The Larson Justice Center, at 46-200 Oasis Street in Indio, is the Riverside County Superior Court's criminal courthouse for the desert region, covering Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage. Weekday hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; the clerk's phone, (760) 393-2617, is answered until 2:00 p.m.
The courthouse to attend is the one named on your citation, notice to appear or release paperwork; the court files a case by the city or zip code of the alleged offense, not where you live.
How do I look up my case and court date at the Larson Justice Center?
The court's Public Portal shows a case's filings and hearings for the coming week, and the Sheriff's inmate search finds someone in custody by booking number or name.
- From the court's Search Court Records, Public Access page, open the Public Portal, which requires an online account.
- Enter your case number; the portal does not charge for a case number search. A name search is not free: one self-service credit costs $1, and a search run by court staff costs $15 per name.
- Check the portal's calendar, which covers the current day and up to seven days ahead, with each hearing's time, type and department.
- Locate the courtroom: the court's own Larson Justice Center page lists Departments 1A and 1B on the first floor, 2E through 2K on the second and 3M through 3T on the third.
- When you arrive, check the posted calendar for your name and courtroom; if it is not listed, the court says to go to the Criminal Clerk's Office.
For someone already in custody, the Riverside County Sheriff's Inmate Information System searches by booking number, or by last name with first name, date of birth and sex to narrow the results.
Which criminal cases does the Larson Justice Center hear, and from which cities?
It hears felony and misdemeanor charges, DUI included, from nine desert cities, and the court lists criminal, traffic, family law and juvenile matters for this building.
The filing courthouse follows the zip code of the alleged offense under Local Rule 4001, and a case usually stays there or moves to another courthouse in the same region. The presiding judge's order on where criminal and traffic cases are filed lists these for the Larson Justice Center:
Cities and case types assigned to the Larson Justice Center, from the court's own administrative order.
| Case type | Cities | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Felonies, misdemeanors and infractions | Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage | Communities in the order also include Bermuda Dunes, Thousand Palms, Mecca, Thermal, Indio Hills, North Shore and Desert Center |
| Habeas corpus petitions | The whole Desert Region | Filed at the Larson Justice Center regardless of which desert city the case is from |
The court's administrative order names no Palm Springs courthouse for criminal filings, so a Palm Springs arrest is a Larson Justice Center case. Blythe-area cases go to the separate Blythe Courthouse instead. For the county's other courthouses, see the firm's guide to which Riverside County courthouse hears a case; the Riverside County criminal court guide explains the countywide deadlines and tracks after arraignment.
What are the hours, and what should I expect at security?
The building is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, but the clerk's phones are answered only until 2:00 p.m., and every visitor goes through a metal detector.
What the court's own Larson Justice Center page publishes.
| Item | What the court says |
|---|---|
| Building hours | Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Clerk's phone hours | 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except court holidays |
| Drop box | Open until 4:00 p.m.; a deposit after that is processed the next court day |
| Entrance and security | Main entrance on the north side, with a ramp and an automated door; metal detector screening |
| Parking | Public parking near all the courthouses in the Indio complex, with 22 accessible spaces in the area |
The Larson Justice Center is a three-story building. The court's own list of items not allowed in court buildings bars any firearm or replica gun, knives with blades of any length, box cutters, razors, hand tools such as hammers and ice picks, pepper gas, mace, tear gas, lighters and glass containers. Courtrooms add their own dress and conduct rules: shirt and shoes on, no tank tops or T-shirts, no food, drinks or gum, and cell phones turned off.
What happens at the first court date, and what are the deadlines?
Your first hearing is the arraignment: a judicial officer explains the charges and your rights, and you enter a plea of not guilty, guilty or no contest.
Arraignment includes a copy of the complaint, though in a misdemeanor case Penal Code section 988 requires one only if the defendant asks. Custody triggers Penal Code section 825's own deadline, separate from the charge itself: the court must see the defendant "within 48 hours after his or her arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays," a period "extended to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following" whenever it would otherwise expire while court is closed, but no later than "the following Friday" when the arrest itself happens on a Wednesday after that day's session ends, unless the Wednesday or the Friday is a court holiday. Indio's in-custody hearings for misdemeanors, felony drug cases and felony non-drug cases are each calendared at 1:30 p.m. on weekdays, per the court's own Criminal Division page. Someone already cited or released appears on the date their paperwork names instead.
Plan on being there yourself. Penal Code section 977 allows a misdemeanor defendant to appear through counsel and, by agreement, remotely for most proceedings short of trial, though a domestic violence defendant must attend arraignment and sentencing and a DUI defendant can be ordered to attend, while the court's own Remote Appearances page describes criminal hearings as "generally in-person proceedings." A felony defendant must be physically present at arraignment, plea, the preliminary hearing, the evidence portions of trial and sentencing; a waiver can move the steps before trial to remote technology, but no jury or court trial happens remotely for anyone, and felony sentencing is never remote except for postconviction relief proceedings and as otherwise provided by law.
