Which San Mateo County courthouse hears your case?

If you were arrested in San Mateo County, your case lands in one of two Superior Court buildings: the Hall of Justice in Redwood City or the Northern Branch in South San Francisco. Your citation, notice to appear or release papers usually name the court and the date and time to appear.

The firm's California courthouse and jail directory lists every county guide like this one. A family member trying to find out whether someone was just booked in San Mateo County, rather than where a pending case will be heard, should start with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and its Inmate Locator instead.

Which courthouses hear a San Mateo County criminal case?

Both of San Mateo's Criminal Division locations keep identical office hours and the same main phone line, so the building, not the hour of day, is what sets them apart.

San Mateo County's two Criminal Division branches.

A shared fax line, (650) 261-5050, covers both locations as well. Nothing on the court's own page sorts cases by city or charge type between the two branches, so rely on your own paperwork rather than guessing which one applies.

How do you find your case and court date in San Mateo County?

Search the court's MIDX records index or its Odyssey Portals online; for a criminal case filed before 1993, call the Criminal Court Clerk's Office instead.

The court's own Information on Accessing Your Case Online page lists two tools: MIDX, the San Mateo County Superior Court Records Index, which covers civil, criminal, family law, probate, and small claims cases and gives index details such as the case number, case name and filing date, and the Odyssey Portals, which give access to court case data and documents. For a criminal case filed before 1993, the same page says to call the Criminal Court Clerk's Office at (650) 261-5100, option 1. One more scenario the court addresses directly: if a warrant is already outstanding and you want it resolved the same day, its own page says to check in with the Clerk's Office no later than 9:00 a.m., Monday through Friday at the Hall of Justice or Monday through Thursday at the Northern Branch, to be added to that day's calendar.

None of that tells you whether a person is actually sitting in a cell tonight. That is a Sheriff's Office question, not a court one, and the Sheriff's own Inmate Locator answers it directly.

What happens at your first San Mateo County court appearance?

Arraignment puts the charge and your right to a lawyer on the court record, and a person held in custody faces a strict statutory deadline to get there.

California's rule for someone held in custody is specific: 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." That clock belongs to a person in custody, not to a person already cited and sent home, and reaching a judge is the point of it, not a promise that charges get filed or dropped. Two built-in exceptions matter if the 48 hours run out while the courthouse itself is closed: section 825(a)(2) first pushes the deadline out "to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following," and separately handles a Wednesday arrest by requiring the person be brought in "not later than the following Friday, if the Friday is not a court holiday," assuming the Wednesday itself was not one either.

Three more rules shape that same first appearance. Penal Code section 858(a) requires the judge to state the charge and remind you of your right to a lawyer at every stage of the case, while section 859 adds, for a felony specifically, a copy of the complaint, a direct question about hiring counsel, and time to actually arrange it. What arraignment physically consists of comes from section 988: the court reads the charging document aloud, gives you a copy of it (on a misdemeanor, only on request), and takes your plea. The firm's own answer on what happens at a California arraignment goes through this in more depth for any California county.

How does bail work in a San Mateo County criminal case?

Two different things control a San Mateo bail amount depending on timing: a printed county schedule before anyone has seen a judge, and that judge's own decision afterward.

The schedule currently in force is the court's Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule (Effective August 3, 2026), listed on its Local Bail Schedules page alongside the statewide uniform schedule. Before an actual court appearance, bail defaults to the amount on the arrest warrant, or to that schedule when no warrant exists; from the moment a judge sets a figure in person, Penal Code section 1269b(b) makes the judge's number the one that counts. Neither figure is final on its own. In re Humphrey (2021) requires a judge who wants money bail to weigh whether the person can actually pay it and whether some nonfinancial condition could reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure the person's appearance in court instead. The California Supreme Court went further in In re Kowalczyk, decided in April 2026: in noncapital cases, outside the offenses listed in California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c), a judge cannot deny bail outright at all, and where money bail does apply, it "must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable."

Can you appear remotely in a San Mateo County criminal case?

San Mateo takes a harder line than the statewide default: its own written policy requires in-person appearance for essentially every criminal matter, carving out only two specialty calendars.

