Courthouse detailsCosta MesaCosta Mesa Justice ComplexTraffic and minor offences at 3390 Harbor Blvd. Where a missed traffic date turns into a bench warrant.Courthouse details

Which courthouse handles the case?

The deciding factor is where the arrest happened, not where the person lives or where they were taken into custody. Someone who lives in Irvine but was arrested in Fullerton will be arraigned at the North Justice Center.

If you are not certain which city made the arrest, the arresting agency is named on the booking paperwork, and we can usually establish it from the person’s name and roughly when they were picked up. Call us and we will work it out with you — there is no charge for that.

One exception worth knowing: the Lamoreaux Justice Center at 341 The City Drive South in Orange handles juvenile and family matters rather than adult criminal cases, so it is not on the list above.

Before the court date — where people are held

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department runs the county jail system, and someone arrested in Orange County will normally pass through it before their first appearance.

• Intake Release Center — 550 N Flower St, Santa Ana. The county’s main booking and release point.
• Theo Lacy Facility — 501 The City Drive South, Orange.
• James A. Musick Facility — 13420 Alton Parkway, Irvine.

Full detail is in our jail and custody guide. If you are not sure where someone is being held, call us — locating a person in custody is one of the first things we do.

Which charge, and which page to read

Once you know the courthouse, the next question is the charge — it decides the bail figure and whether release can happen before a judge sees the case.

• Domestic violence bail, including the § 1270.1 hearing requirement that catches most families out.
• DUI, drug charges, warrants, felony and misdemeanor bail.

North county cases are associated with the North Justice Center in Fullerton. That is what the courthouse handles, not a case assignment — the release paperwork and case record control where a case is actually heard. Our Anaheim, Brea and La Habra offices are open 24 hours across Orange County.

Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. California bail license number 1841014. For everything else about bail in this county, see Orange County bail bonds, or the full courthouse index if you need Los Angeles County instead.

Please note: American Freedom Bail Bonds is a licensed bail bond agency, not a law firm. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and we cannot guarantee a bail amount, a release time, eligibility for release, or the outcome of any case. Court schedules and facilities change — always confirm details directly with the court. California bail license 1841014.