West Covina Courthouse: What to Expect for a Criminal Case

West Covina Courthouse is at 1427 West Covina Parkway, West Covina, CA 91790, and the Los Angeles Superior Court hears civil, criminal, small claims, traffic and unlawful detainer cases there. It is one of three courthouses in the court's East District. Your own citation, notice to appear or release paperwork names the building that actually hears your case.

Which criminal cases does West Covina Courthouse hear?

The court's own records list a Criminal division at all three East District buildings, West Covina, El Monte and Pomona Courthouse South, and your paperwork names your courthouse.

West Covina shares the East District with two other courthouses under Local Rule 2.2, El Monte and Pomona Courthouse South, addresses in the table below. The court's own record for West Covina lists Civil, Criminal, Small Claims, Traffic and Unlawful Detainer; El Monte's lists Criminal and Traffic, and Pomona Courthouse South's lists Civil, Criminal, Family Law, Juvenile Dependency and Juvenile Justice. Local Rule 2.3(a)(3) requires a criminal complaint to be filed "at the courthouse handling criminal matters which serves the city or unincorporated area where the offense is alleged to have occurred," subject to a written order from the Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division for good cause. The firm's Los Angeles County courthouse assignment guide explains that filing rule, and for other California counties, its directory of criminal courthouses and jails has the picture.

Table: the East District's three courthouses under Local Rule 2.2.

How do I find my case and court date at West Covina Courthouse?

Your citation, cite-out slip or release paperwork is the first place to look, and the Superior Court's own online tools can confirm or add to it.

1. Check whatever paperwork you already have. A citation, bail receipt or jail release form often already carries a case number, courtroom and date.
2. With a case number, the court's Search for a Criminal Case page finds the case.
3. Without a case number, the court's Search for Case Information by Defendant Name tool searches by name instead, for a fee: "Your credit card will be charged $4.75 per every name search."
4. Call West Covina's Criminal Clerk's Office, Room 120B, at (626) 430-2598, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on court days, for anything the online tools do not resolve.

What happens at arraignment at West Covina Courthouse?

At West Covina's arraignment a judge reads the charge and asks for a plea, which must happen within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays, for someone held in custody.

Penal Code 858 governs what gets said at that moment: "the magistrate shall 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." Felony cases get an added step under Penal Code 859: a copy of the complaint, plus reasonable time to send for a lawyer. If the defendant wants counsel and cannot afford one, Penal Code 987(a) requires an assignment.

Penal Code 825 sets the deadline for someone held in custody:

"Except as provided in paragraph (2), 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 the 48 hours prescribed by paragraph (1) expire at a time when the court in which the magistrate is sitting is not in session, that time shall be extended to include the duration of the next court session on the judicial day immediately following. If the 48-hour period expires at a time when the court in which the magistrate is sitting is in session, the arraignment may take place at any time during that session. However, when the defendant's arrest occurs on a Wednesday after the conclusion of the day's court session, and if the Wednesday is not a court holiday, the defendant shall be taken before the magistrate not later than the following Friday, if the Friday is not a court holiday." (Penal Code 825(a)(1) and (a)(2))

A person who was cited and released appears on the date already printed on that citation instead. A felony matter still has its own clock: the court must hold the preliminary hearing by the 10th court day after arraignment or plea, whichever of those two comes last, unless the parties waive the deadline or the judge finds good cause to continue it. The firm's arraignment guide explains the hearing in more detail.

How does bail and release work for a case at West Covina Courthouse?

Many lower-level arrests qualify for $0 bail under the court's Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol; lower bail or release on own recognizance for a listed serious charge requires an open-court hearing.

Since October 1, 2023, the protocol has sorted each eligible arrest into one of three paths; it now opens the court's 2026 felony and 2026 misdemeanor bail schedules, effective January 1, 2026:

Table: the Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol's three paths.

Serious or violent crimes are excluded from the zero-dollar path. For the specific charges Penal Code 1270.1 names, serious and violent felonies other than residential burglary plus several listed offenses, release on own recognizance or on bail below the schedule generally needs an open-court hearing first, two court days' notice to both sides, inside Penal Code 825's deadline.

At an in-custody misdemeanor arraignment, Penal Code 1270(a) makes own-recognizance release the starting point, taken away only by a finding on the record, made under Penal Code 1275, that release would compromise public safety or would not reasonably assure the defendant's appearance later. In a noncapital case, In re Kowalczyk, decided by the California Supreme Court on April 30, 2026, restricts outright bail denial to the offenses named in article I, section 12, subdivisions (b) and (c) of the state Constitution and holds that money bail "must generally be set in an amount that is reasonably attainable"; under In re Humphrey, the judge also considers ability to pay and nonfinancial conditions. The firm's answers on how California bail amounts are set and bail hearings explain more.

