A criminal case anywhere in Santa Clara County is heard by one court, the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, at the Hall of Justice in downtown San Jose or at its Palo Alto, South County, or Family Justice Center courthouses. Your paperwork names the courthouse and department, and your charge shapes the bail, so check both rather than guessing from the city where the case began.
Which court and courthouse hears your case
California has a single Superior Court in every county, so there is no separate city or municipal court in Santa Clara County, and no city police department or city hall decides where your case is heard. The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara says its criminal cases are heard at the Hall of Justice, 190-200 West Hedding Street in San Jose, and also at the Family Justice Center Courthouse (drug court), 201 North First Street in San Jose, the Palo Alto Courthouse, 270 Grant Avenue in Palo Alto, and the South County Courthouse, 301 Diana Avenue in Morgan Hill. Always confirm the exact courthouse and department from your citation, release paperwork, or the court's own case information before you assume where to appear, since guessing based on the city alone can send you to the wrong building on the day of your hearing.
How fast you will be arraigned
If you are arrested and held in Santa Clara County, Penal Code section 825 requires that you be taken before a judge without unnecessary delay, and in any event within 48 hours of arrest, not counting Sundays and holidays. For a felony, Penal Code section 859b then generally requires the preliminary hearing within 10 court days of the arraignment or plea unless time is waived or good cause is shown, discussed further in the firm's page on preliminary hearings. The basic steps at arraignment follow the same state law in every county and are covered in the firm's general arraignment guide.
How bail is set in Santa Clara County
The court publishes its own local criminal bail schedule, which the judges must adopt and revise each year under Penal Code section 1269b. The current schedule was adopted by a majority of the judges on January 27, 2026 and remains in effect until January 1, 2027 unless amended or repealed. The court describes it as presumptive bail for many, but not all, offenses, and a judge can set a different amount in your case after considering public safety, the seriousness of the charge, your record, and the likelihood that you will return to court. Jail staff can also accept bail in the scheduled amount before your first court date, so some people are released before a judge ever sees the case, depending on the charge. If you believe the scheduled amount is too high for your situation, that is a decision for the court at your hearing, not something the schedule alone finally resolves.
Who prosecutes and who can represent you
Under Government Code section 26500, the district attorney is the public prosecutor, so the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office files and prosecutes criminal charges in the county. If you cannot afford a lawyer, the court will appoint one at arraignment, typically from the Santa Clara County Public Defender's Office, which Government Code section 27706 requires to defend people who cannot afford counsel. A different deputy from that office sometimes covers a single hearing in place of the attorney you expected, which the firm's answer on what to do when your public defender does not show up addresses directly. You may also retain private counsel at any stage, including before an arraignment has even been set.
What happens if you miss a court date
Missing a scheduled criminal court date in Santa Clara County can lead a judge to issue a bench warrant under Penal Code section 978.5 and, for a case out on bail, to declare the bail forfeited under Penal Code section 1305. A warrant can also mean a fresh arrest at an unrelated traffic stop or encounter long after the original case is otherwise forgotten. If a hearing is approaching and you cannot attend, contact your attorney before the date, not after, since an appearance can sometimes be addressed in advance through the court rather than left to a warrant and a later arrest.
Cities Santa Clara County covers
Santa Clara County includes San Jose, the county seat and by far the largest city, along with Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Milpitas, Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy. A charge from any of these cities, whether a local police department or the California Highway Patrol made the arrest, is filed in the same county court system described above, not in a separate city court. The firm maintains dedicated local pages for several of these cities, including Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, with more detail on representation local to each city. Redwood City, which sometimes comes up in searches about Santa Clara County, is in San Mateo County, so a Redwood City case is heard by the Superior Court of San Mateo County instead.
What to do before your first court date
Locate your citation, booking slip, or any notice with your case or citation number, courthouse, and date, and read it closely rather than relying on memory. Note whether you were given a specific department or courtroom, since that detail is often more useful than the city name alone when you call the court or your attorney, and write down any deadline for posting bail or responding in writing. The Law Offices of David S. Chesley can review your charge and exact court date with you.