Alpine County Courthouse: Finding Your Case and Court Date

Criminal cases in Alpine County go to one place: Alpine County Superior Court, 14777 CA-89, Markleeville, CA 96120, phone (530) 694-2113. The court keeps no online case-search option, so every case search goes through court staff at the Clerk's Office.

This guide is part of our statewide California courthouse and jail directory. Need to check whether someone is actually in custody? The court's own Criminal Division page says Alpine County has no jail facilities, that jail services are contracted with El Dorado County and Calaveras County, and that the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe, (530) 573-3031, can give an inmate's status; our Alpine County Jail guide explains the rest.

Which courthouse hears a criminal case in Alpine County?

Alpine County Superior Court sits in a single building in Markleeville, and its Criminal Division page confirms that the District Attorney's cases are calendared there.

The court's own Criminal Division page says defendants charged by the District Attorney's Office are scheduled to appear on calendar Mondays at 1:30 p.m.

"The District Attorney investigates and prosecutes criminal violations of state law and county ordinances occurring within the county. Defendants who are charged with a criminal offense and have had a complaint filed against them by the District Attorney's Office are scheduled to appear on calendar Mondays at 1:30 P.M. at the Alpine County Courthouse."

The citation, notice to appear, or other paperwork from the arrest should already name the specific hearing date; confirm it with that paperwork or by calling the courthouse directly.

How do you look up an Alpine County criminal case?

Alpine County Superior Court offers no online case-search portal and no public access terminal, so case information comes from court staff directly.

"Alpine County Superior Court does not currently offer online access to court records via a public portal, nor is there a public access terminal located at the Markleeville courthouse. All search/research requests and copy requests are performed by court staff."

1. Call the courthouse at (530) 694-2113 with the defendant's name or case number if you have it.
2. The court does not post calendar PDFs for individual cases in advance. Its own site says to contact the Clerk's Office with your case number to ask about a hearing, rather than searching a calendar yourself.
3. Separate yearly PDFs show which days the court sits in 2026 and 2027, useful for planning a visit even though they will not tell you about one specific case.

What happens at your first court appearance, and is bail involved?

At arraignment the judge explains the charges and right to counsel, asks for a plea and addresses bail, within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays, for anyone held in custody.

A person cited and released is not on that clock. Penal Code section 825(a)(1) sets the limit:

"the defendant shall in all cases be taken before the magistrate without unnecessary delay, and, in any event, within 48 hours after his or her arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays."

When those hours would run out while court is closed, Penal Code section 825(a)(2) stretches the deadline across the entire next session rather than stopping partway through it:

"that time shall be extended to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following."

A separate rule applies if the arrest happens on a Wednesday after that day's session has already closed: as long as the Wednesday itself is not a court holiday, the defendant must be brought before a judge no later than the following Friday, unless Friday too falls on a court holiday.

The judge who holds that first hearing also decides bail, and the court's Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, effective January 1, 2025, is only the opening figure. Because Alpine has no jail and uses El Dorado County's jail services, the court's Notice of Adoption adopted the El Dorado County Superior Court's 2023 bail schedule as Alpine's schedule until a revised version is adopted, which is why the document is headed County of El Dorado.

"bail must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable, in order to effectuate the defendant's constitutional right to pretrial release on bail"

The California Supreme Court wrote that line in In re Kowalczyk (April 2026), the same decision that, outside capital cases, limits an outright bail denial to the narrow list of offenses in California Constitution article I, section 12, subdivisions (b) and (c). The older case behind it, In re Humphrey (2021), requires a judge who sets money bail to consider the person's ability to pay and to consider nonfinancial conditions of release. Our Alpine County Jail guide has the schedule link and the posting mechanics; see how California bail amounts are set and What Happens at an Arraignment in California for the statewide rule.

Can you appear remotely in an Alpine County criminal case?

Alpine County Superior Court has a dedicated page for requesting a remote appearance, though how it applies depends on whether the charge is a felony or a misdemeanor.

Felony defendants and their attorneys must personally appear at arraignment, information arraignments, probation or parole violation hearings, sentencing, and any evidentiary proceeding, unless the court authorizes otherwise.

"Felonies: Unless otherwise authorized by the court, defendants and their attorney are required to personally appear at arraignments on a criminal complaint, arraignments on information, arraignments on a violation of probation, violation of parole/(PRCS) petitions, sentencing hearings, and at all evidentiary proceedings."

