Orange County Central Justice Center or Santa Ana Courthouse Information – including what you need to know if you have to go to the Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana.
The OC Courthouse in Santa Ana was built in 1968, and was designed by modernist architect Richard Neutra in functional 1960s style during a time when the county, city, and federal and state buildings were concentrated in one plaza in the County Seat of Government.. It is the largest courthouse in Orange County, and has 66 courtrooms. Its average daily pedestrian traffic is approximately 8,000 daily visitors and workers at the courthouse through the currently two entrances to the courthouse.
Types of Cases Handled
The Central Justice Center branch court handles the following types of cases, currently:
- Criminal Matters, both Felony and Misdemeanor cases.
- Unlimited Civil matters of all types.
- Limited Civil matters of all types.
- Small Claims matters of all types.
- Superior Court Appellate Department Appeals
- Probate Matters (subject to transfer to the Lamoreaux Justice Center).
- Mental Health matters.
- Elder/Dependent Adult Restraining Orders.
- Family Law Matters (subject to transfer to the Lamoreaux Justice Center)
- Traffic Matters of all types from the jurisdictions below.
DUI Jurisdictions Handled
The Courthouse in Santa Ana also handles DUI cases, and other criminal cases, from any arrests within the following cities:
- Santa Ana
- Tustin
- Orange
- Villa Park
This court has no exterior traffic windows, so you will need to enter the court to pay fines, get information, and have the court provide copies of documents after the security check line.
Entering and Security:
The Santa Ana Courthouse has been a full security facility since April 15, 1999. That means that you will go through a metal detector and your bags and belongings will be scanned. It helps to remove belts, cellphones, loose change, and anything metal before entering the courthouse. Laptops are required to be put in trays through the security scanner.
The only entrances, currently, are the North entrance, and the South entrance, of the courthouse, facing Civic Center Drive West, and facing the Civic Center Plaza on the South.
Your Court Appearance in the Court in Santa Ana.
If you have been arrested for DUI and are appearing at the Central Justice Center, you will have typically been given a court date on a document, for your arraignment.
Your arraignment will be in Department C-54, on the second floor.
After your arraignment, your case proceeds to pretrial.
Misdemeanor pretrials are all heard in Department C-47, upstairs on the second floor of the Santa Ana Courthouse.
If you have a case that has already been set for a trial at a previous date by a judge, then misdemeanor trials start in C-47, where they can be assigned to any courthouse in the courthouse, or anywhere in Orange County.
Persons Held in Jail for their Court Date in Santa Ana: If you are in court for a case where someone is in custody, they are usually held in the basement under the custody of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and brought up to court when ready, as needed by the court. Santa Ana also has Department CJ-1, which is a department in the County Jail (hence the CJ), where inmates can have their initial hearing without being transferred to another court, and have bail reviewed.
People in Jail or in Custody at the Central Justice Center Santa Ana
Approximately 4,000 or more inmates are transported, by bus, to the Central Justice Facility each month from various Orange County Jail facilities. The holding facility at the Central Justice Facility has a rated capacity for 523 inmates. However, those in custody are required to be kept separated (by gender, by ethnicity, gang affiliations, health, or protective custody), and as a result, the Santa Ana Courthouse detention facility cannot safely hold more than 350 inmates.
Only the lawyers and attorneys that are a member of the California Bar Association and members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department are allowed to visit persons in custody in the courthouse.
Orange County Central Justice Center Santa Ana Courthouse
The courthouse building is open from 730am to 4pm, and the courtrooms are open from 8:30 a.m. to 12pm, and again from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.. The address to the courthouse is as follows:
Central Justice Center
700 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701
(657) 622-6878
Central Justice Center Parking
Santa Ana Courthouse Parking is not available for free, except for jurors. However, parking is available in the civil center plaza lot, which can be entered from Santa Ana Boulevard, or Flower Street, in Santa Ana, near the courthouse on 13th Street adjacent to the Orange County Law Library, or anywhere on the streets or many private lots as allowed near the courthouse. Watch out for meter parking here – they are very aggressive about ticketing if your meter is expired. The courthouse has a fairly amateur parking map available for your use also showing various options.
Central Justice Center Telephone Numbers
The list of telephone numbers for the courthouse is available here: http://www.occourts.org/locations/general-phone.html
Central Justice Center District Attorney’s Office
The Orange County District Attorney has an office on the second floor inside the courthouse building. Phone number is 714-834-3952. Website: Orange County District Attorney Central Justice Center.
The Main Office of the Orange County District Attorney, for all of Orange County, is located across the street, at 401 Civic Center Drive, in Santa Ana, CA 92701. Their phone number is: 714-834-3600. Their website is: Orange County District Attorney Main Office.
Central Justice Center Public Defender’s Office
The Orange County Public Defender’s Office is in a separate building nearby, facing Ross Street, at 14 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Their phone number is:(714) 834-2144. Their website is: Orange County Public Defender’s Office.
Central Justice Center Victim/Witness Office
There is a Victim’s and Witnesses Office in the Santa Ana Courthouse also, which can help victims or those testifying, with questions and support. They are located in the hard to find room 292, on the second floor (between the elevators and the restrooms). Their Phone Number is: (714) 896-7188. If you are a Witness and need Coordination of your participation in a case, call: (714) 834-4350. Their website is: Orange County Victims Services Central Justice Center.
Central Justice Center Cafeteria
There is a cafeteria on the third floor, conveniently next to the Orange County Jury Assembly room, where jurors wait for assignments to courtrooms.
Central Justice Center Earthquake Information
The Santa Ana Courthouse has received a Seismic Rating Level S1, as far as protection against Earthquakes, mainly because of its steel and concrete construction and its plaster ceilings.
If you need to speak with a lawyer that has years of experience in the Central Justice Center / Orange County Santa Ana Courthouse, contact our firm or call us at (949) 682-5316.