duistatelaws.com Key takeaways
- The court’s Court Designation List assigns the criminal and traffic cases of all 34 cities it lists to a justice center.
- Harbor (Newport Beach) takes thirteen cities, West (Westminster) nine, North (Fullerton) eight and Central (Santa Ana) four.
- Costa Mesa’s criminal cases go to the West Justice Center, not to the Costa Mesa Justice Complex, which the list reserves for probate and mental health.
- Felony trials are assigned to whichever justice center has an open trial courtroom.
- The District Attorney lists an office at each of the four criminal justice centers.
- 10 days to ask the DMV for a hearing; the court handles the criminal case only.
from the date you were served with the notice to demand a hearing from California Department of Motor Vehicles. The request goes to the DMV, not to the court, and no judge in Orange County will make it for you. Cal. Veh. Code § 13558(b).
People search for an Orange County DUI lawyer as well as for one in a particular city, and the court is organised around the county: one Superior Court for the whole county, with criminal cases filed at one of four justice centers. The law is California’s Vehicle Code, and the penalty ladder is on the California DUI law page.
What makes Orange County easy to navigate — once you know it exists — is that the court publishes the map. Its Presiding Judge’s Court Designation List, effective June 30, 2025, lists every city and the justice center where its criminal and traffic cases are filed. That list is the backbone of this page.
The same diagram as a table
| Step | Criminal case — decided by a court | License case — decided by a state agency |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrest and booking, hour 0 | Notice of suspension served, day 0 |
| 2 | Charge filed by the prosecutor | Deadline to demand a hearing: 7 to 30 days in the eight states on this site that use an agency hearing |
| 3 | First court setting, on a date the court picks | Hearing held if the request was filed — whether the suspension waits for the ruling is set by each state's statute |
| 4 | One or more pretrial settings | Suspension takes effect automatically with no hearing |
| 5 | Trial, plea or dismissal | — |
| Clock | Weeks to months. No filing deadline runs against the driver. | Counted in days from the notice, and fixed by statute. |
The four justice centers that hear criminal cases
The designation list states that criminal cases are filed according to its matrix and that, unless the court designates otherwise, misdemeanor cases are tried where the matrix says. A first, second or third DUI in California is a misdemeanor, so for those cases the matrix is the answer. The other justice centers on the court’s list do other work: civil cases at the Central Justice Center and the Civil Complex Center, probate and mental health at the Costa Mesa Justice Complex, and juvenile, family and domestic violence cases at the Lamoreaux Justice Center.
Central Justice Center
- Hears
- Criminal and traffic cases from Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Villa Park
- Building
- Central Justice Center
- Address
- 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701
- Detail
- Also the court’s center for civil, small claims and unlawful detainer cases
- Phone
- 714-834-3952 (District Attorney branch)
North Justice Center
- Hears
- Criminal and traffic cases from Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia and Yorba Linda
- Building
- North Justice Center
- Address
- 1275 N Berkeley Ave, Fullerton, CA 92832
- Detail
- Eight cities on the court’s designation list
- Phone
- 714-773-4480 (District Attorney branch)
Harbor Justice Center — Newport Beach
- Hears
- Criminal and traffic cases from thirteen cities, including Irvine, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo and San Clemente
- Building
- Harbor Justice Center
- Address
- 4601 Jamboree Rd, Newport Beach, CA 92660
- Detail
- The largest group of cities on the designation list
- Phone
- 949-476-4650 (District Attorney branch)
Stephen K. Tamura — West Justice Center
- Hears
- Criminal and traffic cases from nine cities, including Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Westminster and Costa Mesa
- Building
- Stephen K. Tamura — West Justice Center
- Address
- 8141 13th St, Westminster, CA 92683
- Detail
- Costa Mesa’s criminal cases come here, not to the Costa Mesa Justice Complex
- Phone
- 714-896-7261 (District Attorney branch)
Department CJ1 — Orange County Men’s Jail
- Hears
- A courtroom listed by the court at the men’s jail
- Building
- Orange County Men’s Jail
- Address
- 550 N Flower St, Santa Ana, CA 92703
- Detail
- Listed among the court’s locations
The Costa Mesa Justice Complex, at 3390 Harbor Blvd., is a court building in Costa Mesa. It is not where a Costa Mesa DUI goes. The designation list sends Costa Mesa’s criminal and traffic cases to the Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center in Westminster, and assigns the Costa Mesa complex probate, mental health and elder abuse restraining order cases.
Two more details from the list are worth knowing. First, the criminal column and the traffic column name the same justice center for every one of the 34 cities, so a ticket written at the same stop is heard in the same building as the DUI. Second, felonies are handled differently: the court states that felony trials are assigned by the availability of open trial courtrooms at any of the justice centers, so a felony DUI may be tried somewhere other than the city’s center.
The court also lists a courtroom, Department CJ1, at the Orange County Men’s Jail, 550 N Flower St in Santa Ana, among its locations.
Not sure which court your case is in?
Enter the ZIP code where the arrest happened and the full form opens with it filled in.