Misdemeanor defendants and their attorneys may appear remotely in non-evidentiary proceedings, subject to the court's power to require an in-person appearance, and need leave of court to appear remotely at an evidentiary hearing. Felony defendants may appear remotely at non-evidentiary proceedings not on the list above, on the same terms. In either kind of case the request goes on the court's own Request for Remote Appearance (ALP-CR-002), posted on its Remote Appearances page, and the Zoom invitation comes by email from the clerk's office. That split tracks Penal Code section 977 statewide, which keeps felony sentencing off the remote-appearance table except for postconviction relief or as the law otherwise provides.

What should you bring, and how do you request an interpreter?

Bring the papers that show your court date, and call the clerk during phone hours with your case number; an interpreter is free in a criminal case.

The court's Criminal Division page asks you to keep every court paper you receive, because the citation, cash bail receipt, notice of hearing, signed promise to appear or notice to appear shows the day and time you must appear, and to have your docket (case) number ready when you call the Clerk's Office. Since February 2, 2026, the clerk's counter and phone hours are 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, and the court's business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The criminal calendar sits Mondays at 1:30 p.m. and moves to Tuesday when the Monday is a court holiday. If your notice to appear mentions a booking appointment, the court says to schedule it with the Alpine County Sheriff's Office, 99 Water Street, Markleeville, (530) 694-2231, before the arraignment; walk-ins are not accepted, you bring all legal documents about the case, and booking carries a fee.

For language help, California's Constitution guarantees an interpreter throughout the case:

"A person unable to understand English who is charged with a crime has a right to an interpreter throughout the proceedings."

In a criminal case, ask for the interpreter as soon as you know you have to go to court, as the Judicial Council's interpreter guide advises, or have your attorney tell the court. Alpine County Superior Court's own Language Access Information page links a Request for Interpreter Form, which is the Judicial Council's civil form (INT-300), and a separate complaint form for language access issues.

"To request an interpreter or file a language access complaint, see the resources below. Language Access Services. Request for Interpreter Form (PDF). Language Access Services Complaint Form (PDF)."

Under Evidence Code section 752(b)(1), the interpreter's cost in a criminal case is a charge against the court, not against the defendant.

Who are Alpine County's public defender, district attorney, and probation department?

Alpine County contracts its indigent criminal defense to a private law office instead of running a public defender's office; the District Attorney and Probation both list Markleeville addresses.

If you cannot afford a lawyer, tell the judge at your arraignment; the court must appoint counsel once you ask and show you cannot afford to hire one. A defendant does not have to wait for appointed counsel to act; see the firm's criminal defense lawyer overview for what hiring a lawyer directly involves. The District Attorney's Office keeps standard business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Does Alpine County have collaborative or treatment courts?

Alpine County Superior Court's own site does not list a specialty or collaborative court, such as a drug court, separate from its regular criminal calendar. Ask your attorney whether a diversion or treatment option under state law could apply to your case.

Whatever the charge named in your paperwork, you can search for it in our criminal defense topics from A to Z.

Talk to a lawyer about your Alpine County case

If you or a family member has a criminal case in Alpine County, talk to a lawyer before the arraignment. The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offers a free, confidential consultation, available 24 hours a day, with payment plans and service in Spanish. Call (800) 755-5174, or request a free consultation online.

Frequently asked questions

Does Alpine County have more than one courthouse?

No. Every case, criminal included, goes through the single building at 14777 CA-89 in Markleeville.

Is there a fee for a court interpreter in an Alpine County criminal case?

No. Evidence Code section 752(b)(1) makes that cost a charge against the court, not the person charged, for anyone who does not understand English.

Does a remote appearance work the same way for a felony and a misdemeanor in Alpine County?

No. A misdemeanor defendant may qualify for a remote, non-evidentiary appearance at the court's discretion; a felony defendant generally must appear in person for arraignment, the preliminary hearing, and sentencing. Ask the court or your attorney which applies.

What if I cannot afford my own lawyer in Alpine County?

Tell the judge at arraignment. Alpine contracts its public defender services to a private attorney, and the court must appoint one once you ask and show you cannot afford to hire your own.

What if I cannot make it to my Alpine County hearing?

Missing a required court date can lead the judge to issue a bench warrant (Penal Code section 978.5(a)), and willfully failing to appear can be charged as a separate crime (Penal Code sections 853.7 and 1320). To clear an Alpine warrant, the court says to come to its Monday 1:30 p.m. Criminal Calendar and suggests calling the clerk first, since jury trial weeks have none. Call your attorney the moment you realize you will not make it.

Does Alpine County's bail schedule apply even if I think I cannot afford it?

The posted figure is only a starting point. Under In re Humphrey and In re Kowalczyk, a judge who sets money bail must consider your ability to pay and nonfinancial conditions of release, and the amount must generally be reasonably attainable, not just the schedule figure applied automatically.