Which Court Hears a Criminal Case Connected to Fontana?

The San Bernardino County Superior Court's Fontana District, 17780 Arrow Boulevard, Fontana, CA 92335, handles small claims, landlord-tenant, traffic, probate and civil harassment matters, not felony or misdemeanor cases. A Fontana-area criminal case is filed and heard at the Rancho Cucamonga District, 8303 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, instead.

Why doesn't the Fontana courthouse hear a criminal case?

The Superior Court's own filing rules give the Fontana building traffic, infraction, probate and civil matters, and send every felony or misdemeanor case from Fontana to Rancho Cucamonga instead.

The court's own location page lists Fontana's "Cases Served" as small claims, landlord-tenant, probate, traffic and civil harassment, nothing more. Its county-wide "Where Can I File?" page confirms the same scope in more detail: "Limited Landlord-Tenant," "Non-Traffic Infractions," "Small Claims," "Traffic Infractions," "Traffic Appeals," "Conservatorship/LPS," "Guardianships," "Probate," "Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining Orders," "CARE Act Proceedings," "Civil Harassment," "Gun Violence Restraining Orders," "Postsecondary School Protective Orders" and "Workplace Violence," with a footnote that "All matters in San Bernardino County" under the CARE Act "are filed and heard at the Fontana District." Felony and misdemeanor appear on neither list. If a criminal citation, notice to appear or release paperwork names Fontana, check the address and department printed on that document before heading to either building.

Caption: What each courthouse handles, from the Superior Court's own pages.

Where is a Fontana-area felony or misdemeanor case actually heard?

A felony or misdemeanor arrest connected to Fontana goes to the Rancho Cucamonga District, which the court also lists for Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Rialto, Upland and other nearby communities.

The court's filing rules assign Fontana's felony and misdemeanor cases to Rancho Cucamonga District, 8303 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730, alongside cases from Rialto, Ontario, Upland, Montclair, Chino, Chino Hills, Etiwanda, Alta Loma and parts of Pomona, plus unincorporated Bloomington, Crestmore, Mt. Baldy and Lytle Creek. The firm's San Bernardino County courthouse assignment guide covers the other three criminal courthouses in the county, and its own Rancho Cucamonga courthouse guide covers this particular building's departments, bail and prosecution contacts in full.

How do you find your case and court date?

The Superior Court's Case Information Online portal accepts the case or citation number printed on the paperwork; the court's own FAQ page covers the portal's other features.

Enter the number from the citation, notice to appear, arrest paperwork or bail receipt into the Case Information Online portal, then confirm the courthouse and department it returns against the address on your own paperwork. A person still in custody can instead be looked up through the Sheriff's Inmate Locator. See the firm's San Bernardino County criminal court guide for how a criminal case moves through the county generally.

What happens at the first court date, and what is the 48-hour rule?

A person held in custody over a Fontana-area arrest must reach a judge within 48 hours, not counting Sundays and holidays; someone cited and released instead follows their own paperwork.

Penal Code 825(a)(1) sets that 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." If the deadline lands while court is closed, subdivision (a)(2) extends it "to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following," and separately, "when the defendant's arrest occurs on a Wednesday after the conclusion of the day's court session, and if the Wednesday is not a court holiday, the defendant shall be taken before the magistrate not later than the following Friday, if the Friday is not a court holiday." Arraignment is where the charges get read and a plea gets entered. A case that continues past that point moves on a fixed clock, absent a waiver or good cause either way: Penal Code 859b sets the preliminary hearing within 10 court days of the arraignment or plea, whichever is later, while Penal Code 1382 sets a felony trial within 60 days of arraignment on an indictment or information, and a misdemeanor trial within 30 days of arraignment or plea, whichever is later, if the defendant is in custody then, or 45 days otherwise. For the hearing itself, start to finish, see what happens at a California arraignment.

Bail and release for a Rancho Cucamonga-bound case

Before a first court appearance, bail starts from the county's written schedule; from arraignment on, the judge weighs the individual defendant.

In re Humphrey (2021) already required a judge to weigh a defendant's ability to pay and any nonfinancial release option before setting money bail, and the Supreme Court's In re Kowalczyk, decided April 30, 2026, sharpened that further: bail "must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable," and in a noncapital case, denying it outright is only on the table for the offenses California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c) names. Against that backdrop, San Bernardino's own Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule (effective January 1, 2026, last revised June 4) is only a starting point, by its own description "a guideline" where "pre-arraignment bail amounts are not binding on judicial officers at arraignment." The firm's answer on how California bail amounts are set goes through the schedule and these factors at greater length.

