Every criminal case in Plumas County is heard at the Plumas County Courthouse, 520 Main Street #104, Quincy, CA 95971. The Criminal/Traffic contact line is (530) 283-6232 or (530) 283-6302, and the building is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Which courthouse hears a criminal case in Plumas County?
Plumas County runs only one courthouse building, so every felony, misdemeanor, and infraction case in the county goes to the same address in Quincy, no matter where the arrest happened.
The courthouse has three courtrooms on two floors: Department 1 on the third floor, and Departments 2 and 3 on the first floor. The court's calendar schedule for 2026 and 2027 puts the criminal calendars in Department 1: misdemeanor arraignments every Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. and felony arraignments every Friday at 9:00 a.m. The court says to appear on the date and time given in your release papers or arraignment letter; call the Criminal/Traffic line at (530) 283-6232 to confirm before you drive out. Telephone hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., a half hour shorter window than the building itself keeps open.
How do you look up a Plumas County criminal case?
Call the Criminal/Traffic line about a court date, or request case information and copies through the court's Record Searches page, online, in person or by mail.
- Call the Clerk's Office at (530) 283-6232 (or (530) 283-6302) with the person's name or case number to ask about a scheduled court date. This is the same number the county jail gives out for court information, since jail officers themselves are not allowed to release it.
- Check the release papers or arraignment letter. The court says they give the date and time you must appear; its calendar page shows the standing weekly schedule, not individual cases.
- Use Record Searches for case information or copies. The court says its staff cannot give information about criminal records over the telephone. Its Record Searches page takes requests online, in person at the Clerk's Office in Room 104, or by mail; copies cost 50 cents a page and must be paid for before they are made, by cash, check or money order payable to Plumas Superior Court.
To find out whether someone is in custody, the court's Criminal page says to call the Plumas County Correctional Facility at (530) 283-6267; our Plumas County Jail guide covers custody and release, and our courthouse and jail guides by county cover other counties.
What happens at your first court date in Plumas County?
At arraignment, the judge explains the charges and your rights and asks for a plea; a person held 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 would run out while court is not in session, the deadline runs through the end of the next court session on the following court day (Penal Code section 825(a)(2)). A Wednesday arrest follows a different path: once that day's session has closed, and as long as the Wednesday is not a court holiday, the deadline moves instead to the following Friday, unless Friday is also a court holiday. This is a deadline for reaching a judge, not a charging deadline, and it does not promise release.
Plumas Superior Court's Criminal Incarceration Bail Schedule, effective February 10, 2026, sets a starting bail figure for people held in custody. For a misdemeanor the schedule does not list, its own instructions turn to the court's Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule and, failing that, set $2,000 for an offense with a maximum one-year term or $1,000 for a six-month maximum; a felony it does not list is $15,000. Once a judge actually sets bail at an appearance, that figure controls going forward, and two California Supreme Court decisions shape how. In re Humphrey (2021) requires the judge to weigh the person's actual ability to pay and whether a nonfinancial condition would reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure the person's appearance in court, rather than jailing someone solely because they cannot afford a number. In re Kowalczyk (April 2026) adds that, in a noncapital case, a judge may deny bail only for the offenses in California Constitution article I, section 12, subdivisions (b) and (c), and that any amount a judge does set must generally be reasonably attainable for that person. See how California bail amounts are set and what a bail hearing covers for more on how a figure can change after arraignment.
Can you appear remotely in a Plumas County criminal case?
Plumas Superior Court offers Zoom and CourtCall for remote appearances, but in a criminal case the request goes on the court's own form and needs a judge's approval first.
For a criminal case, the court's Remote Appearances page says to file its Request for Remote Appearance (form PSC-RA-040) at least five court days before the hearing, by email to eFiling@plumas.courts.ca.gov or by fax to (530) 283-6415, and to serve a copy on every other party by the same deadline. The judge on the case reviews the request; it must be approved before anyone appears remotely, and the court may still require an in-person appearance. Anyone joining by Zoom must log in under their true first and last name and give their role and case number when admitted, and counsel approved to appear remotely without Zoom use CourtCall, 1 (888) 882-6878.
State law sets the outer limits. In a misdemeanor-only case, the defendant may agree to appear remotely for the arraignment, plea and other proceedings except trials, but must be present for arraignment and sentencing in a misdemeanor domestic violence case, and a judge may order presence in a misdemeanor DUI case (Penal Code section 977(a)). In a felony case, the defendant must be physically present at arraignment, plea, the preliminary hearing, the evidence portions of trial and sentencing unless the defendant waives 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(b) and (c)).
