FULLERTON COURT INFORMATION
The Fullerton Court is north Orange County’s court of jurisdiction. This court is also known as the North Justice Center and serves the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia, and Yorba Linda. In addition, limited civil and small claims cases include the cities of Los Alamitos and Stanton. The Fullerton Courthouse is located at 1275 N. Berkeley Avenue, Fullerton, California 92832. This Fullerton Superior Court is a complete security facility. Everyone coming into the complex will pass through a screening machine. Thus, leave anything potentially dangerous in your vehicle or risk the chance of a delay and possible confiscation of item(s) by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
FULLERTON COURT HOUSE TELEPHONE NUMBERS
| GENERAL INFORMATION | (657) 622-5600 |
| CRIMINAL OPERATION | (657) 872-2122 |
| TRAFFIC OPERATIONS | (657) 872-2122 |
| CIVIL & SMALL CLAIMS | (657) 622-5600 |
| TELECOM DEVICE FOR DEAF (TDD) | (714) 441-3586 |
COURT REPORTER/INTERPRETER SERVICES | (657) 622-6878 OPTION 6 |
| ALCOHOL LIAISON (HEALTH CARE AGENCY) | (714) 834-2325 |
FULLERTON COURT HOURS OF OPERATION
| CRIMINAL/TRAFFIC | MONDAY TO FRIDAY | 8:00AM TO 4:00PM |
| CIVIL/SMALL CLAIMS | MONDAY TO FRIDAY | 8:00AM TO 4:00PM |
| TRAFFIC – NIGHT COURT | 1ST TUESDAY OF MONTH | 4:00PM |
| SMALL CLAIMS – NIGHT COURT | 1ST TUESDAY OF MONTH | 4:00PM |
FULLERTON COURT APPEARANCES
Fullerton Court appearances require a previous scheduled court appearance date located on a citation, bail bond, or an appearance letter received by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. You may also schedule an appearance date through a retained criminal defense attorney, by phone, in person, or reserve a court date through the court’s online system. You will be required to enter a citation number or OC Pay number and a driver’s license number or vehicle license or date of birth. The OC Pay number may be found on the front of the violation or under the court case number, if you have one.
SCHEDULE A COURT APPEARANCE DATE:
- Online appointments click here
- Telephone appointments – (877) 872-2122
- Walk-in appointments – 1275 N. Berkeley Avenue, Fullerton, California 92832
As mentioned previously, to schedule a court appearance with the available options above, you will need the citation number or OC Pay number, with one of the following: driver’s license number, vehicle license, or date of birth. If you are unaware of the status of a case or citation, you may search for it through the court’s case access portal. Performing this free search should provide you with enough information to schedule a court appearance date and/or receive important information regarding your case. If you have an outstanding warrant or scheduled date to appear on your criminal case, but want to appear before the scheduled court hearing date, you must appear in person by 8:00AM, Monday through Friday, at the Criminal Division Clerk’s Office located on the first floor. Be prepared to provide your name and case number if available. If you have retained a criminal attorney or the Public Defender’s Office, its best you contact them for assistance.
Furthermore, if you were cited, there should be an appearance date on the citation. If you choose to dispute the citation, you should appear before or on the date given on the citation. Depending on the degree of the violation, you may be required to appear in court. A violation letter is typically mailed to the address given within 21 days of the date the citation was issued. However, don’t count on it, always verify the status of a citation or case by using the case access portal link above or by using one of the three options listed for scheduling an appearance.
NOTE: It is ultimately your responsibility to appear in court and failure to appear (FTA) may result in a warrant issued for your arrest. An extension to pay a fine or appear may be granted for citations and certain low level misdemeanors. Additional information on extensions at the bottom of this page.
NO CASE FILED AT THE FULLERTON COURT:
There may be no case filed when you appear for your scheduled court appearance. This may be due to further review of the complaint by the District Attorney’s Office, the complaint has been rejected, or the DA’s office is backlogged in filing the criminal case. Whatever the circumstances may be, you should verify the status of the case before leaving the Fullerton Court by doing one or several of the following:
- Check with the Criminal Division Clerk’s Office (1st floor)
- Check with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (3rd floor)
Once at the Criminal Division Clerks Office, give them your name and any available information you have regarding the citation or arrest information. If the Criminal Clerk’s Office has no information, you will be sent over to the District Attorney’s office on the third floor. The District Attorney’s Office should be able to clarify the status of the complaint and provide you with a date stamped document (piece of paper) showing you appeared on the required court date. Do not leave without the date stamp, especially if you are out on bail or bail bond. This is your proof that you appeared in court and met your obligation.
