South County Detention Center Criminal Court Process
Criminal Court Process for Tulare County California
From Arrest to Verdict in Tulare County's Criminal Courts
Tulare County stretches from the valley farm towns along Highway 99 to the foothills below Sequoia National Park, and every adult criminal case filed in that territory belongs to the Superior Court of California, County of Tulare. Tulare used to have scattered municipal and justice courts. Around 2000 the state folded them into the superior court, so misdemeanors no longer go to a city court. The court’s central courthouse is the Tulare County Courthouse at the County Civic Center, 221 South Mooney Boulevard, Visalia, CA 93291, and its main phone number is (559) 730-5000. Criminal cases are heard in two places:
- Tulare County Courthouse (Visalia), 221 S. Mooney Boulevard, Visalia, CA 93291: the main criminal courthouse, home to the criminal clerk’s office and most felony and misdemeanor departments. Phone: (559) 730-5000
- South County Justice Center (Porterville), 300 E. Olive Avenue, Porterville, CA 93257: criminal and other matters arising in the southern part of the county. Phone: (559) 782-3700
The courthouse usually depends on where the offense happened, so check the paperwork and confirm the building before the hearing. The sections below explain how the three main categories of charges proceed.
- Tulare misdemeanor cases (shoplifting, a first DUI, scuffles)
- Tulare felonies without violence (burglary, grand theft, drug sales)
- Tulare's most serious cases (murder, rape, armed robbery)
- Tulare Superior Court locations
- Tulare federal cases
- ICE detainers in Tulare court
- Tulare custody searches
- Who serves warrants in Porterville, Dinuba and Exeter?
1. Tulare misdemeanor cases (shoplifting, a first DUI, scuffles)
A shoplifting stop in Tulare, a first DUI near Dinuba or a scuffle in Porterville usually ends with a ticket; the person signs a written promise and goes home. When someone is instead booked into one of the Tulare County Sheriff’s detention facilities and held, the law requires a court appearance within 48 hours, leaving out Sundays and holidays. Misdemeanor charges countywide, including those from Visalia, Tulare and Porterville police, are filed by the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.
At the Tulare arraignment, the charge is read, most people plead not guilty and the judge decides on release. Appointed counsel is available from that point for people who can’t pay for a lawyer. Here that means the county Public Defender, with offices in the Visalia courthouse and in Porterville, at no cost to the client. For most Tulare misdemeanors, the lawyer can stand in so the client skips some hearings.
Visalia pretrial conferences follow, where most cases end in a deal, a lesser count or dismissal. Judges may grant misdemeanor diversion, dismissing the charge after the defendant completes court-ordered programs; DUI, domestic violence and offenses requiring sex-offender registration are not eligible. Defendants who go to trial face a 12-member jury. The trial has to start within 30 days of arraignment for those in custody and 45 days for those out of custody, unless the defense waives time.
Tulare misdemeanors mostly cap at six months and $1,000, and a few go to a year. More often the sentence is probation, fines, community service or classes. Resolution usually comes a few weeks to a few months after the citation is issued.
2. Tulare felonies without violence (burglary, grand theft, drug sales)
Felonies in Tulare County are prosecuted by the District Attorney, beginning with a criminal complaint. Defendants in jail are arraigned within 48 hours of arrest, usually at the Visalia courthouse or, for South County cases, at the South County Justice Center in Porterville. Bail and release are decided at that hearing, and since the California Supreme Court’s 2021 In re Humphrey decision, judges must factor in the defendant’s ability to pay when setting a money bail amount. The 2026 Kowalczyk opinion adds that Visalia and Porterville judges must set bail that is generally attainable.
Qualifying Tulare defendants get the Public Defender at arraignment. Where that office has a conflict, a co-defendant for example, the court picks a separate conflict lawyer so each person has their own counsel.
A preliminary hearing is due within 10 court days of arraignment unless the defendant waives the time limit. The judge listens to evidence and decides whether the case should proceed to trial. Occasionally prosecutors use the grand jury to obtain an indictment instead. When the defendant is held to answer, the District Attorney files an “information,” a second arraignment takes place, and trial must start within 60 days unless time is waived. Defendants here often waive time, and deals, not verdicts, end most Tulare felonies.
