The Pasadena Courthouse, 300 East Walnut St., Pasadena, CA 91101, is a Los Angeles Superior Court building that hears criminal cases among six case types. Whether your own case belongs here depends on where the offense allegedly happened, so check the courthouse named on your citation or release papers.
What does the Pasadena Courthouse hear, and is it the right building?
The Pasadena Courthouse hears civil, criminal, family law, small claims, traffic and unlawful detainer cases, and it shares the Northeast District with only one other courthouse, Alhambra.
On the court's own Pasadena Courthouse page, this building's divisions are Civil, Criminal, Family Law, Small Claims, Traffic and Unlawful Detainer. Under Local Rule 2.3(a)(3) of the court's current Local Rules, "criminal complaints must be filed at the courthouse handling criminal matters which serves the city or unincorporated area where the offense is alleged to have occurred," and the Northeast District itself contains just the Pasadena and Alhambra courthouses. Those rules do not list which of the two buildings takes criminal cases from each city; their ZIP code charts cover only small claims, limited collections and limited unlawful detainer cases. Rely instead on the courthouse your citation, notice to appear, or release paperwork names, and see the firm's Los Angeles County courthouse assignment guide for the same filing rule elsewhere in the county. If the paperwork names Alhambra, the district's other courthouse, the firm's separate Alhambra Courthouse guide covers that building.
How do I find my case and court date?
The Superior Court's own public tool looks up a criminal case by the defendant's name, for a flat fee, whether or not it finds a match.
Criminal cases can be looked up by name through the court's Public Access Online Services, whose "Search for Case by Defendant Name" feature accepts an Exact Match, Starts With or Sounds Like search. Under the court's own public-access fee rule, a name search costs $4.75 per search whether or not it returns a result. The search page's own pointer for anything beyond the case number is the court's Criminal Case Summary service, and a citation or notice to appear already states the time and place you must appear.
What happens at arraignment, and how fast?
A person held in custody must see a judge within 48 hours of arrest, not counting Sundays and holidays; someone cited and released appears on their paperwork's date instead.
Penal Code 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." When those 48 hours would run out while the court is not in session, Penal Code 825(a)(2) extends the deadline "to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following," so the deadline runs through the end of that next session; the same subdivision separately sends a defendant arrested on a Wednesday, after that day's session has ended, to court no later than the following Friday, if neither day is a court holiday. At arraignment the judge tells you the charge and your right to a lawyer at every stage, under Penal Code 858(a). After that, Penal Code 1382 sets statewide trial deadlines, absent a waiver or good cause: a felony trial within 60 days of arraignment on the information or indictment, and a misdemeanor trial within 30 days of arraignment or plea, whichever is later, if you are in custody, or 45 days if not.
How do bail and release work for a Pasadena case?
Many lower-level, non-violent arrests are released before a judge sets bail; when a judge does require money bail, it must generally be set in a reasonably attainable amount.
The court's 2026 felony bail schedule and 2026 misdemeanor bail schedule, each effective January 1, 2026, start with a Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol that sets $0 bail for many lower-level, non-violent offenses, releasing the person on a promise to appear or sending the release decision to a magistrate, while offenses listed in Penal Code 1270.1 or carrying a sentencing enhancement need a dollar amount or a court hearing. A judge at arraignment considers ability to pay and nonfinancial conditions under In re Humphrey; under In re Kowalczyk (2026), bail can be denied in a noncapital case only for an offense described in California Constitution article I, section 12(b) or (c), and any money bail "must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable"; more is in the Los Angeles County Criminal Court Guide and the firm's answer on how California bail amounts are set.
Can someone appear by video instead of coming to Pasadena?
Misdemeanor defendants can sometimes appear remotely with their agreement; a felony defendant's waiver allows remote appearance at some hearings, but not at trial or, with narrow exceptions, sentencing.
Under Penal Code 977(a)(1), a person charged only with a misdemeanor may appear by counsel, and with that person's agreement the first appearance, arraignment, plea, and most other proceedings besides a jury or court trial may be held remotely; a misdemeanor domestic violence case requires the defendant present for arraignment and sentencing, and a judge may order the same in a misdemeanor DUI case. A felony defendant must be physically present at arraignment, plea, the preliminary hearing, evidence portions of trial, and sentencing, under Penal Code 977(b)(1), unless that right is waived for remote proceedings under 977(c); even then no defendant may appear remotely for a jury or court trial, and a felony defendant may never appear remotely for sentencing except in postconviction relief proceedings or as otherwise provided by law. The Superior Court's own notice moved the Pasadena Courthouse's criminal courtrooms onto its LACourtConnect remote-appearance system beginning June 16, 2025, as part of that rollout's second phase; where a remote appearance is actually allowed, LACourtConnect runs on Microsoft Teams with no advance registration, through the court's own welcome page.