What should you bring, and how do you get to the Quincy courthouse?
Bring identification and the paperwork that sets your date, and report to the Clerk's Office in Room 104, past security at the main entry.
The court's Criminal page says to report to the Clerk's Office on your court date, prepared to provide identification and any relevant documentation, such as jail release paperwork, a notice to appear, bail or bond receipts, or your arraignment letter. The courthouse is on Main Street in downtown Quincy. Its location page says that from the main entry you go past security and turn left; the Clerk's Office is the first door on the right. Department 1, where the criminal calendars sit, is on the third floor, and the building is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
How do you get an interpreter in a Plumas County criminal case?
California's Constitution gives anyone charged with a crime who cannot understand English the right to an interpreter at every stage, and state law makes the court pay for it.
Article I, section 14 of the California Constitution states that "a person unable to understand English who is charged with a crime has a right to an interpreter throughout the proceedings," and the interpreter's cost is a charge against the court in a criminal case, not the defendant, under Evidence Code section 752(b)(1). Tell the clerk, the judge, or your attorney as early as possible that an interpreter is needed; the Judicial Council's statewide guide, Ask for an interpreter, says to ask as soon as you find out that you need to go to court.
Who is Plumas County's district attorney, and how do you get a court-appointed lawyer?
The Plumas County District Attorney's Office is on Main Street in Quincy; a defendant who cannot afford a lawyer asks the court to appoint one at the first appearance.
| Office | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Plumas County District Attorney | 520 Main Street, Room 404, Quincy, CA 95971 | (530) 283-6303 |
| Plumas County Probation Department | 270 County Hospital Road, Suite 128, Quincy, CA 95971 | (530) 283-6200 |
The court's Criminal page describes the appointment process directly: "You may request court-appointed counsel from the judge during your first court appearance." It adds that the judge will require a financial declaration to decide whether you qualify, and it links the county's list of current public defenders, with their phone numbers.
Does Plumas County have collaborative or treatment courts?
Yes. The court's calendar lists a Prop 36 Court, a Collaborative Justice Court and an AB1810 Court in Department 1 on the first and third Mondays.
Those calendars sit at 10:00, 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. in both the 2026 and 2027 schedules. The court's Collaborative Court page also describes CARE Court, heard in Department 2, where specific people, called petitioners, can ask the court for a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan for an adult with certain serious mental disorders who meets the law's other conditions; the qualifying diagnoses are now schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, or bipolar I disorder with psychotic features (Welfare and Institutions Code section 5972). Ask a criminal defense lawyer whether any of these programs could fit a specific case.
Talk to a lawyer about your Plumas County case
A Plumas County criminal case has its own paperwork and its own arraignment date in Quincy; talk to a lawyer before you face either alone. 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
Does Plumas County have more than one courthouse?
No. Every criminal case in the county, regardless of where the arrest happened, is heard at the single Plumas County Courthouse, 520 Main Street #104, in Quincy.
Can I talk to a family member who is in custody at the Plumas County Courthouse?
No. The court's Criminal page warns that you may be charged with a misdemeanor if you try to speak to or gesture toward anyone in custody while they are in court. For custody questions, the court points to the Plumas County Correctional Facility at (530) 283-6267.
How much is bail in Plumas County?
Plumas Superior Court's Criminal Incarceration Bail Schedule, effective February 10, 2026, sets a starting amount by offense. A judge can set a different amount at arraignment, and under In re Kowalczyk (2026), money bail must generally be reasonably attainable for that person.
Do I need a lawyer at my first Plumas County court appearance?
You have the right to one. The judge must tell you about your right to counsel at arraignment, and if you want a lawyer and cannot afford one, you can ask the judge to appoint one at that same hearing.
What happens if I miss a court date in Plumas County?
The court's Criminal page says a failure to appear may result in a warrant for your arrest. Willfully failing to appear can also be charged as a separate crime (Penal Code sections 853.7 and 1320). If you cannot make a date, call the Criminal/Traffic line at (530) 283-6232 and talk to a lawyer right away.
Do I have to pay for a court interpreter in a Plumas County criminal case?
No. Evidence Code section 752(b)(1) makes the interpreter's pay in a criminal case a charge against the court, not the defendant. Raise the need with the clerk, the judge, or your attorney as soon as you know you need one.