What happens at the Van Nuys Courthouse for a criminal case?

Van Nuys criminal cases are heard at Van Nuys Courthouse West, 14400 Erwin Street Mall, Van Nuys, CA 91401, which also hears traffic, civil and probate matters. Van Nuys Courthouse East, 6230 Sylmar Avenue, is a separate building with no criminal division. Your citation or court papers name the exact courthouse and department.

Van Nuys Courthouse West and East: what each hears

Two separate Los Angeles Superior Court buildings stand in Van Nuys, and the court's own records show that only one of them handles criminal cases.

The court's own Local Rules place both buildings in the Northwest District: Van Nuys Courthouse East, 6230 Sylmar Avenue, and Van Nuys Courthouse West, 14400 Erwin Street Mall, both in Van Nuys. Under Local Rule 2.3(a)(3), a criminal complaint "must be filed within the judicial district... at the courthouse handling criminal matters which serves the city or unincorporated area where the offense is alleged to have occurred." The court's own records show which building that is in the Northwest District: Van Nuys Courthouse West's record lists Civil, Criminal, Probate and Traffic divisions, while Van Nuys Courthouse East's lists Civil, Family Law, Probate, Small Claims and Unlawful Detainer, with no Criminal division. That fits the Los Angeles Police Department's own jail FAQ, which says the arraignment location depends on where a person was arrested and the type of charge filed. The firm's Los Angeles County courthouse assignment guide explains how this filing rule works across the rest of the county.

Finding your case and court date

Your own citation, notice to appear, or release paperwork names your courthouse and department; a separate online tool looks up the case itself.

To look a case up, use the court's Search for Case by Defendant Name page, which runs Exact Match, Starts With, or Sounds Like searches on a defendant's name and lets you narrow results by a filing start or end date. The court's Public Access Online Services FAQ states a guest user is charged "$4.75 per every name search," whether or not it finds a match, and that "the online Index contains felony cases records from 1980 to the present and misdemeanor case records from 1988 to present." California Rule of Court 2.507 keeps several items out of the public index and register of actions, including Social Security numbers and date of birth, so a name search cannot be narrowed by birth date. For how the court decides which of its branches hears a case in the first place, see the firm's Los Angeles County Criminal Court Guide.

Arraignment and bail

At arraignment the judge informs you of the charge and of your right to counsel, then decides release: bail, own recognizance with or without conditions, or custody.

If you are held in custody, Penal Code section 825(a)(1) requires getting you before a judge "without unnecessary delay, and, in any event, within 48 hours after his or her arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays." Section 825(a)(2) extends that deadline, when it would otherwise expire while court is not in session, "to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following," so it runs through the end of that session. The same subdivision has a Wednesday rule: after an arrest on a Wednesday once that day's session has ended, the limit becomes the following Friday, provided neither that Wednesday nor that Friday is a court holiday. Someone given a citation or released before arraignment goes by the court date on that paperwork instead. Before a judge sets bail, Los Angeles County's felony bail schedule and misdemeanor bail schedule, each effective January 1, 2026, begin with a Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol under which most non-violent, non-serious offenses carry non-financial release terms instead of a dollar figure; where money bail does apply, the amount on the arrest warrant, or the schedule's amount when there is no warrant, controls until the judge acts. Under In re Humphrey (2021), a judge who sets money bail must weigh the ability to pay and nonfinancial alternatives, and under In re Kowalczyk (April 30, 2026), a judge may deny bail outright in a noncapital case only for the offenses listed in California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c), while any money bail set must "generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable." See the firm's Los Angeles County Criminal Court Guide for how the schedule and these rules work together countywide.

Appearing remotely at Van Nuys Courthouse West

Criminal courtrooms at this courthouse use the court's own video platform, but a felony defendant still has to appear in person for the steps that matter most.

The court's own June 5, 2025 press release announced that "beginning June 16, LACC will be implemented in Criminal courtrooms" at a listed group of courthouses that names Van Nuys Courthouse West, replacing Webex there for criminal remote appearances. To appear that way, open the court's LACourtConnect welcome page, pick Criminal as the litigation type, then find the hearing by case number, calendar, or name; a fuller walk-through is in the firm's LACourtConnect guide. Penal Code section 977 sets the underlying limits: a misdemeanor defendant may generally appear through counsel and, with agreement, remotely, except that a domestic violence charge requires presence at arraignment and sentencing and a judge may order a DUI defendant to appear in person. A felony defendant must be physically present at arraignment, the plea, the preliminary hearing, trial testimony, and sentencing; a waiver of physical presence under subdivision (c) lets the arraignment, plea, preliminary hearing and other pretrial hearings go remote, but nobody appears remotely for a jury or court trial, and felony sentencing stays in person except for postconviction relief proceedings and as otherwise provided by law.

