Santa Barbara County's criminal cases are heard at one of three Superior Court locations: the Figueroa Division in Santa Barbara, the Lompoc Division, or the Miller Division in Santa Maria. Your citation, notice to appear, or release paperwork states which one applies to your case.
Santa Barbara County's three criminal courthouses
Each location hears criminal and traffic matters; Lompoc also hears civil cases, and in Santa Maria the separate Cook Division handles civil matters.
Santa Barbara County criminal courthouses, their addresses and what each hears
| Courthouse | Address | Phone | Hears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Figueroa Division | 118 E. Figueroa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 | (805) 568-3959 | Criminal and traffic cases; also houses the court's Records Department |
| Lompoc Division | 115 Civic Center Plaza, Lompoc, CA 93436 | (805) 737-7789 (criminal/traffic) | Criminal, traffic and civil cases |
| Miller Division (Santa Maria) | 312-M East Cook Street, Building E, Santa Maria, CA 93454 | (805) 614-6590 | Criminal and traffic cases; the separate Cook Division at the same address hears civil cases |
Office hours for criminal and traffic matters at all three locations are 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with phone lines staffed from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Superior Court's Criminal division page and its locations and contact page list these addresses; your own paperwork, not a building's name, tells you which division has your case. Our Santa Maria Courthouse guide covers that location.
How do you find your case and court date?
The court's own Case Records Search is a public information tool, not the official record, and the court keeps documents in some case types off remote display.
Use the court's Case Records Search by name or case number. The court states that "the information provided on and obtained from this site does not constitute the official record of the Court," and that under California Rules of Court rule 2.503, it "restricts documents from remote display on certain case type categories," which must instead be viewed at the Records Department. Clerks "are not permitted to extend arraignment/hearing dates," the criminal calendar is "prepared a day in advance" so there is no walk-in arraignment, and a warranted case can be calendared by noon the day before you want to appear; other requests need at least two days' notice. If your name is not on a posted calendar, tell the criminal division clerk.
What happens at arraignment, the first court date?
A judge reads you the charge at arraignment, explains your right to counsel and asks for your plea; anyone held in custody has a legal deadline to get there.
At the first appearance, the magistrate must "immediately inform the defendant of the charge against him or her, and of his or her right to the aid of counsel in every stage of the proceedings" (Penal Code 858(a)), and in a felony case must also deliver a copy of the complaint and ask whether the defendant wants a lawyer (Penal Code 859). Arraignment itself is reading the charging document and taking a plea (Penal Code 988).
If you are held in custody rather than cited and released, 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 run out while 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"; and when the arrest happens on a Wednesday after that day's court session has ended, and the Wednesday is not a court holiday, the same subdivision requires the person be brought before the magistrate "not later than the following Friday," if Friday is not a court holiday. It sets how soon a person in custody sees a judge, not a release date. The Sheriff's Who Is In Custody search shows whether someone is being held, and our Santa Barbara County Jail guide covers booking, visiting and bail at both jails.
How does bail and release work in Santa Barbara County?
Before a judge reviews your case, bail is the amount in the arrest warrant or, if none, the county's own published schedule; a judge can later set a different amount.
The Superior Court's 2026 Felony/Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, effective June 2026, is posted on the court's Bail Schedules page. A sample of the county's presumptive amounts:
Sample presumptive bail amounts, Santa Barbara County 2026 Felony/Misdemeanor Bail Schedule (effective June 2026)
| Arrest | Presumptive bail |
|---|---|
| Felony not specifically listed | $20,000 |
| Misdemeanor not specifically listed | $2,500 |
| DUI, Vehicle Code 23152, first offense | $5,000 |
| DUI with one prior within 10 years | $15,000 |
| Misdemeanor domestic violence or battery, Penal Code 243(e) or 273.5(a) | $10,000 ($20,000 with a prior for the same offense) |
| Violating felony probation, mandatory supervision, parole or PRCS, arrested without a warrant | No bail |
| Violating misdemeanor probation, arrested without a warrant | $15,000 |
The schedule also excludes several arrests from release before arraignment, including sex offenses, intimate partner violence, a third DUI within 10 years or a DUI with injury, firearm offenses, and serious or violent felonies as defined in Penal Code 1192.7(c) or 667.5(c). Separately, Penal Code 1270.1 requires a hearing in open court, with two court days' notice to both sides, before a judge sets bail below the schedule or releases the person on their own recognizance, on a serious or violent felony other than residential burglary, misdemeanor domestic battery (Penal Code 243(e)(1)), corporal injury or criminal threats punished as a felony (273.5, 422), stalking (646.9), felony witness intimidation (136.1(c)) or some restraining order violations (273.6).
In re Humphrey (2021) 11 Cal.5th 135 (opinion) held that a court may not condition freedom solely on whether an arrestee can afford bail, and must consider the person's ability to pay and whether nonfinancial conditions could reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure the person's appearance in court. In re Kowalczyk (Cal. Supreme Ct., Apr. 30, 2026, S277910, opinion) later held that, in noncapital cases, a trial court "has the authority to deny bail only as to offenses specified in [Constitution article I,] section 12, subdivisions (b) and (c)," and that when money bail is used, it "must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable." A misdemeanor defendant arraigned in custody is generally entitled to own recognizance release unless the court finds on the record that it would compromise public safety or not reasonably assure appearance (Penal Code 1270(a), 1275(a)). Before your first appearance, you, a lawyer, friend or family member can ask for bail lower than the schedule, or for own recognizance release, under Penal Code 1269c, unless the charge is one of those listed in Penal Code 1270.1(a); if no order changes the amount within eight hours of booking, you may be released on the scheduled amount.
