You hear it outside a Downtown courtroom or in a text from a lawyer: “We’re doing this by court call.” That phrase can mean a few very different things in Los Angeles. It can be the court’s own remote appearance system, a private vendor used by specific divisions, the judge’s quick roll of the morning calendar, or even the automated lines jurors call after hours. If you’re trying to figure out whether you need to log in, show up in person, or pick up the phone, the distinctions matter.
This guide sticks to how it works in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. You’ll see where “court call” shows up in real L.A. courtrooms, what it costs, where it’s allowed, and how to avoid the most common mix-ups that lead to missed appearances.
In L.A. legal circles, the phrase lands in four buckets. Two involve actual technology you use to appear, one is the judge’s quick “calling the calendar” at the start of a session, and one is simply a phone line with information. They are not interchangeable, and the right one depends on your case type and courtroom.
| What someone said | What it really is | Where you’ll see it in L.A. | Typical cost | Key limits |
| “We’ll do it by court call.” | LACourtConnect remote appearance (the Court’s own system) | Civil, Family Law, Small Claims, and Traffic arraignments; rolling into Criminal, Appellate, Mental Health, and Juvenile courtrooms in phases since summer 2025 | $15 per appearance for audio or video in many calendars; $0 with an approved fee waiver | Not open to the public or media; some hearings are in‑person only; availability appears in your case when the courtroom enables it |
| “Use CourtCall.” | CourtCall, a private vendor that sells remote appearances | Used by the Probate Division in Los Angeles for video appearances scheduled through the vendor | Vendor fee per appearance (set and collected by CourtCall) | Only where the courtroom allows vendor-managed appearances; you pay the vendor directly |
| “The court call is at 8:30.” | Calendar call, the judge calling the day’s cases to check readiness and set order | Common in many civil departments at Stanley Mosk Courthouse and branch courts | Free | It is not a separate hearing. If you’re on calendar, you must be present or checked in through the approved remote method for that department |
| “Call the court.” | Information lines and clerk/jury service phone hours | General information lines, plus juror instructions after hours | Free | Calling a clerk is not an appearance. Jurors check reporting status by phone or online after posted times, but that’s not a courtroom appearance |
LACourtConnect is the Superior Court’s platform for parties and counsel to appear by video or phone. Most civil, family, and small claims departments use it for eligible hearings, traffic arraignments allow it in audio or video, and the Court has been rolling it into Criminal, Appellate, Mental Health, and Juvenile courtrooms in phases since mid‑2025. The platform runs on Microsoft Teams under the hood, so the on‑screen experience will feel like a standard Teams meeting.
There is a published cost‑recovery fee structure. In many calendars the Court lists a $15 fee per appearance whether you connect by audio or video. If you have an approved fee waiver in your case, the Court states the appearance is free through LACourtConnect. The Court has at times temporarily waived fees across certain calendars, but do not assume that is in effect for your hearing unless your courtroom or the LACourtConnect screen shows it.
Not every hearing can be done remotely. Your courtroom controls eligibility and will mark a hearing as remote‑eligible in your case listing if permitted. For example, traffic uses remote appearances for arraignments and some non‑trial matters. Trials and situations where you must present physical proof are often in person. If the LACourtConnect page for your case type says it is audio only for a given event, you will not be able to share documents with the bench from home, which is why people still walk in for show‑and‑tell issues like fix‑it receipts.
Two practical notes that matter in Los Angeles courtrooms. First, LACourtConnect is for litigants, attorneys, witnesses, and others with a role in that case. It is not a spectator broadcast. Second, your courtroom will tell you the check‑in window. Many departments open remote check‑in shortly before the calendar start, and you may see a “Not In Session” screen until staff opens the line. That screen is normal in busy rooms at Stanley Mosk Courthouse where dozens of matters queue at once.
If you need help figuring out whether your specific hearing can be remote, you can call the relevant clerk’s office during posted hours. The Criminal Clerk’s Office at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center lists business and phone hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, at 210 W. Temple St., Room 5‑300, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Civil and family law filings are centralized at Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, where clerk windows also post 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. hours on business days.
