Calaveras County's only courthouse, and the one that hears every criminal case in the county, is the Calaveras Superior Court at 400 Government Center Drive, San Andreas, CA 95249, where the main line is (209) 754-9800. Window hours are Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Which courthouse hears a criminal case in Calaveras County?
Calaveras Superior Court runs one courthouse building, in San Andreas, and that single location handles every case type the county files, including every criminal charge.
| Court | Address | Phone | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calaveras Superior Court | 400 Government Center Drive, San Andreas, CA 95249-9794 | (209) 754-9800 | Courthouse Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
The court's own Clerk's Office window hours are Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; its phone hours run Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The court's own list of divisions covers CARE Act, Civil, Criminal, Family Court Services, Juvenile, Probate, Small Claims and Traffic, all at this one address; there is no second criminal courthouse elsewhere in the county. For custody information rather than a court date, see our Calaveras County Jail guide; for other counties, see our courthouse and jail guides by county.
How do you look up a Calaveras County criminal case online?
Calaveras Superior Court uses one Tyler Technologies online portal for case search and payments, and no account is needed to look up a public case.
- Go to the court's Online Search portal, labeled "Online Search" on the court's own homepage.
- Search using the on-screen tools; the court's own Court Calendars page says courtroom calendaring information is now located on this same portal.
- Expect certain details to be withheld. California Rule of Court 2.507(c) bars a court's public electronic calendar, index or register of actions from showing a date of birth, a driver's license number, or arrest warrant information.
- If the case cannot be found online, call the Clerk's Office during its phone hours, Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
What happens at your first court date in Calaveras County?
At the arraignment the judge tells you the charge and your right to counsel, asks for a plea, and can set or change bail.
California law sets an outside limit for reaching a judge when someone is held in custody after an arrest. Penal Code section 825(a)(1) requires that
"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."
If those 48 hours run out while court is not in session, the deadline extends through the close of that next court session, on the following court day (Penal Code section 825(a)(2)), and someone arrested on a Wednesday after court closes must be brought before a judge by Friday, if neither day is a court holiday. This is a deadline for reaching a judge, not a charging deadline, and not a promise of release.
A schedule figure is only a starting point. Calaveras Superior Court's own Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, adopted under Penal Code section 1269b and California Rule of Court 4.102, states its own effective date as November 1, 2016, and is the version the court's Fees and Bail Schedules page links. (The court's separate Judicial Council 2026 Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule covers only traffic, boating, fish and wildlife, public utilities, parks and recreation and business licensing infractions and misdemeanors, not a general arrest.) Penal Code section 1269b(b) lets the figure a judge actually sets at arraignment take over from the schedule, and Penal Code section 1269c lets the defendant, an attorney, a friend or a relative ask for a lower figure or own recognizance release before that, unless the charge is one listed in Penal Code section 1270.1. The California Supreme Court tightened how that figure gets set. Under In re Humphrey (2021), a judge who needs money bail must look at whether the person can actually pay it, and at whether a nonfinancial condition instead, such as supervision or monitoring, could reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure the person's appearance in court. In re Kowalczyk, decided April 30, 2026, went further: money bail must generally be set at an amount that is reasonably attainable for that person, and a judge can refuse bail altogether, outside a capital case, only for the narrow list of offenses in California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c). See how California bail amounts are set and how a bail hearing works for the fuller statewide picture.
Can you appear remotely in a Calaveras County criminal case?
Calaveras Superior Court's own page describes attending a hearing through Microsoft Teams, but it does not state which criminal proceedings qualify or how to ask.
The court's Remote Appearances Overview page says it "has instructions and other helpful information on how to attend a hearing remotely using Microsoft Teams," and links client downloads, self-help guides and hardware requirements, but names no criminal proceeding that qualifies, no process for asking, and no form to use. Until the court publishes that detail, call the Clerk's Office or ask your attorney before assuming a hearing can be attended by video. Penal Code section 977 sets a statewide floor local practice cannot shrink. A misdemeanor-only defendant may appear through a lawyer and, if they agree, remotely for most proceedings, with three exceptions: presence is required for arraignment and sentencing in a domestic violence case, and a judge may order presence in a DUI case. A felony defendant must be physically present at the arraignment, the plea, the preliminary hearing, the evidence portions of trial and sentencing unless the defendant waives that right, and two things stay off-limits for anyone: a jury or court trial cannot be remote, and felony sentencing cannot be remote outside postconviction relief proceedings or another law that says otherwise.
How do you request an interpreter in a Calaveras County criminal case?
File the court's local Request for Interpreter form or ask the clerk at the counter, and the court provides one at no cost to the defendant.