The court's criminal FAQ tells a defendant to ask the judge for a public defender right at arraignment, which Penal Code section 987(a) requires once the request comes from someone who cannot afford a lawyer. The Riverside County criminal court guide covers the felony deadlines that come after.
How does bail work for a Larson Justice Center case?
Under Riverside County's bail schedule, some charges need only a signed promise to appear and others carry a bail amount, which a judge can change at arraignment.
The court's current felony and misdemeanor bail schedule, with a cover date of January 1, 2026, is linked from its Fee and Bail Schedules page. It puts each charge in a release category. Cite and Release (CR) and Book and Release (BR) charges need no bail, only a signed promise to appear, and BR arrests are booked first. Pre-Arraignment Review (PAR) and Arraignment Review (AR) charges carry the scheduled bail amount, which can be posted at any time; until the court's review technology is in place, PAR is treated as AR, where a judicial officer reviews bail and custody at arraignment. Under the schedule's Rule 3, a CR or BR charge becomes PAR when the person has a prior failure to appear or another hold, and a judge can set a different amount at arraignment.
In re Humphrey requires the judge to weigh the arrestee's ability to pay and whether nonfinancial release conditions "may reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure the arrestee's presence at trial." In re Kowalczyk (April 30, 2026) adds that whenever money bail is used, it "must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable," though it need not be easily affordable or convenient, and that outright denial in a noncapital case is available only for the offenses listed in California's Constitution, article I, section 12(b) and (c). Penal Code section 1270.1 still requires a hearing in open court before bail below the schedule, or own recognizance release, for a serious or violent felony except residential burglary, and for the other offenses it lists; a peace officer's sworn declaration under Penal Code 1269c can still raise bail above the schedule without that hearing.
Who are the public defender, district attorney and probation contacts here?
The Public Defender's Coachella Valley branch and the Sheriff's John J. Benoit Detention Center are in Indio; the District Attorney and Probation list their offices on their own pages.
| Office | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Law Offices of the Public Defender, Coachella Valley branch | 82-995 Highway 111, Suite 200, Indio, CA 92201 | (760) 863-8231 |
| Sheriff, John J. Benoit Detention Center | 82675 Highway 111, Indio, CA 92201 | (760) 863-8252 |
The Riverside County District Attorney and Riverside County Probation list their current offices on their own pages. How a public defender's role compares with hiring your own lawyer is covered in the firm's answer on public defenders versus private attorneys.
What happens if I miss a court date?
A bench warrant, forfeited bail, a suspended license, up to a $100 civil assessment or, if the absence was willful, a failure to appear charge can follow a missed date.
That assessment cannot begin until the court has mailed a warning notice and 20 calendar days have passed, and once it is imposed no bench warrant issues for that same missed date (Penal Code section 1214.1). Someone out on their own recognizance who willfully skips court to evade the process commits a separate crime under Penal Code section 1320, and the same applies to someone on bail in a felony matter under section 1320.5; willfully breaking a written promise to appear is its own misdemeanor under section 853.7. The firm's answer on what to do about a California bench warrant walks through the options for clearing one.
The court says anyone appearing on a warrant must report by 7:30 a.m. to the Criminal Division that issued it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Palm Springs Courthouse hear criminal cases?
Not as a filing location. The court's administrative order on where to file criminal documents sends Palm Springs felonies, misdemeanors and infractions to the Larson Justice Center, and it names no Palm Springs courthouse for any criminal filing.
Is the DMV hearing held at the Larson Justice Center?
No. The DMV decides the license question separately as a civil matter and holds the hearing at a place it designates, as close as practicable to where the arrest occurred unless the parties agree otherwise.
Is there a jail in Indio?
Yes. The Riverside County Sheriff runs the John J. Benoit Detention Center at 82675 Highway 111 in Indio, a separate building from the courthouse.
Can I appear by video for a criminal hearing at the Larson Justice Center?
Usually not. The court's Remote Appearances page calls criminal hearings "generally in-person proceedings," though Penal Code section 977 lets a misdemeanor defendant appear remotely for most hearings by agreement and a felony defendant waive presence for steps before trial. Nobody appears remotely for a jury or court trial, and felony sentencing is remote only inside the statute's narrow exceptions.
Can the clerk's office move my court date?
No. The court's criminal FAQ says you or your attorney must appear in court to ask for an extension or continuance.
Do I have to hire a lawyer for a Larson Justice Center case?
No, though you have the right to one. Tell the judge at arraignment that you want a lawyer and cannot afford one, and the court must appoint a public defender.
How do I get cash bail back?
Once a court order authorizes it, the refund is automatic: the court mails the check, about six to eight weeks later, to whoever is named as depositor on the original bail receipt.
Talk to a lawyer about a Larson Justice Center case
For a desert-city arrest, including DUI, the Law Offices of David S. Chesley's Indio office and its Coachella DUI lawyer page both cover this courthouse's territory. The firm offers a free consultation, is available 24/7, and offers payment plans and service in Spanish. Call (800) 755-5174 or request a free consultation.