What should I expect at the Palm Beach County courthouse in West Palm Beach?

Most people here for a criminal case have a felony, a misdemeanor or DUI from the middle of the county, or a domestic violence matter, and each has its own floor and calendar. This page sets out what the court, the Clerk and the State Attorney publish about the building; your notice still controls the date, time and courtroom. For the kinds of charges Mr. Mead defends, start with our criminal defense practice areas.

What happens at the main courthouse, step by step?

1. The notice. A summons, notice to appear or court notice names the courtroom. The Clerk explains that the courtroom number is the floor it is on, so Courtroom 11D is on the 11th floor.
2. Getting downtown. Allow time for paid parking on the street or in a nearby lot or garage, and for security at the entrance.
3. The Clerk, if needed. Payments, court dates and case questions for criminal and traffic cases go to Room 2.2300 on the second floor.
4. The courtroom. Felony dockets, Central Region county criminal hearings, domestic violence hearings and jury trials each run on their own schedule.
5. Afterward. Later dates and fines are tracked through the Clerk's online case viewer.

What is the main courthouse, and what is on each floor?

The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit lists the Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley Courthouse at 205 North Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach, FL 33401. The Clerk's office calls the same building the Main Courthouse. The court says the current main courthouse was built in 1995 to keep up with the county's growth. The building is one of five courthouse locations the circuit lists. Its judges number 54 in total, 35 in circuit court and 19 in county court, along with 9 magistrates and 17 civil traffic hearing officers.

The court's own floor guide places the Clerk and the jury area on the first floor. County court judges who hear domestic violence, traffic and county criminal cases are on the second floor. It describes circuit criminal judges, who handle felonies, criminal appeals and record sealing, on the third floor, and it says jury and non-jury trials in circuit civil and circuit criminal cases are held on the ninth through eleventh floors.

Where are the Clerk's counters in the building?

The Clerk lists its Main Courthouse hours as Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding designated holidays, with a main number of (561) 355-2996. These are the counters most people in a criminal or injunction case use:

The Clerk keeps the records for every criminal case filed in Palm Beach County and collects court fines, fees and assessments. It says many criminal court records can be searched online, and that upcoming court dates can be found in eCaseView, its online case viewer. A record that has been sealed should no longer appear to the public, as our page on sealed records on the court websites explains.

Which misdemeanor and DUI cases are heard here?

The circuit's Administrative Order 4.603 divides the County Court's Criminal Division into four regions. It sends every case assigned to the Central Region to the Main Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway, and defines that region as all of Palm Beach County outside the Northern, Southern and Western regions. There is one detail people miss. For the departments listed for the Central Region, the order says citations requiring a mandatory hearing before a judge are scheduled at the Criminal Justice Complex on Gun Club Road, not downtown.

A DUI from Boca Raton, Delray Beach or Boynton Beach is in the Southern Region and is heard in Delray Beach, as our page on the South County Courthouse explains. Local police and city rules for the county seat are on our West Palm Beach DUI and criminal defense page.

Wherever the misdemeanor calendar sits, the State Attorney says misdemeanor cases requiring a jury trial are administered at the main courthouse downtown, and that a case from one of its satellite offices moves there once a jury trial is requested. What happens from docket sounding to verdict in a DUI case is set out in our page on a DUI jury trial in Palm Beach County.

How do felony cases run in this building?

Felonies belong to the circuit court under section 26.012(2)(d), Florida Statutes, which also covers any misdemeanor arising out of the same facts as a charged felony. The circuit lists its Circuit Criminal divisions by letter, including Divisions R, S, T/KK2, U, V, W, X, Y and Z. Each judge publishes divisional instructions that decide, among other things, when the defendant must be in the room.

Two examples show how the instructions read. Division U lists Courtroom 11B at 205 North Dixie Highway as its physical address and says its dockets for arraignments, case dispositions, status hearings, plea conferences and motions run Monday to Friday mornings at 8:30 a.m. Division U and Division S both require every party, including the defendant, to be present in person on the first morning of a trial period for docket sounding, at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 11B and Courtroom 11G respectively. Division S says certain hearings can be attended remotely, including status hearings and arraignments where the defendant has a lawyer or has filed an affidavit of indigency, while calendar call and plea conferences require an in-person appearance.

