After a DUI arrest in California, you will leave with a stack of paperwork and a date you are legally required to appear in court. That date is not optional, and missing it has serious consequences. Knowing where to find your court date, how to confirm it, and what to do if something is unclear can prevent a problem that is entirely avoidable.
Start With Your Paperwork
The most direct source of your court date is the paperwork you received at the time of your arrest or release. Depending on how your situation was handled, this may be one of several documents.
If you were cited and released at the scene, you received a Notice to Appear, also called a citation. Your court date is printed on it along with the name of the courthouse. Read it carefully. The date, time, and courthouse address are all there.
If you were booked into jail and then released, your release paperwork or bail documents should include your court date. Check any papers you signed before leaving the facility.
If you were held until arraignment, you appeared before a judge within two court days and your next court date was set at that hearing. That date should have been given to you in writing before you left the courthouse.
What If You Cannot Find Your Paperwork
Paperwork gets lost. If you cannot locate your citation or release documents, you have several ways to track down your court date.
Search your county superior court’s website. California has 58 counties, and each one operates its own superior court with its own case lookup system. Most of them allow you to search by name, date of birth, or citation number. Go to the website for the superior court in the county where your arrest occurred. Look for a tab labeled Online Services, Case Search, or Case Access. Enter your information and your case should appear with the next scheduled hearing date.
To find your county court’s website, go to courts.ca.gov/find-my-court and enter your zip code or city. This is the California Judicial Branch’s official court locator and will point you directly to the right court.
Call the court clerk. If the online search does not work or your county’s system is limited, call the court clerk’s office directly. The phone number is on the court’s website. Have your full legal name, date of birth, and the approximate date of your arrest ready. The clerk can look up your case and tell you your next court date and which department or courtroom it is assigned to. This is one of the most reliable methods and takes only a few minutes.
Check your county’s case portal. Many of California’s larger counties have robust online portals that show real-time case information including hearing dates, courtroom assignments, and case status. Some well-known examples include Los Angeles County’s LACourtConnect system, the Santa Clara County Superior Court public portal, and the Orange County case access system. Search for your county’s name along with “superior court case search” to find the right portal.
Contact your attorney. If you have retained a private attorney, they can access your case information directly and confirm your next court date. This is also the best way to make sure your attorney has the correct date on their calendar and is planning to appear.
Which Courthouse and Which Department
California DUI cases are heard in the superior court of the county where the arrest occurred. Within that county, the specific courthouse depends on where in the county the arrest took place. Large counties like Los Angeles have many courthouses spread across the region, and your case will be assigned to the one that serves the geographic area of your arrest. The citation paperwork should identify the specific courthouse by name and address.
The department or courtroom number, which tells you exactly where inside the courthouse to go, may or may not appear on your original paperwork. If it does not, you can find it one of two ways. First, check the county court’s website the day before your hearing, as department assignments are often listed in the daily calendar. Second, arrive at the courthouse early and check the public bulletin boards near the entrance, which typically display that day’s calendar organized by case number or defendant name. Courthouses also usually have an information window near the entrance where clerks can direct you to the correct department.
How Court Dates Change
Court dates in criminal cases get continued, meaning postponed, more often than most people expect. Your attorney may request a continuance to gather additional evidence, review discovery, or allow time for negotiation with the prosecutor. The prosecution can also request continuances. Courts grant them routinely.
The problem this creates is that if your attorney appears in court and your date is moved to a new date, you may not hear about it immediately. This is one of the reasons staying in contact with your attorney between hearings matters. If you are representing yourself, you need to be in court on every scheduled date and confirm in person whether the next date has changed.
You can also check your case status online through the county portal between hearings. Most court case management systems update within a day or two of any hearing and will reflect the new date if a continuance was granted.
What Happens If You Miss Your Date
A bench warrant will be issued for your arrest. This is automatic and happens the same day you fail to appear. The warrant stays active until you appear in court or are picked up by law enforcement, and it is visible to any officer who runs your name during a traffic stop or any other law enforcement contact.
Missing a court date also makes your case harder to resolve favorably. Prosecutors have less incentive to negotiate when a defendant has shown they do not take the proceedings seriously. Judges notice it too.
If you realize you have missed a court date, contact your attorney immediately. An attorney can often file a motion to recall the warrant and reschedule the appearance before you are picked up, which is far better than the alternative. Do not wait.
A Note on Charges Not Yet Filed
In some DUI cases, particularly those where blood was drawn rather than a breath test administered, the DA’s office may not file charges immediately. Blood test analysis takes time, and the prosecutor reviews the results before deciding whether to file. If your arrest involved a blood draw and you have not received a court date weeks or even months later, that does not necessarily mean the case has gone away. The statute of limitations for a misdemeanor DUI in California is one year from the date of arrest. Charges can be filed at any point within that window.
If you are unsure whether charges have been filed, search your county court’s case portal by name or contact the court clerk. Your attorney can also contact the DA’s office directly to check the filing status. Do not assume the matter is resolved simply because you have not heard anything.
Citations
- California Penal Code § 977 (defendant’s right to be absent from misdemeanor proceedings).
- California Penal Code § 988 (arraignment procedures).
- California Penal Code § 1320 (failure to appear, misdemeanor).
- California Penal Code § 802 (statute of limitations for misdemeanors).
- California Courts, courts.ca.gov (official court locator).