Getting to the Pasadena Courthouse: hours, parking and entry
The courthouse itself is open weekday business hours, pay parking sits a short walk away, and every visitor goes through security screening.
Doors open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 4:30 p.m. on weekdays except court holidays, and the court's directory lists the Criminal Clerk's Office in Room 106 with shorter hours, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The court's own listing places pay parking in the structure at the southeast corner of Marengo Avenue and Walnut Street, entered from 240 Ramona Street. Under Local Rule 2.29, every person entering any Los Angeles Superior Court building is screened for weapons and other prohibited items by court security, and anyone who will not comply with a lawful screening order is refused entry.
Who handles a Pasadena criminal case, and who prosecutes it?
The courthouse keeps its own Public Defender, District Attorney, Probation and Sheriff's offices on site, and Pasadena is one of the few cities with its own prosecutor for misdemeanors.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, Penal Code 987 requires the court to appoint one once you ask at arraignment, and Government Code 27706(a) has the Public Defender provide that defense "without expense to the defendant." The Pasadena Courthouse's own directory places the Public Defender on the third floor, Room 311, (626) 356-5481; the District Attorney on the first floor, Room 103, (626) 356-5620; Probation on the second floor, Room 200, (626) 356-5281; and the Sheriff's Office on the first floor, Room 101, (626) 517-4157 (in an emergency, call 911). The County District Attorney's own office FAQ lists Pasadena among ten cities where it does not prosecute misdemeanors, while it still prosecutes every felony countywide; in Pasadena, the City Attorney's Prosecution Division prosecutes misdemeanors committed in the city, according to the city's own site. Readers weighing appointed counsel against a hired lawyer can compare the two in the firm's answer on the difference between a public defender and a private attorney. The Law Offices of David S. Chesley also has a Pasadena office, at a different address from the courthouse; its Pasadena office page lists the address, phone and map.
What if I miss a court date?
Missing court can bring a bench warrant, and willfully failing to appear to evade the case can become a separate charge.
Penal Code 978.5 allows, but does not require, a bench warrant once a defendant fails to appear as required, including after release on bail, on their own recognizance, or on a signed citation. Willfully failing to appear to evade the court, after an own-recognizance release, is a new misdemeanor or felony under Penal Code 1320, depending on the original case; doing the same after release on bail in a felony case is a new felony under Penal Code 1320.5. Clearing a warrant that has already issued is the subject of the firm's guide to what to do about a California bench warrant.
Talk to a lawyer about a Pasadena case
Before the court date on any criminal case heading to the Pasadena Courthouse, yours or a family member's, talk to a lawyer. 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. See also the firm's Pasadena criminal defense page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Pasadena Courthouse hear felony cases?
Yes. The court's own record lists a Criminal division at the Pasadena Courthouse, with judicial officers assigned to felony and misdemeanor calendars, beside its civil, family law, small claims, traffic and unlawful detainer divisions.
Who prosecutes a misdemeanor arrest in Pasadena?
The City of Pasadena's own City Attorney prosecutes Pasadena misdemeanors, one of ten cities the County District Attorney's office excludes from its own misdemeanor caseload; the County District Attorney still prosecutes every Pasadena felony.
Can someone ask for lower bail before the first Pasadena court date?
Yes, for most offenses. Under Penal Code 1269c the arrested person, a lawyer, a friend or a family member can ask a judge for lower bail or own recognizance release before arraignment, except for offenses listed in Penal Code 1270.1; if no order comes within eight hours after booking, the scheduled bail can be posted.
Can a felony defendant skip coming to the Pasadena Courthouse in person?
Only for some steps. A felony defendant must be physically present for arraignment, plea, the preliminary hearing, evidence portions of trial and sentencing; a waiver can make the pretrial steps remote, but nobody appears remotely for a trial, and sentencing stays in person except in limited circumstances the law sets out.
What number reaches the criminal clerk at the Pasadena Courthouse?
The court's directory gives the Criminal Clerk's Office, Room 106 on the first floor, the line (626) 396-3393; the courthouse's main number is (626) 396-3300.