Can I appear remotely at West Covina Courthouse?

West Covina's criminal courtrooms use the court's LACourtConnect platform, but whether a specific hearing can be attended remotely still turns on Penal Code 977 and the judge.

Penal Code 977 draws the line by charge, not by courthouse:

Table: presence rules at arraignment and beyond, Penal Code 977.

Under subdivision (c), no defendant joins a jury or court trial remotely, and a felony sentencing takes place in person "except for postconviction relief proceedings and as otherwise provided by law."

West Covina's criminal courtrooms switched over on June 16, 2025, and have also offered a Courtroom Preview feature since December 8, 2025, letting a checked-in litigant or attorney with multiple hearings that day watch from a shared viewing pane instead of joining each remote hearing directly. The original rollout announcement explains the basic login step: "attorneys and litigants must use LACC by visiting the welcome page and searching by case number, calendar or name under the Criminal litigation type." It is free, on Microsoft Teams. The firm's LACourtConnect guide has the rest.

Getting to West Covina Courthouse: hours, security and parking

Doors open at 8:00 a.m. and the Clerk's Office at 8:30 a.m., both closing at 4:30 p.m. on weekdays other than court holidays, and every visitor is screened on entry.

Table: West Covina Courthouse hours and the main line.

Everyone entering goes through weapons screening under the countywide security order that applies at every Los Angeles County courthouse.

Table: a sample of items the Superior Court's prohibited-items list keeps out; some marked items, aerosols among them, are allowed for medical, mobility or disability needs.

The court provides free four-hour parking in designated areas, though parking on some levels is reserved for court employees.

Which public defender, district attorney and probation offices serve West Covina Courthouse?

West Covina Courthouse keeps the District Attorney, the Public Defender and the Sheriff's Office inside the same building, each with its own room and phone line.

Table: offices at West Covina Courthouse, from the court's own directory, which lists no probation office here.

Penal Code 987(a) requires the court to assign counsel to a defendant who appears for arraignment without a lawyer, wants one and cannot afford one. No one has to wait that long, in the Public Defender's own words: "You do NOT have to wait for your first court appearance to talk to a Deputy Public Defender. The best way to speak to a Deputy Public Defender is to call the Public Defender's Office at the courthouse where you have been told to appear for arraignment and ask to speak to an attorney." Someone already in custody can place that call collect.

Talk to a lawyer about a West Covina case, and the firm's West Covina offices

The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offers a free consultation, is available 24/7, speaks Spanish and has payment plans for a case that starts at West Covina Courthouse. The firm keeps two West Covina offices, at different addresses from the courthouse:

Law Offices of David S. Chesley, Inc. 100 N Barranca St, Suite 700 West Covina, CA 91791 (626) 479-2274

The firm's other West Covina office is at 1050 West Lakes Drive, Suite 225, West Covina, CA 91790, (626) 593-2262, with its own West Covina location page.

Call (800) 755-5174 or use the firm's contact page to reach a lawyer.

Frequently asked questions

Does West Covina Courthouse handle small claims and traffic cases?

Yes. The court's own record lists Small Claims and Traffic alongside Civil, Criminal and Unlawful Detainer, with a separate Small Claims Clerk's Office (Room 107) and Traffic Clerk's Office (Room 120D).

What does the court charge to search online by name, without a case number?

The court is upfront about this: "Your credit card will be charged $4.75 per every name search." That is true whether or not a match turns up, since the fee buys the search, not a result.

Before a West Covina court date, how can I check whether someone is in county jail?

The Sheriff's Inmate Information Center takes a last name, first name, middle name and date of birth. Its own page reads: "For general custody related questions and help with inmate location, call: (213) 473-6100." That line is not for emergencies; dial 911 instead. A new booking may lag up to two hours before it shows up.

What happens if I miss a required court date at West Covina?

California law allows a bench warrant for this, and treats a willfully broken promise to appear, or a willful failure to appear to dodge the court, as its own crime. Call the Criminal Clerk's Office, or go to court directly, as soon as the missed date comes to light. The firm's bench warrant guide lays out what follows.

Is the firm's Barranca Street office inside the courthouse?

No. That office is at 100 N Barranca St, Suite 700, a different address from the courthouse at 1427 West Covina Parkway.