Nevada County Courthouse: Case Lookup and Your Court Date

Nevada County Superior Court hears criminal cases at two courthouses: the Nevada City Courthouse, 201 Church Street, Nevada City, CA 95959, and the Truckee Courthouse (Joseph Government Center), 10075 Levon Avenue, Truckee, CA 96161. The court's own Criminal Division page says both handle cases from minor misdemeanors through serious felonies.

Which courthouse hears a criminal case in Nevada County?

Both of Nevada County's courthouses, Nevada City and Truckee, hear criminal cases; the court's own page says they handle everything from misdemeanors to felonies such as robbery and murder.

The court's own Criminal Division page states plainly that it "handles cases ranging from minor offenses (misdemeanors) to serious ones like robbery and murder (felonies) in the Nevada City and Truckee courthouses," so which one actually hears a given case depends on where it was filed rather than on the type of charge. The court lists clerk's office hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and courthouse building hours until 5:00 p.m.

How do you look up a Nevada County criminal case online?

Nevada County's eCourt Public Portal lets you search Criminal, Traffic, Family, Probate and Civil cases online after you create an account and activate it by email.

1. Go to the Nevada County eCourt Public Portal.
2. Create an account. The court's own site says an account is required to search public case information, and the activation email can land in a spam or junk folder.
3. Search by case type: Family, Probate, Civil, Criminal, and Traffic cases are all publicly searchable.
4. Remember the court's own caution that the most current filings may not yet be in the system, so confirm an urgent date by phone if you are not sure.

For custody information instead of a case number, see our Nevada County Jail guide; for other counties, see our courthouse and jail guides by county.

What happens at your first court date in Nevada County?

At the arraignment, the judge must tell the defendant the charge and the right to counsel; someone in custody must get there within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays.

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 to the end of the next court session on the following court day; someone arrested on a Wednesday after court has closed must be brought before a judge by Friday, if neither day is a court holiday (Penal Code section 825(a)(2)). This is a deadline for reaching a judge, not a charging deadline and not a promise of release.

Nevada County Superior Court's 2026 Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule for All Bailable Offenses, adopted December 19, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026 under Penal Code section 1269b(c), sets a presumptive bail figure for every offense it lists, with a $10,000 default for an unlisted felony. A schedule figure is only a starting point: once a judge actually sets bail at an appearance, that amount controls instead (Penal Code section 1269b(b)), and before that appearance the arrested person, a lawyer, a friend, or a family member can ask a judge for a lower amount or own recognizance release, except for the offenses listed in Penal Code section 1270.1 (Penal Code section 1269c). In re Humphrey (2021) requires a judge who sets money bail to consider the person's ability to pay, and whether nonfinancial conditions could reasonably protect the public and the victim or assure the person's presence at trial. The California Supreme Court held in April 2026, in In re Kowalczyk, that money bail must generally be set in an amount that is "reasonably attainable" for that person, and that outside a capital case a judge may deny bail outright only for the narrow offenses in California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c). See how California bail amounts are set and our bail hearings page for the full rule, and the jail guide linked above for how bail actually gets posted.

Can you appear remotely in a Nevada County criminal case?

Sometimes: the court allows remote criminal appearances only with a judge's approval on local form CL15, and never at a preliminary hearing or trial.

Nevada County's remote hearings run through CourtCall's Remote Court Scheduler. For criminal cases, the court's remote hearings page allows no remote appearance at a preliminary hearing, court trial or jury trial; for any other criminal hearing, file local form CL15, Request for Remote Appearance (Criminal), no later than 2 days before the hearing, and a judge must approve it. Registration closes 15 minutes before the hearing, and recording is barred except as California Rules of Court rule 1.150 allows. State law sets its own limits on top of the court's rule: in a misdemeanor-only case the defendant may generally appear by remote technology with their agreement, except for arraignment and sentencing in a domestic violence case; in a felony case, the defendant must generally be physically present at arraignment, the plea, the preliminary hearing, trial testimony, and sentencing unless they waive that right, and no defendant may appear remotely for a jury or court trial, or at a felony sentencing except in postconviction relief proceedings or as otherwise provided by law (Penal Code section 977).