Can a lawyer appear instead of the defendant?

In a misdemeanor case, counsel alone can often appear; a felony case generally needs the defendant there in person for the key hearings unless the court allows otherwise.

Penal Code 977(a) lets a misdemeanor defendant appear through counsel for most hearings, with exceptions for a domestic violence charge, a protective order violation under section 273.6, and a DUI case where the judge orders the defendant to attend. A felony charge is a different story under Penal Code 977(b): the defendant has to actually be there for the arraignment, entering the plea, the preliminary hearing, the parts of trial where evidence comes in, and sentencing, though a waiver can shift the steps before trial onto remote technology. That waiver has real limits: by the statute's own words, "a defendant charged with a felony or misdemeanor shall not appear remotely for a jury trial or court trial," and "a defendant charged with a felony shall not appear remotely at sentencing, except for postconviction relief proceedings and as otherwise provided by law" (Penal Code 977(c)(1)(D), (E)). None of the court's technology pages change any of this for a criminal matter; its civil, traffic, small claims, landlord-tenant, probate and juvenile dependency calendars have remote options of their own, but criminal proceedings are left off that list entirely, so confirm with the assigned department or defense counsel before assuming a remote appearance is available.

Getting to the Rancho Cucamonga courthouse

The Fontana building is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but a Fontana-area criminal visitor needs the Rancho Cucamonga address instead, where the court's weapons screening applies.

Bags and loose items go through an x-ray screening on entry, and the posted rules keep out firearms, any length of knife and a long list of other sharp or dangerous items, with narrow carve-outs for officers and authorized repair crews. The firm's Rancho Cucamonga courthouse guide has the exit, parking and drop-box details for that specific building; the Fontana District itself, by contrast, keeps its own drop box for the small claims, traffic and landlord-tenant paperwork it actually handles.

Who prosecutes and defends a Fontana-area case?

The District Attorney's West Valley Division and the Public Defender's Rancho Cucamonga/West Valley Division both sit inside the Rancho Cucamonga courthouse, not the Fontana building.

Caption: Prosecution, defense and probation offices inside the Rancho Cucamonga courthouse, from each office's own page.

Speaking up at arraignment is what starts the process: Penal Code 987(a) puts the court on notice, and the office that takes the case does so "without expense to the defendant" by Government Code 27706(a)'s own terms. The firm's San Bernardino County public defender guide walks through how eligibility and the office assignment actually work across the county, and a defendant weighing the alternative can read the statewide public defender versus private attorney comparison.

Talk to a lawyer about a Fontana-area case

If you or a family member has a case connected to Fontana, talk to a lawyer before the next court date. 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. See the firm's Fontana criminal defense page.

Frequently asked questions

Are the Fontana courthouse and the Rancho Cucamonga courthouse the same building?

No. They are separate San Bernardino County Superior Court locations: the Fontana District at 17780 Arrow Boulevard, Fontana, and the Rancho Cucamonga District at 8303 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga.

Can I pay a Fontana traffic ticket at this courthouse?

Yes. Traffic infractions from the Fontana area are filed and paid at the Fontana District itself, including its drop box for check or money order payments; felony and misdemeanor cases are the ones that go to Rancho Cucamonga instead.

My paperwork says Fontana, but I was told to go to Rancho Cucamonga. Which is right?

Follow the courthouse, address and department printed on your actual citation, notice to appear or court minute order, since that reflects the court's current filing rule for your type of case; a felony or misdemeanor matter connected to Fontana belongs at the Rancho Cucamonga District.

Does the Fontana courthouse have any role in a criminal matter at all?

Only indirectly. Its own case list is limited to small claims, landlord-tenant, traffic, probate, civil harassment and CARE Act proceedings; a person with a related civil harassment or landlord-tenant matter may still have business there even while a criminal case proceeds at Rancho Cucamonga.

What if someone was arrested in Fontana and is in custody right now?

Check the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Inmate Locator by name; a Fontana-area arrest can end up booked at more than one facility in the county, and the firm's San Bernardino County jails guide walks through that system in full.

Who do I call with questions about a scheduled Rancho Cucamonga court date?

The Rancho Cucamonga District's criminal line is (909) 350-9764, answered Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.