Calaveras Superior Court's own Language Interpreter page says to "complete the local Request for Interpreter Form or inform a Clerk at the counter," and that the court "will provide a language interpreter by Language Line, or your matter will be continued to another date when a foreign language interpreter can be available." That local form is the practical step, but two separate sources back the underlying right: California Constitution article I, section 14 gives anyone charged with a crime who cannot understand English a right to an interpreter through every stage of the case, while Evidence Code section 752(b)(1) is where the no-cost rule actually lives, making the interpreter's pay a charge against the court rather than the defendant.
What should you bring, and what happens at the courthouse door?
Bring your citation or notice to appear, leave anything that could be a weapon in the car, and allow time for security screening at the San Andreas courthouse.
The citation or notice to appear names the time and place you must appear (Penal Code section 853.6). The court's Court Etiquette and Security page says everyone entering the courthouse is subject to search, including a metal detector and an x-ray of bags and pocket contents, and that anyone who leaves and comes back is screened again, so plan extra time; a person carrying a prohibited item must take it back to the car or surrender it before entering. Electronic devices must be silenced or turned off in the courtroom unless the judge allows otherwise.
Who are Calaveras County's district attorney and probation offices, and how do you get a court-appointed lawyer?
The District Attorney and the Probation Department both have San Andreas offices, and a defendant who cannot afford a lawyer can ask the court to appoint one.
| Office | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Calaveras County District Attorney | 891 Mountain Ranch Road, Building G, San Andreas, CA 95249 | (209) 754-6330 |
| Calaveras County Probation Department | 23 E. Saint Charles, San Andreas, CA 95249 | (209) 754-6466 |
Penal Code sections 858 and 859 require the judge to spell out your right to counsel the moment you are arraigned, and Penal Code section 987 obligates the court to appoint a lawyer once you say you want one and cannot pay for it yourself. The court's main line is (209) 754-9800, and the Probation Department's page lists its office hours as Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Does Calaveras County have collaborative or treatment courts?
Calaveras Superior Court's own list of divisions names a CARE Act court alongside its ordinary criminal, civil, family, juvenile, probate and traffic divisions.
Calaveras Superior Court's own navigation lists CARE Act Court as one of its divisions, alongside Civil, Criminal, Family Court Services, Juvenile, Probate, Small Claims and Traffic. The court describes the CARE Act as a process for people with schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders that begins when a petitioner, such as a family member, files a petition with the court, and that can lead to a CARE agreement or a court-ordered plan including treatment and housing. Under the current statute, Welfare and Institutions Code section 5972(b), the qualifying diagnoses are schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, or bipolar I disorder with psychotic features, but not psychosis related to current intoxication. A criminal defense lawyer can tell you which options a specific charge may have.
Talk to a lawyer about your Calaveras County case
If you or a loved one is set to appear in a Calaveras County criminal case, talk to a lawyer before the arraignment date in San Andreas. 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
How soon will someone held in the Calaveras County Jail see a judge?
Within 48 hours of the arrest, not counting Sundays and holidays, for a person kept in custody (Penal Code section 825(a)(1)). When that time ends while court is closed, it stretches through the end of the next court session on the following court day, and after a Wednesday arrest that comes once court has closed, the hearing must happen by Friday unless the Wednesday or the Friday is a court holiday.
Do I need an account to search the Calaveras County case portal?
No. The portal's own notice says an account is not required to search for hearings, court calendars or register of actions; registration is only for attorneys of record and justice partners.
How much is bail in Calaveras County?
The starting figure comes from Calaveras Superior Court's own Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, the version the court links, which carries a November 1, 2016 effective date. It is only a starting figure: a judge can set it differently at arraignment, and In re Kowalczyk (2026) requires any money bail that is set to be an amount the person can generally, reasonably attain.
Can a witness testify remotely in a Calaveras County criminal case?
A misdemeanor or felony case allows it, other than at a felony trial, but only once both sides and the court agree on the record (Penal Code section 977.3); the defendant's own presence is governed separately, by Penal Code section 977.
Do I need a lawyer at my first Calaveras County court appearance?
It is a right, not a requirement. Penal Code sections 858 and 859 make the judge spell out your right to counsel at arraignment, and Penal Code section 987 puts the court on the hook to appoint one if you cannot pay for a lawyer yourself.
What if I already missed a Calaveras County court date?
A missed date can lead to a bench warrant (Penal Code section 978.5), and willfully breaking a written promise to appear can be charged as its own separate misdemeanor regardless of the original charge (Penal Code section 853.7). Talk to a lawyer before you decide what to do next.
Can the Self-Help Legal Center help with a Calaveras County criminal case?
No. The court's own self-help topics run to name changes, landlord-tenant evictions, guardianships, small claims and family court matters, with no criminal case type among them; call the court's main line, (209) 754-9800, instead.