If the DA’s office has no further information regarding the case, you will have to wait for a summons or rejection letter to be sent to you in the mail. If you don’t receive anything in the mail within 30 to 45 days, you should periodically check with the court’s online system or call their general telephone number given above.
FULLERTON COURT IN CUSTODY APPEARANCES:
If an individual has been detained and arrested by a local police department or sheriff’s department, they may be held up to 48 hours before appearing in court. This does not account for holidays, and weekends, which are excluded. This provision is pursuant to California Penal Code Section 825. Keep in mind, this does not apply for someone who posted bail or bail bond when originally arrested.
Defendants appearing in custody for their arraignment at the Fullerton Court are brought over by the arresting agency early that morning. However, general court procedure allows for out of custody arraignments, pre-trials, and preliminary hearings to be heard first. If the court’s schedule is not busy, the in custody arraignments may be heard before 12:00PM, but if it’s a busy day in court, expect the defendant in custody to be seen by a judge after 1:30PM. General information regarding the criminal justice system may be obtained with this link.
IMPORTANT: If are appearing on a second time DUI or a probation violation OUT of custody, you may be arrested without any notice! Please call us with any questions regarding a possible detention at 714-872-9198.
COURTROOM RULES AT THE FULLERTON COURT:
Courtroom rules apply to everyone attending a court hearing at the North Justice Center. Additional courtroom rules may be posted in the courtroom or provided by the deputy sheriff (bailiff). Here a few rules to keep in mind:
- All mobile phones, computers, and electronic devices must be turned OFF.
- NO food, drinks, and gum in the courtroom
- NO sleeveless shirts, shorts, sandals allowed. (Dress properly, you’re in court!)
- Anyone under the age of 18 must be with a parent or guardian
- NO weapons or anything that may be considered a weapon
- Keep quite and direct any questions to the bailiff or attorney
- Do NOT make any contact with an inmate
FULLERTON COURT EXTENSION REQUESTS AND PAYMENTS
An extension may be obtained at the clerk’s office for citations, completion of traffic school, etc.. A one-time 45-day extension may be granted, with an additional 30-day second extension. The second extension is possible as long as there is no prior failure to appear (FTA) or warrant issued for the citation or case. If traffic school fines and fees have been paid through the court or clerk’s office, you may receive a 30-day extension for completion. You must have your OC Pay Number, citation or case number, no old or scheduled court appearances, and no failure to appear to use the online service.
The Fullerton Court accepts all major credit cards for processing payments, including debit card and electronic fund transfer(EFT). However, there is a $6.20 fee charged for processing your payment by the service provider. In addition, internet payments are not an option to posting bail for a court trial, or trial by written declaration. Your options for payment are as follows:
- Appear in Person
- By Telephone – (877) 872-2122
- By mail – Check or money order made payable to “Clerk of the Court”
If you are mailing the payment, please send payment to: Information Payment Center, PO Box 31064, Laguna Hills, California 92654-1064. You may also send payment via the mail-in credit card form here.
ORANGE COUNTY UNIFORM BAIL SCHEDULE
Bail is set on an individual at the time of the arrest or when seen by the judge. The Orange County Bail Schedule outlines the various amounts of bail for different types of crimes. The more serious the alleged crime, the more likely the bail is a higher amount. Furthermore, the bail or bail bond is a guarantee the defendant will appear in court, throughout the duration of the case. The depositor of the bail or co-signer of the bail bond may risk losing the entire amount of bail if the defendant fails to appear in court at any given time.
The judges at the Fullerton Court may reduce or increase the bail amount of a defendant based on the criminal history of the individual and the circumstances of the criminal case. The judge will use the bail schedule as a gauge to determine where bail should be set at. Bail hearings may also be requested in attempts to reduce the bail amount. However, it’s best to consult with an attorney and or bail agent regarding such complex hearings at the Fullerton Court.