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

Bring no weapons or items like pocket knives, scissors or pepper spray, since bags are x-rayed at the courthouse, and tell the court early if you need an interpreter.

The court's locations page says everyone entering the courthouse passes through a walk-through metal detector and hand-carried bags are x-rayed; banned items include pocket knives, scissors, box cutters, glass bottles and pepper spray. For questions during clerk's office hours, call the court at (530) 362-4309. A person charged with a crime who cannot understand English has a right to an interpreter at every stage of the case (California Constitution, article I, section 14), and the cost is a charge against the court, not the defendant (Evidence Code section 752(b)(1)). Tell the clerk, your lawyer or the judge as early as possible; the Judicial Council's guide on how to ask for an interpreter says to ask as soon as you know you need to go to court.

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

Nevada County's district attorney and probation department each have a Nevada City office and a Truckee office, and the public defender is at 109 North Pine Street, Nevada City.

If you cannot afford a lawyer, ask the court to appoint one at arraignment: the judge must tell you of your right to counsel (Penal Code sections 858 and 859), and Penal Code section 987 requires the court to appoint counsel for a defendant who wants a lawyer and cannot afford one.

Does Nevada County have collaborative or treatment courts?

Yes. The court's Collaborative Courts page names four programs: an Adult Drug Court, an Adult Mental Health (Behavioral Health) Court, a DUI Court and a juvenile court called YES Court.

The court's Collaborative Courts page names an Adult Drug Court (a minimum 18-month program for select non-violent felony drug offenders, with frequent testing and intensive probation and judicial supervision), an Adult Mental Health Court, also called the Behavioral Health Court (for adults and transitional-age youth with mental illness in the justice system, run with probation and mental health systems), a DUI Court (for offenders with two DUI convictions within five years, or three or more lifetime DUI convictions, with enhanced supervision and mandatory treatment), and the Juvenile Drug and Mental Health Court, called the Nevada County "YES" Court. Ask your attorney directly whether a specific charge could qualify for one of these programs; see our criminal defense lawyer page for the charges the firm defends.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account to search the Nevada County case portal?

Yes. The court says an account is required to search public case information on its eCourt Public Portal.

How much is bail in Nevada County?

Nevada County Superior Court's 2026 Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule for All Bailable Offenses, effective January 1, 2026, sets a presumptive amount by offense. A judge can set a different amount at arraignment, and money bail must generally be reasonably attainable for that person (In re Kowalczyk, 2026).

Do I need a lawyer at my first Nevada County court appearance?

You have the right to one. The judge must tell you about your right to counsel at arraignment (Penal Code sections 858 and 859). If you cannot afford a lawyer, ask the court to appoint one; Penal Code section 987 requires it for a defendant who wants a lawyer and cannot afford one.

What if I have an active warrant instead of a new arrest in Nevada County?

You must appear in court to clear it. At Nevada City, misdemeanor warrant cases are heard Thursdays and felony warrant cases Fridays, both at 1:30 p.m., with check-in at the Criminal Clerk's Office before 11:00 a.m.; with both kinds of warrant, come on a Friday. At Truckee, warrant cases are heard Mondays at 8:30 a.m., with check-in at the front counter between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m.

What happens if I miss my Nevada County court date?

Missing a court date after release on a citation, bail, or your own recognizance can lead to a bench warrant, and willfully breaking a written promise to appear is itself a separate misdemeanor, whatever happens to the original charge (Penal Code sections 853.6(f), 853.7 and 978.5). Without a sufficient excuse, the court must declare posted bail forfeited, though it must vacate the forfeiture if the defendant appears within 180 days (Penal Code section 1305).

Talk to a lawyer

The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offers a free, confidential consultation, available 24 hours a day, including for a Nevada County case with a court date already set. Call (800) 755-5174, request a free consultation online, with payment plans available and service in Spanish.