Whether a lawyer can enter a written plea for you at the first date is a separate question, covered in our page on whether you have to go to your arraignment. The points that drive a felony sentence are explained in how the Florida felony scoresheet works.

Where are domestic violence cases and injunction hearings held?

The Clerk's Domestic Violence counter, for petitions for injunctions, is in Room 3.2200. The circuit lists a Domestic Violence division, DV/TD, whose instructions cover both criminal domestic violence cases and injunction hearings. Those instructions say injunction hearings are heard on Mondays at 2 p.m. in Courtroom 2C, that the docket can run to 15 hearings or more, and that a hearing expected to last more than 20 minutes should be specially set. The division says Zoom hearings are disfavored and parties should expect to appear in person unless there is good cause.

On the criminal side, the same division holds calendar calls on the first and third Friday of each month, with trials on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8:15 a.m. Motions to change a no-contact order involving minor children are heard only on Thursdays at 11 a.m. and require a recommendation from the Department of Children and Families. For a person served with a petition, what happens at the final hearing is explained in what to expect at an injunction hearing in Florida. A criminal case that started with a domestic arrest is covered in what happens after a domestic violence arrest.

How are jurors chosen, and where do they report?

The circuit says prospective jurors are picked at random from the state's list of driver license and identification card holders living in Palm Beach County, and that jurors must be United States citizens, at least 18 years old and legal residents of the county. It says jury duty policies are set by the Clerk. The Clerk lists the Jury Room on the first floor, in Room 1.2100.

How do I get there, and what about parking and security?

The Clerk's directions are to leave I-95 at Okeechobee Boulevard heading east in the right lane, take the Australian Avenue North ramp about three quarters of a mile later, go north one mile to Banyan Boulevard, then turn right and continue four blocks east; the courthouse is on the left. The Clerk says parking is on the street and in nearby lots and garages, and that these facilities charge. The State Attorney adds that metered parking is on the streets around its main office, which sits at the corner of 3rd Street and North Dixie Highway, directly north of the courthouse, and that garages are west and east of the courthouse.

The court's tour rules give a fair picture of courtroom expectations: visitors pass through security, electronic devices are turned off during court observation, there is no eating or drinking in courtrooms, and shorts, hats, flip-flops, halters and tank tops are not suitable for the courtroom. The court's Self-Help Center, (561) 355-6781, is on the first floor; neither a judge nor a judicial assistant can give legal advice.

How is the Criminal Justice Complex on Gun Club Road different?

The circuit lists the Criminal Justice Complex at 3228 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406, as a separate courthouse. The State Attorney keeps a branch office in the jail building there that handles first appearances of new arrestees, felony and misdemeanor arraignments, custody matters and violations of probation. A person who is not released after arrest sees a judge there first, not downtown. Booking, bond and that first hearing are covered on our page about the Palm Beach County jail and first appearance. How the judge sets bail is in how bond works in Florida.

What changes the answer?

• Felony or misdemeanor. Felonies are circuit court cases (s. 26.012(2)(d)); misdemeanors not tied to a felony are county court cases (s. 34.01(1)(a)), which AO 4.603 assigns by region.
• The arresting agency. Under AO 4.603, the listed Central Region departments schedule mandatory-hearing citations at the Criminal Justice Complex; agencies in other regions go to North County, South County or West County.
• Custody. A person still held after arrest is brought before a judge within 24 hours under Rule 3.130 of the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, at the jail complex.
• The division's instructions. The divisions cite Rule 2.530 of the Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration for remote appearances, and each judge's instructions say which hearings qualify.
• Domestic violence. Criminal domestic cases and injunction hearings run on the DV/TD division's calendar, with its own days and times.