The court's Zoom Credentials page is unambiguous: "Criminal: Starting July 1, 2022, YOU MUST APPEAR IN PERSON for ALL Criminal Matters, Except Veteran's Court and Military Diversion Court." That is a local decision sitting inside, not replacing, what Penal Code section 977 allows statewide. The statute itself lets a misdemeanor defendant send a lawyer alone and appear remotely with agreement in most proceedings; it requires a felony defendant's physical presence at arraignment, plea, the preliminary hearing, the evidence portion of trial, and sentencing unless that right is waived, and it bars any remote jury or court trial and any remote felony sentencing except postconviction relief proceedings and as otherwise provided by law. San Mateo's own rule is stricter than that floor for most criminal matters, so confirm with the Criminal Division or your attorney whether Veterans Court or Military Diversion specifically covers your case before counting on a remote appearance.

Who handles a San Mateo County criminal case?

San Mateo's prosecution and defense structure has one unusual feature worth knowing before you call anyone: there is no county Public Defender's Office here.

San Mateo County offices for prosecution, appointed defense and probation, from each office's own page.

Where most counties have a salaried public defender's office, San Mateo's Superior Court instead appoints the Private Defender Program, a panel of private criminal lawyers the program itself describes as "managed assigned counsel," run jointly with the San Mateo County Bar Association since 1969. The appointment process is the same in substance either way: if you cannot afford a lawyer, ask at your arraignment, and Penal Code section 987(a) obligates the court to appoint one once you ask and show you cannot pay for your own. The firm's broader answer on a public defender versus a private attorney covers how appointed and retained counsel differ in practice.

Does San Mateo County have collaborative or treatment courts?

Several specialty calendars sit alongside San Mateo's regular criminal docket for defendants whose case and history fit a specific profile.

The court's own Collaborative Court page lists a Drug Court for defendants with substance use disorders, a Military Diversion track open to current or former service members charged with a misdemeanor, Pathway Programs combining mental health treatment with drug, alcohol, and housing help, a Veterans Treatment Court, and a Multiple DUI Court for eligible repeat DUI offenders after a plea. None of these are automatic; ask your attorney early whether your specific charge and record make you a realistic candidate.

What if you miss a San Mateo County court date?

A missed date rarely ends there: it typically triggers a warrant, and sometimes a second criminal problem layered on top of the first.

Penal Code section 978.5(a) gives a judge the option, though not the obligation, to issue a bench warrant once a defendant released on bail or on their own recognizance fails to appear as required. After a signed citation released without bail, the rule is stricter: Penal Code section 853.8 says the magistrate "shall issue" a warrant within 20 days after the missed date, and section 853.7 makes it its own misdemeanor to willfully break that written promise to appear, regardless of how the underlying case turns out. Someone who already has a San Mateo warrant and wants a same-day fix should use the check-in times described above rather than waiting for a hearing to be scheduled on its own.

Talk to a lawyer about your San Mateo County case

Once a judge takes up a San Mateo County criminal charge, the judge decides bail and the conditions of release, so talk to a lawyer before that hearing. 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 San Mateo criminal defense page.

Frequently asked questions

Which courthouse hears a felony case from San Mateo County?

Either the Hall of Justice in Redwood City or the Northern Branch in South San Francisco, depending on where the case was filed. Your citation, notice to appear or release papers usually name the branch and the date and time, so check them rather than guessing by city.

How much is bail in San Mateo County?

The current schedule is the "Felony and Misdemeanor Bail Schedule (Effective August 3, 2026)." A judge who actually hears your case can set a different figure, and under state law money bail must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable for that person.

Can I appear by Zoom for a San Mateo County criminal matter?

Only if your case is on the Veterans Court or Military Diversion calendar. Every other criminal matter here requires showing up in person under the court's own current policy.

Does San Mateo County have a public defender?

Not under that title. Instead, the Superior Court appoints the Private Defender Program, a panel of private criminal defense attorneys that the San Mateo County Bar Association manages for people who cannot pay for their own lawyer.

What happens if I miss my San Mateo County court date?

A judge can issue a bench warrant under Penal Code section 978.5(a), and after a signed citation without bail, Penal Code section 853.8 requires one within 20 days. Willfully skipping a promised appearance is its own separate misdemeanor under section 853.7. Call your lawyer right away instead of waiting to see what happens.

How do I clear a San Mateo County warrant for a same-day court date?

Arrive and check in with the Clerk's Office before 9:00 a.m.: Monday through Friday at the Hall of Justice, or Monday through Thursday at the Northern Branch. You will be added to that day's calendar, but lifting the warrant itself is the judge's call, not the clerk's.