San Diego Central Courthouse —
Bail Bonds & Court Information

The San Diego Central Courthouse occupies the full block at 1100 Union Street downtown, between C Street and B Street. It opened in late 2017 as a 22-story replacement for the 1964 courthouse at 220 West Broadway, which was closed and demolished. If an older notice, an old bail bond receipt, or a search result still sends you to Broadway, that building is gone — every calendar that used to sit there now sits on Union Street.

This is the busiest criminal courthouse in San Diego County. Felony and misdemeanor arraignments for arrests inside the City of San Diego are calendared here, along with preliminary hearings, motions, and trials. The building also carries family law, probate, appeals, and jury services, which is why the lobby at 8:15 in the morning holds three completely different kinds of anxious people at once.

For a family whose person was arrested last night, the important thing about this building is what it does not do. The courthouse does not hold anyone and does not take bail money at a counter. Bail is posted at the facility holding the defendant — most often San Diego Central Jail at 1173 Front Street, which is roughly a block away, or Las Colinas in Santee for women. The physical closeness of the courthouse and the jail is the single biggest source of confusion we field downtown.

The other thing worth knowing is timing. If bail is already set at the county schedule amount, nothing has to wait for a courtroom — the bond goes to the jail at any hour, including nights and weekends. It is only when bail has been denied, raised, or set on a no-bail hold that a courtroom appearance controls what happens next, and that appearance happens here.

Official court information: San Diego Superior Court — court locations