A worked example

For example, take a hypothetical Wellington resident arrested by a PBSO District 8 deputy for a third-degree felony and released on bond from the Gun Club Road jail. The case is filed in circuit court and assigned to a felony division with a courtroom on the 11th floor downtown. Before the arraignment, the lawyer reads the division's instructions, sees that a represented defendant may appear remotely for arraignment, and files the paperwork the division requires. Months later the case is set for a trial period, and the instructions require the client in person at 8:30 a.m. for docket sounding. The client parks in a paid garage, clears security early and goes straight to the courtroom on the notice. A fine question afterward goes to the Clerk in Room 2.2300. This is a hypothetical walk-through, not a prediction of any result.

Common mistakes people make

• Going downtown for a Central Region citation hearing that AO 4.603 schedules at the Criminal Justice Complex.
• Assuming every hearing can be done by video; docket sounding, calendar call and plea conferences often require you in person.
• Arriving with only minutes to spare in a building with paid parking and a security line.
• Taking a domestic violence injunction hearing lightly; the division expects in-person attendance and a long Monday docket.
• Missing the date; what follows is explained in what happens if you miss a court date in Florida.

What to do this week

1. Find the courtroom on your notice and check the date in the Clerk's eCaseView.
2. Read your division's instructions on the circuit's website, or have your lawyer do it.
3. Confirm whether your hearing is downtown or at the Criminal Justice Complex.
4. Plan for paid parking and the security line, and dress for court.
5. Bring your notice, ID and any receipts or paperwork your lawyer asks for.
6. Use our first-week checklist after a criminal charge to put the rest in order.

Questions people ask before a West Palm Beach court date

Before the first hearing

• If the arrest was days ago, start with the first 48 hours after an arrest.
• The DUI license deadline runs apart from court, as the 10-day rule explains.
• A Central Region DUI program question is covered in the Palm Beach first-time DUI program.

Felony cases downtown

• Release on a violation of probation is covered in bond after a probation violation.
• Trial timing is in the speedy trial rule.
• Maximum sentences by degree are in the penalties chart.

Domestic violence and injunctions

• The penalties are in domestic battery penalties.
• Whether the alleged victim can end the case is covered in dropping domestic violence charges.
• Changing an order later is explained in modifying or dissolving an injunction.

Frequently asked questions

What is the address of the Palm Beach County courthouse?

The circuit lists the Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley Courthouse at 205 North Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach, FL 33401. The Clerk calls it the Main Courthouse.

What are the Clerk's hours at the main courthouse?

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding designated holidays, according to the Clerk. The criminal counter is Room 2.2300.

Is first appearance held at the main courthouse?

No. A person held after arrest sees a judge at the Criminal Justice Complex, 3228 Gun Club Road, where the State Attorney's branch office handles first appearances.

Can I attend my felony hearing by Zoom?

It depends on the division. Some divisions allow remote status hearings and represented arraignments, but require in-person attendance for calendar call, plea conferences and docket sounding.

Where do I file papers in an injunction case?

The Clerk's Domestic Violence counter is in Room 3.2200. For motions in an injunction case, such as a scheduling conflict, the circuit says you can go to any of its courthouse locations for more information.

Which nearby courthouses and cities do we also cover?

The other Palm Beach County building most of our clients see is the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach, for Southern Region cases. North of the county seat, our Palm Beach Gardens page covers the Northern Region. Across the county line, Broward cases from the north end of that county may be heard at the North Regional Courthouse in Deerfield Beach. Further north, Martin County's courthouse is described on our page about the Martin County Courthouse in Stuart.

How can Mr. Mead help with a case at the main courthouse?

Mr. Mead has defended criminal cases in South Florida for more than three decades, from his office at 370 W. Camino Gardens Blvd., Suite 333, Boca Raton, and he represents clients in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Martin counties. He can read the division's instructions, appear where the rules allow, and explain what each date in this building means for your case. The first consultation is free, and you can call 24 hours. His background is on the firm overview page.

Every case is different, and no result can be promised. If you have a felony, DUI, misdemeanor or domestic violence date in West Palm Beach, a confidential call to (561) 362-6677 is a sound first step.

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