A San Diego County criminal case is generally filed in one of four divisions, Central, East County, North County, or South County, depending on where the alleged crime occurred. The court’s local rules put it as the prosecution’s filing duty: “the People must file all criminal cases in the division in which the crime is alleged to have occurred,” matched against the court’s zip code list. (San Diego Superior Court Local Rule 1.2.2(H), in the court’s 2026 local rules.)

The four divisions and the zip code list

  • Central Division, which includes several facilities; the court’s list refers you to its website for the building.
  • East County Division, 250 East Main Street, El Cajon.
  • North County Division, 325 South Melrose Drive, Vista.
  • South County Division, 500 Third Avenue, Chula Vista.

The court’s zip code list (form ADM-254) assigns each zip code to one of these divisions and tells readers to “refer to the back of this document and to the San Diego Superior Court Local Rules for exceptions to these filing districts.” Division lines do not follow city limits. The list labels Otay Mesa as part of San Diego yet places it, along with San Ysidro, in South County, while Poway, Rancho Bernardo, and La Jolla are Central; Ramona and Julian are East County; and Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, and Borrego Springs are North County. Juvenile cases are handled apart from this map: the court’s locations page says “juvenile justice matters are heard only at the Kearny Mesa Juvenile Court.”

Two exceptions that override the zip code list

Coronado and Del Mar both have zip codes that the list otherwise groups with the Central Division, but the local rule carves them out by city name instead: cases arising in Coronado go to the South County Division, and “cases arising in the City of Del Mar must be filed in the North County Division.” A separate rule sends grand jury indictments to the Central Division regardless of where the underlying conduct occurred, since “the return and filing of indictments” must be filed there.

When the division changes

  • Before filing, the prosecution can apply in writing to the supervising judge of the division where a case would normally go, “setting forth good cause why that case should not be filed in accordance with this rule.”
  • After filing, either side can move to transfer the case to another location for good cause; the motion is heard in the court where the case is pending.
  • The presiding judge, a supervising judge, or a designee (including a judge assigned to the case for all purposes) can also order a transfer without a motion, ordinarily at arraignment in a criminal case. If that happens without a hearing, a party who wants to be heard must ask the judge who ordered it within 10 days after notice of the transfer.
  • When one division’s criminal calendar becomes too congested, or for security or calendar management reasons, the presiding judge or a designee can direct that cases due to be filed there be filed in another division.

What to do if you are not sure

  • Go to the division named on your citation, complaint, or notice to appear rather than the courthouse nearest your home.
  • For an offense in Coronado or Del Mar, rely on the city-name rule, not the zip code list.
  • If a notice sends you somewhere unexpected, ask counsel whether one of the transfer rules applied, and keep the 10-day window in mind if the transfer was ordered without a hearing.

To discuss a pending San Diego County case, call the Law Offices of David S. Chesley at (800) 755-5174. The firm also has a San Diego page.