If you miss a court date, the court's criminal page warns that "the judge will issue a warrant for your arrest," and if bail was posted, the court must declare it forfeited in open court absent a sufficient excuse (Penal Code 1305). Our answers on what to do about a California bench warrant and how bail amounts are set in California go further, and the firm's bail hearings page covers asking for a different amount.
Can you appear in court remotely?
Misdemeanor defendants may sometimes appear by Zoom with the court's and their own consent; felony defendants generally must be physically present at the key stages of the case.
In a misdemeanor-only case, the accused may appear through counsel, and with the defendant's agreement the initial appearance, arraignment, plea and most other proceedings, except jury and court trials, may be conducted remotely (Penal Code 977(a)(1)); a misdemeanor domestic violence case still requires the defendant's presence at arraignment and sentencing, and the judge may order presence in a misdemeanor DUI case. In a felony case, the defendant must be physically present at arraignment, the plea, the preliminary hearing, the taking of evidence at trial, and sentencing; a waiver allows video for the earlier hearings, but trials are never remote, and a felony defendant may not appear remotely at sentencing "except for postconviction relief proceedings and as otherwise provided by law" (Penal Code 977(b), (c)). The Superior Court posts department Zoom links for criminal and traffic matters at Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc; check with the department before counting on a remote appearance.
What should you bring, and how do you get into the courthouse?
Every Santa Barbara County courthouse screens visitors with a walk-through metal detector and an x-ray of bags and belongings; plan extra time and leave prohibited items at home.
The court's Court Security page requires everyone entering to "pass through a weapons screening device and have all hand-carried objects x-rayed," and bars firearms, ammunition, knives of every size, scissors, mace, pepper gas, aerosol cans, spray bottles over three ounces and other potential weapons; anything confiscated is not returned. Refusing the screening means you will not be let in, and avoiding it intentionally "may be subject to detention, arrest and prosecution" under Penal Code 602(y). Bring photo identification, your citation or notice to appear, booking paperwork, and your bail receipt if you already posted bail.
Where are the public defender, district attorney and probation offices?
Public defender, district attorney and probation offices sit in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc; if you cannot afford a lawyer, ask the judge for a public defender at arraignment.
- Cannot afford a lawyer: the court must appoint counsel at arraignment (Penal Code 987(a)); ask for the Santa Barbara County Public Defender's Office when your case is called. Its offices: 1100 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, (805) 568-3470; 312 E. Cook St., Santa Maria, (805) 346-7500; 115 Civic Center Plaza, Lompoc, (805) 737-7770. The firm's public defender and private attorney comparison covers that choice.
- District Attorney: 1112 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara, (805) 568-2300; 312-D East Cook Street, Santa Maria, (805) 346-7540; 115 E. Civic Center Plaza, Lompoc, (805) 737-7760.
- Probation Department (presentence investigation and supervision after sentencing): 117 E. Carrillo Street, Santa Barbara, (805) 882-3700; 2121 S. Centerpointe Parkway, Santa Maria, (805) 803-8500; 415 East Cypress Avenue, Lompoc, (805) 737-7800.
Does Santa Barbara County have a collaborative court?
Yes, a Veterans Treatment Court sits in all three divisions, for justice-involved military veterans dealing with addiction or serious mental illness.
The Superior Court's Veterans Treatment Court page states the program "was established in Santa Maria in 2011, in Santa Barbara in 2012 and in Lompoc in 2016," working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Benefits Administration and volunteer mentors.
Frequently asked questions
What if my paperwork does not name a Santa Barbara County courthouse?
Call the division nearest where the offense happened, or the court's general case information lines listed above; the three divisions share one countywide Case Records Search, so a clerk can look up which department has your case.
Can the court move my arraignment or hearing date if I call ahead?
The Criminal division page states that clerks are not permitted to extend an arraignment or hearing date, though they can advance one to an earlier date; a continuance of a scheduled hearing needs written notice at least two court days ahead under Penal Code 1050, and a continuance is granted only on a showing of good cause.
What happens if I miss a scheduled court date?
The court's criminal page warns that the judge will issue a warrant for your arrest. After an own recognizance release, willfully failing to appear to evade the court is itself a new misdemeanor or felony under Penal Code 1320, and after bail in a felony case under 1320.5; our answer on a California bench warrant explains the next steps.
Is the bail schedule amount the final price I must pay?
No. It is presumptive only until a judicial officer reviews the case, which can happen before arraignment under the county's schedule; that officer can set a different figure under Penal Code 1275, following In re Humphrey and In re Kowalczyk.
How do I get a free interpreter for a criminal case?
California's Constitution gives anyone charged with a crime who cannot understand English the right to an interpreter throughout the proceedings (Cal. Const. art. I, Section 14), and in a criminal case the interpreter is paid by the court, not the defendant (Evidence Code 752(b)(1)). Tell the court, the clerk or your attorney as early as possible.
Talk to a lawyer about a Santa Barbara County case
The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offers a free consultation, is available 24/7, and offers payment plans; Spanish is spoken. Call (800) 755-5174 or use our online contact form to talk with a lawyer about a Santa Barbara County criminal case. For the firm's Santa Barbara practice, see our Santa Barbara criminal defense lawyer page.