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The Most Common Concerns (FAQs) regarding Superior Court of California Locations:


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Q.  How is jurisdiction divided up in California, because they are all California Superior Courts, right?

A:  Jurisdiction, meaning the power of the court over a case, in California is divided by county. This means that if you were caught for speeding in Seal Beach, which is in Orange County, but the cop finally caught up to you and pulled over in a neighboring city, like Long Beach which is in L.A. County, then you must attend court in O.C. This is because the alleged offense occurred in O.C., not in L.A. It does not matter where the cop pulled you over. It does not matter where you live or where the officer is employed or normally works. It never matters where you were stopped and signed the ticket. It only matters that the court hears the case in the same county where the alleged offense occurred.



Q:  Can a police officer give me a ticket outside of her city?


A:  Yes. Generally, a sworn California peace officer may exercise her duties throughout California. Officers are not limited to a certain city. However, there may be agreements between municipalities and policies that affect police activity. Nevertheless, this usually does not mean that a police officer on vacation in Compton in Los Angeles County cannot arrest you for stealing in Westminster in Orange County.



Q.  Can a police officer cite me to attend court far from my home, even in a different county?


A:  Yes. The jurisdiction of a court over an alleged traffic violation or crime is dependent upon the county where the act occurred. This means that if you live in Orange County but you stole a candy bar in Los Angeles County, you would have to go to court in L.A., and could not have the case moved to O.C.



Side note: In comparison to the above issue of court jurisdiction, the DMV is statewide, and any DMV can handle your DUI matter, although they usually prefer to handle the matters based on location. The DMV is under the Executive Branch of government, meaning under the Governor of California. It is an Administrative function. This is very different from the courts, which fall under the Judicial Branch. (Side-side note: The third branch is the Legislative, a.k.a., Congress and all the Laws.)



We hope this answers the very common questions we get about cities and counties and court locations and where cops work.


To simplify, cops work in California, but a court only covers its own county.


Superior Court of California

Traffic Criminal Courts

Locations & Addresses

Los Angeles County

Orange County California

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Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse
Long Beach Court

275 Magnolia
Long Beach, CA 90802

Torrance Courthouse

South Bay Court
Southwest District Court

825 Maple Ave.
Torrance, CA 90503


Compton Courthouse
200 West Compton Blvd.
Compton, CA 90220


Downey Courthouse
7500 East Imperial Highway
Downey, CA 90242

Bellflower Courthouse
10025 East Flower Street
Bellflower, CA 90706


Inglewood Courthouse
One Regent Street
Inglewood, CA 90301


Airport Courthouse

LAX Court
11701 S. La Cienega
Los Angeles, CA 90045


Metropolitan Courthouse

Metro Court
Downtown LA Court

Hill Street Court

1945 Hill St
Los Angeles, CA 90007
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East Los Angeles Courthouse

East LA Court
4848 Civic Center Way
East Los Angeles, CA 90022


Alhambra Courthouse
150 West Commonwealth
Alhambra, CA 91801


Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center

CCB Court

Downtown Court
210 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012


Central Justice Center

Santa Ana Courthouse
700 W Civic Center Dr
Santa Ana, CA 92701


West

West Justice Center
8141 13th Street
Westminster, CA 92683


North

North Justice Center
1275 North Berkeley Ave.
Fullerton, CA 92832


Los Angeles County, California

Orange County, California

Criminal Courts

Traffic Courts

​​​​​​​​​​Law Office of David Dastrup​

Criminal Lawyer ∙ DUI ∙ Traffic Ticket ∙ DMV Hearing ∙ Defense Attorney​