Your first court date, the arraignment, is when to ask for a public defender. Under Penal Code 987, if you want a lawyer and cannot afford one, the court must assign one once the judge is satisfied you qualify. Riverside County's Law Offices of the Public Defender then represents you at every later stage, at no cost.
How do I request a public defender in Riverside County?
Ask the judge for one at the arraignment; the court decides whether you qualify before assigning a lawyer, such as the Public Defender's office.
- Confirm the courthouse and date on the citation, notice to appear or release paperwork. For someone still in custody, the Sheriff's Inmate Locator shows the next court date and court; our Riverside County jail guide covers that lookup step by step.
- Appear for the arraignment. If you have no lawyer, Penal Code 987(a) requires the judge to tell you about the right to counsel and ask whether you want it; our guide to what happens at a California arraignment covers the rest of that hearing.
- Tell the court you want a lawyer and cannot afford one.
- Answer the court's questions about your finances. The judge may require a written financial statement under penalty of perjury, or send you to a county officer for an inquiry, and must decide on the record.
- Once assigned, contact the branch office for your courthouse, listed below, with any questions before the next date.
Who qualifies for a Riverside County public defender?
Anyone charged with a misdemeanor or felony who cannot afford a lawyer qualifies; the judge decides on the record, and Penal Code 987 sets no dollar cutoff.
Government Code 27706(a) directs the public defender to represent, on request or court order, "any person who is not financially able to employ counsel and who is charged with the commission of any contempt or offense triable in the superior courts at all stages of the proceedings, including the preliminary examination." Neither that statute nor Penal Code 987 sets a specific income limit. The Riverside office describes its own mission as representing anyone unable to afford a lawyer "in criminal, juvenile or certain civil proceedings, upon the request of the client or the appointment of the Court." An infraction is the one exception: under Penal Code 19.6, someone charged only with an infraction gets appointed counsel only if arrested and not released on a written promise, own recognizance or bail.
Do I have to pay for a Riverside County public defender?
No. State law says the office represents an eligible client without expense, and any older order to repay appointed-counsel costs is legally uncollectible today.
Government Code 27706(a) uses the words "without expense to the defendant." Under Penal Code 1465.9(a), the unpaid balance of court-imposed appointed-counsel costs under the law as it read on June 30, 2021 is "unenforceable and uncollectible," and any part of a judgment imposing them must be vacated. The court's own criminal information page still mentions a possible order for a defendant to pay appointed-counsel costs based on ability to pay; that line describes an older rule, so raise any such order with your lawyer rather than assuming it still applies.
Where are the Riverside County Public Defender's offices?
The office keeps a branch office near most of the county's courthouses, plus a separate Juvenile Division, each listed with its own address and phone number.
Branch offices, from the Law Offices of the Public Defender's own Branch Offices page.
| Office | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside (main) | 4075 Main St. Suite 100, Riverside, CA 92501 | (951) 955-6000 |
| Murrieta (Southwest) | 30755 Auld Road, Murrieta, CA 92563 | (951) 304-5600 |
| Coachella Valley (Indio) | 82-995 Highway 111, Suite 200, Indio, CA 92201 | (760) 863-8231 |
| Banning | 245 N. Murray St., Banning, CA 92220 | (951) 922-7230 |
| Blythe | 230 N. Broadway Avenue, Blythe, CA 92225 | (760) 921-5640 |
| Juvenile Division | 9991 County Farm Road, Room 118, Riverside, CA 92503 | (951) 358-4134 |
The office's business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our guide to which Riverside County courthouse hears your case matches a city to a courthouse, which usually points to the nearest branch.
What does the public defender do once appointed?
The office represents you at every stage, including the preliminary examination, and advises you on the charge and its consequences.
Government Code 27706(a) covers representation at all stages, and the office also handles an appeal when, in its opinion, the appeal will or might reasonably result in reversing or modifying the judgment. If you are in custody, Penal Code 825(b) lets any California attorney, including an assigned public defender, visit you at your request or a relative's. If your appointed lawyer misses a court date, our guide on what to do if a public defender does not show up covers that separate problem.
What if the public defender cannot take my case?
If the court finds the office has a conflict of interest or another reason to properly refuse, it assigns a different lawyer, paid from the county's general fund.
Penal Code 987.2(a)(3) authorizes that assigned lawyer's pay, in an amount the court sets, when the court finds that "because of a conflict of interest or other reasons, the public defender has properly refused."
Can I change lawyers, or hire my own instead of the public defender?
Yes to both: a Marsden motion asks the court to replace an appointed lawyer, and hiring a private lawyer is always an option if you can arrange it.
The judge hears a Marsden motion privately, without the prosecutor, before deciding whether to replace your appointed lawyer; our guide to a Marsden motion walks through how that hearing works and what to expect after it. Choosing a private lawyer instead trades the public defender's no-cost representation for your own choice of counsel; our comparison of a public defender and a private attorney weighs the tradeoffs.
Can the public defender help clear an old Riverside County record?
Yes, through its Fresh Start Program, an online application for record relief such as a dismissal under Penal Code 1203.4.
The Fresh Start Program page describes a Penal Code 1203.4 dismissal as withdrawing the guilty plea or verdict and entering a not guilty plea, so the record then shows the charge was dismissed; it does not remove the conviction from your record of arrests and prosecutions, restore firearm rights already lost, stop the conviction's use as a prior, or end a Penal Code 290 registration duty. A 1203.4 dismissal is for someone who completed probation, was discharged from it early, or whom the court grants relief in the interest of justice, and who is not serving a sentence, on probation or charged with an offense; the program adds that certain serious charges are not eligible. The application sorts by the old case number's prefix:
How the Fresh Start Program's application sorts an old case to an office, from the program's own instructions.
| Case number begins with | Office |
|---|---|
| RI, BA, FERI, FEBA, MIRI, MIBA | Riverside |
| SW, FESW, MISW | Southwest |
| IN, BL, FEIN, FEBL, MIIN, MIBL | Coachella Valley |
Frequently asked questions
Does the public defender handle misdemeanors?
Yes. Government Code 27706(a) covers anyone unable to afford counsel charged with "any contempt or offense triable in the superior courts," which includes misdemeanors as well as felonies.
Is my financial statement kept private?
Yes. Penal Code 987(c) makes it confidential and privileged, usable in evidence only in a perjury prosecution based on false information in the statement itself, subject to a narrow Penal Code 1214 exception.
Can I contact the public defender before my first court date?
Yes. Each branch lists its own phone number, and the office's business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The office represents a person on the client's request or the court's appointment, and the court takes a request for an appointed lawyer at the arraignment.
Does the Riverside County Public Defender represent juveniles?
Yes. The office lists a separate Juvenile Division, and its mission statement names juvenile proceedings alongside criminal and certain civil ones.
Can I get a public defender for a traffic ticket?
Not for an infraction alone, unless you were arrested and not released on a written promise, your own recognizance or bail. A misdemeanor charge, such as a misdemeanor DUI, is different: appointed counsel is available if you qualify.
Talk to a lawyer about a Riverside County case
The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offer a free consultation and are available 24/7, with payment plans and Spanish spoken. Call (800) 755-5174 or use the consultation form if you want to discuss hiring your own lawyer instead of a public defender.