Getting into the courthouse

The court lists Van Nuys Courthouse West as open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays except court holidays, and everyone entering passes weapons screening.

The court's own record for this building lists it open Monday through Friday, except court holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the Clerk's Office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; it puts the Criminal Clerk's Office on the 2nd floor at (818) 989-6998 and the courthouse's main line as (818) 989-6900. Inside, Local Rule 2.16 sets regular department sessions for "8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.," subject to a written variance by the Presiding Judge. Local Rule 2.29 requires everyone entering any Los Angeles Superior Court building to be screened for weapons and other prohibited items, and anyone who refuses that screening is refused entry; a litigant may not bring a firearm or other weapon inside. The court lists paid parking in the public structure at 6170 Sylmar Avenue, which closes at 7:00 p.m., plus metered parking on nearby streets. Check the day's posted hours and any courtroom-specific instructions before you go, since a single courthouse can run more than one calendar.

Public defender, district attorney and probation

A Van Nuys case can involve the county Public Defender, a prosecutor from the County District Attorney or the Los Angeles City Attorney, and county Probation.

If you cannot afford a lawyer, Penal Code section 987(a) requires the court to appoint one once you ask at arraignment, "without expense to the defendant" under Government Code section 27706(a); the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Van Nuys office sits inside this same courthouse building at 14400 Erwin Street Mall, 10th Floor, Van Nuys, CA 91401, listed phone (818) 374-2350. Because Van Nuys is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's own office FAQ lists Los Angeles among the cities where the County prosecutes felonies only, not misdemeanors, which the Los Angeles City Attorney, the city's chief prosecutor, handles instead; the District Attorney's office directory lists its Van Nuys Branch Office at 6230 Sylmar Avenue, Room 201, in the Van Nuys Courthouse East building, (818) 374-2400. The Los Angeles County Probation Department's office list includes its East San Fernando Valley Office at 14414 Delano Street, Van Nuys, CA 91401, (818) 374-2000. How a public defender compares with hiring your own lawyer is the subject of the firm's public defender versus private attorney answer.

If you miss a court date

Missing a date you were required to appear for can trigger a bench warrant and, in some cases, a separate new charge.

Penal Code section 978.5 allows, but does not require, a bench warrant when a defendant fails to appear as the law requires, including after release on bail, on their own recognizance, or on a signed citation. Willfully failing to appear to evade the court after an own-recognizance release is a misdemeanor or felony under Penal Code section 1320, depending on the underlying case, and doing the same after a felony bail release is a felony under Penal Code section 1320.5. Section 1320 presumes that intent when a defendant willfully fails to appear within 14 days of the assigned date, and under section 1320.5 that same willful failure may be found to show it. The firm's what to do about a California bench warrant page sets out the ways to clear one.

Talk to a lawyer about a Van Nuys case

If you or a family member has a case connected to Van Nuys Courthouse West, talk to a lawyer before your court date. 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. The firm's Van Nuys - Victory Blvd office page gives that office's current address, phone, and map. See also the firm's Van Nuys criminal defense page, which covers DUI and other charges filed from a Van Nuys arrest.

Frequently asked questions

Does Van Nuys Courthouse East hear any criminal cases?

No. The court's own courthouse record lists Civil, Family Law, Probate, Small Claims, and Unlawful Detainer divisions at Van Nuys Courthouse East, and no Criminal division; criminal and traffic cases from Van Nuys go to Van Nuys Courthouse West instead.

Can I look up a Van Nuys criminal case online?

Yes. The court's Search for Case by Defendant Name page finds criminal case numbers by name; a guest search costs $4.75 even when nothing is found, and its index reaches back to 1980 for felonies and 1988 for misdemeanors.

Is a Van Nuys DUI heard at Van Nuys Courthouse West?

Yes. Van Nuys Courthouse West hears the area's criminal and traffic matters, which includes DUI charges filed from a Van Nuys arrest.

Who prosecutes a misdemeanor arrest made in Van Nuys?

The Los Angeles City Attorney. Van Nuys is a Los Angeles neighborhood, and the County District Attorney's own list names Los Angeles as a city where the County handles only felonies, leaving misdemeanors to the City Attorney.

Can I get a public defender for a Van Nuys case?

Yes, when you want a lawyer and cannot afford one: under Penal Code 987 the judge assigns counsel at arraignment, and the Public Defender's Van Nuys office is on the 10th floor of the Van Nuys Courthouse West building.

Is the firm's Van Nuys office located at the courthouse?

No. Neither of the firm's two Van Nuys offices is at the courthouse; the Van Nuys - Victory Blvd office page lists that office's current address, phone, and map.