The first ten days
The criminal case runs through the justice center. The license case does not. After a reading at or above the limit, or a refusal, the officer serves a notice of suspension, and under Vehicle Code section 13558(b) you have 10 days to request a hearing from the DMV. Section 13353.3(a) makes the suspension effective on the thirtieth day after service. No justice center on the designation list takes that request.
The court’s criminal division describes its charging documents as citations, complaints, informations and grand jury indictments. The court points defendants to its online services for case information, and to its self-help pages for obtaining appointed counsel and for appearing after a missed date.
| What happened | First time | With a prior | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the test | 4 months | 1 year | Cal. Veh. Code § 13353.3(b) |
| Refused the test | 1 year | 2 years (revocation) | Cal. Veh. Code § 23612(a)(1)(D) |
The DUI programs the court lists
The penalty ranges are the same everywhere in California and are on the California DUI law page. The piece that is visibly local is the alcohol program. The court states that it may impose an alcohol education or drug diversion program as a condition of a sentence or probation, and it links the Orange County Health Care Agency’s lists of DUI program providers by length:
- a 12-hour program provider, for drivers aged 18 to 20;
- 3-month, 6-month, 9-month, 12-month and 18-month program providers;
- a wet reckless provider.
The lengths line up with the statute. Vehicle Code section 23538(b) sets a first offender under 0.20 at a program of at least 30 hours over at least three months, and a first offender at 0.20 or above, or after a refusal, at least 60 hours over at least nine months. The DUI classes guide sets those against the other states on this site. For programs outside the county, the court points to the California Department of Health Care Services provider directory.
On the prosecution side, the District Attorney lists its main office at 300 North Flower Street in Santa Ana and an office in each of the Central, North, Harbor and West justice centers, each with its own telephone number.
Which justice center, city by city
This is the court’s designation list, grouped by justice center. Find the city where you were stopped.
| Situation | County | Where the case goes |
|---|---|---|
| Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin, Villa Park | Orange | Central Justice Center, Santa Ana |
| Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia, Yorba Linda | Orange | North Justice Center, Fullerton |
| Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano | Orange | Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach |
| Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton, Westminster | Orange | West Justice Center, Westminster |
From the court’s Court Designation List (effective June 30, 2025). The criminal and traffic columns name the same justice center for every city. Felony trials, the court says, are assigned by the availability of open trial courtrooms at any justice center.
The list is organised by city, so a stop in an unincorporated area is not on it; the paperwork from the arrest names the court. For Southern California’s other two counties on this site, see Los Angeles, where the question is which prosecutor, and San Diego, where it is which of four regional courthouses.
Common questions about Orange County DUI cases
Which court will my Orange County DUI be in?
The justice center the court's designation list assigns to the city where you were stopped. Central Justice Center in Santa Ana takes Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Villa Park; North Justice Center in Fullerton takes eight cities including Anaheim and Fullerton; Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach takes thirteen including Irvine; West Justice Center in Westminster takes nine including Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa.
Where does a Costa Mesa DUI go?
To the Stephen K. Tamura West Justice Center, 8141 13th St, Westminster. The Costa Mesa Justice Complex is designated for probate, mental health and elder abuse restraining order cases, not criminal cases.
Where does an Irvine or Newport Beach DUI go?
Both cities are assigned to the Harbor Justice Center, 4601 Jamboree Rd, Newport Beach.
Where does an Anaheim DUI go?
Anaheim is assigned to the North Justice Center, 1275 N Berkeley Ave, Fullerton.
How long do I have to request a DMV hearing after an Orange County arrest?
Ten days from the notice, under Vehicle Code section 13558(b). The request goes to the California DMV, not to a justice center, and the suspension takes effect on the thirtieth day after service.
What DUI programs does the Orange County court use?
The court links the Orange County Health Care Agency's lists of DUI program providers: a 12-hour program for drivers aged 18 to 20, 3-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 18-month programs, and a wet reckless provider.
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More for California
- California DUI law — the full penalty matrix, the statutes, and the rules on priors and interlock
- San Diego — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Los Angeles — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Sacramento — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Santa Rosa and Sonoma County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Fresno — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- San Francisco — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Bakersfield and Kern County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- San Bernardino — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Napa — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- San Jose and Santa Clara County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Santa Cruz — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Alameda County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Contra Costa County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- San Mateo County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Solano County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Santa Barbara — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Redding and Shasta County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Visalia and Tulare County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Refusing a breathalyzer — what implied consent costs here against what it buys
- How long it stays on your record — three records, three clocks
- SR-22 insurance after a California suspension — what the filing certifies and how long it runs
- Ignition interlock providers and costs in California — what the device costs and who installs it
Sources
- Superior Court of California, County of Orange, Court Designation List (PDF) — read September 25, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Orange, locations — read September 25, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Orange, Criminal division — read September 25, 2026
- Superior Court of California, County of Orange, alcohol and drug program information — read September 25, 2026
- Orange County District Attorney, court offices — read September 25, 2026
- Cal. Veh. Code § 23152(b) and the rest of the California statutes cited on this page — read in force 2026
Court addresses, hours and phone numbers were read from each court’s or office’s own published page on September 25, 2026. Those change without notice; confirm before you rely on them. No judge is named anywhere on this page, because a roster is exactly the kind of detail that goes stale silently.