Following a conviction, the Tulare County Probation Department writes a sentencing report, and the judge normally imposes sentence within 20 court days. Since realignment in 2011, a lot of lesser felony time is served in Tulare's own jails. Some offenses, known as “wobblers,” may be filed as misdemeanors or knocked down to misdemeanors later on. A Visalia felony can last months and sometimes more than a year.
3. Tulare's most serious cases (murder, rape, armed robbery)
The serious-felony track in Tulare County uses the same building blocks as any felony: arraignment, then a preliminary hearing or grand jury indictment, then trial. What sets these cases apart is the potential punishment and the time they consume. Under Article I, section 12, Visalia judges can keep someone charged with a violent felony or sexual assault behind bars without any bail, provided clear and convincing evidence points to real danger of grave injury to others. So these defendants often remain in Sheriff's custody start to finish.
Nearly all of these offenses are strikes. A Tulare defendant with one old strike gets double time; two old strikes can bring 25 to life. Violent felony prisoners serve 85% of the term or more.
- Murder: second-degree murder carries 15 years to life; first-degree, 25 years to life. Special-circumstance murder, like a killing in a robbery, leaves Tulare juries a choice of death or life without parole. Only the Tulare DA can seek death, and the 2019 statewide pause has stopped all executions.
- Armed robbery: a robbery term topping out at nine years; a gun adds 10 years if shown, 20 if fired, and 25 to life if it wounds badly or kills. Those enhancements may be stricken by a judge, an option available since 2018.
- Rape: a base cap of eight years that aggravating facts can raise, with Tier 3 registration.
A Tulare death case requires two qualified defense attorneys. Victims there hold Marsy's Law rights to hearing notices, a sentencing statement and repayment, and DA victim staff guide families along the way. Expect one to three years for a Visalia violent case, and five or more for murder.
4. Tulare Superior Court locations
- Civic center courthouse: 221 South Mooney Boulevard, Visalia, CA 93291 · 559-730-5000
- South County justice center: 300 East Olive Avenue, Porterville, CA 93257 · 559-782-3700
- Dinuba division: 640 South Alta Avenue, Dinuba, CA 93618 · 559-595-6400
- Juvenile courthouse: 11200 Avenue 368, Room 201, Visalia, CA 93291 · 559-738-2300
- Pretrial facility courtrooms: 36650 Road 112, Visalia, CA 93291 · 559-730-5020
The Tulare County Superior Court has judges at both its county-seat and Porterville branches who take CourtCall phone or video appearances, a private service with a fee per hearing. Your judge chooses whether the hearing qualifies, you can register on CourtCall's site and book the time, a fee waiver handles the bill, and free video links are common.
5. Tulare federal cases
Federal crimes from Tulare, Dinuba and Porterville go to Fresno and the Eastern District of California, beginning with a magistrate judge at Fresno federal courthouse, 2500 Tulare Street, Fresno, CA 93721. Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, 2500 Tulare Street, Fresno, 559-442-2858.
6. ICE detainers in Tulare court
Visalia and Porterville judges proceed normally. SB 54 limits ICE notice to a serious or violent conviction. Ask counsel about immigration. ICE: San Francisco ICE field office, 630 Sansome Street, Room 590, San Francisco, CA 94111, 415-365-8800; sites:
- Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center: 425 Golden State Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301
- Golden State Annex: 611 Frontage Road, McFarland, CA 93250
- California City detention site: 22844 Virginia Boulevard, California City, CA 93505
7. Tulare custody searches
- Tulare County Inmate Search: county jails.
- VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/): statewide.
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/): federal; pretrial 559-442-2858.
- CDCR Inmate Locator (https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/): prison.
- ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/): A-number or name and birth country; 415-365-8800.
8. Who serves warrants in Porterville, Dinuba and Exeter?
Sheriff's deputies serve warrants across the valley and foothills. Call (559) 802-9400 and a deputy can check local and statewide records. The Superior Court has an online services page linking to its case lookup, so you can read the case yourself. Attorneys can plan your surrender at the Pre-Trial Facility, 36650 Road 112, or ask a judge for a recall. The Civic Center courthouse clerk at 221 South Mooney Boulevard helps with a new date, and Lindsay and Tulare cases run through that same building.
This is a general explanation of the Tulare County criminal process, not legal advice. To confirm a Tulare court date or request appointed counsel, call the Public Defender at (559) 636-4500 (Visalia) or (559) 782-6960 (Porterville).