Los Angeles mostly uses its own LACourtConnect platform, but there is one prominent carve‑out: Probate. The Probate Division still directs parties to schedule video appearances through CourtCall, a private vendor, and notes there is an additional vendor fee per appearance paid to CourtCall. CourtCall manages the logistics for those video links. If you are in a Probate department at Stanley Mosk Courthouse, your minute order or department page will say whether to use CourtCall for video, LACourtConnect for audio, or appear in person.
Because two systems are in play, probate litigants sometimes hear “court call” and assume the Court means its own portal. Do not mix accounts. If a probate judge or clerk says “set it on CourtCall,” that means schedule the appearance with the vendor. If a civil or family department says “appear by court call,” they almost always mean LACourtConnect. When in doubt, check the department’s “Courtroom Information” page for the exact remote rules and the platform name spelled out.
Pricing is different between the two. The Court’s cost‑recovery fee for LACourtConnect in many calendars is $15 per appearance and is $0 with a fee waiver. CourtCall’s vendor fee is separate, set by the company, and paid to the company. If cost matters in your situation, that difference is why many L.A. departments prefer to use LACourtConnect for routine calendars and reserve vendor‑managed video for specific divisions like Probate.
“Calendar call” is the old‑school meaning. It’s simply the judge calling the cases on that day’s docket to establish who is present, who is asking for a continuance, and which matters will be heard first. In Los Angeles civil rooms the calendar call is often scheduled in the morning, but each department posts its own time. Some civil departments at Stanley Mosk start at 8:30 a.m., others at 9:00 or 10:00 a.m., and some set dedicated afternoon calendars for ex parte or settlement conferences. Your minute order controls the time.
If you’re appearing in person, know the building and clerk hours. As of April 2026 the Court has clarified courthouse public hours are generally 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding court holidays. Clerk’s Office hours are typically 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Many L.A. courthouse pages repeat the same schedule. For example, the Metropolitan Courthouse at 1945 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90007 lists building hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and clerk windows open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Bring time for security. Doors open at the posted public hour and the security line at Stanley Mosk Courthouse on North Hill Street fills quickly on heavy calendars. If you need the clerk’s windows, most counters start at 8:30 a.m. so a common rhythm is arriving just before 8:00 a.m. to clear security and then walking to the clerk at opening.
Calling the court is not a substitute for being on calendar. General information lines are useful for directions or hours, and specialized units publish their windows. Jurors, for instance, are instructed to call the automated line or check online after 6:00 p.m. to see whether to report the next day. If your case is on a department’s calendar, though, the judge expects you to be present in person or checked in through the specific remote platform authorized for that department.
A small but real L.A. quirk: research and administrative requests sometimes carry fees unrelated to your hearing. If you ask the Criminal Division to index older case materials and the search takes over 10 minutes, the Court lists a $15 fee for the staff time involved. That is separate from any LACourtConnect or CourtCall fee, and it is one reason clerks will often point you to online indexes or public terminals for routine lookups.
California now has statewide rules for remote appearances, but each court decides how to apply them by case type and courtroom. In Los Angeles the major patterns are consistent:
Civil and Family Law. Most law‑and‑motion calendars at Stanley Mosk Courthouse and the branches accept LACourtConnect, especially for non‑evidentiary hearings. Departments that hear trials, lengthy evidentiary matters, or settlement conferences may require in‑person attendance. The department’s “Courtroom Information” page and your minute order will confirm eligibility for each hearing.
Small Claims. L.A. has encouraged remote appearances for many small claims hearings using LACourtConnect, and the system is set up so self‑represented litigants can create a Court ID and check in when the session opens. The portal makes the option visible only when the courtroom has enabled it for that date and event type.
Traffic. LACourtConnect is available for arraignments and some other non‑trial traffic events. When you connect by audio only, you have no way to show documents to the judicial officer onscreen. If your defense depends on presenting proof, the Court’s own traffic eligibility text explains why those cases often proceed in person. Remote trials are not routinely offered in traffic.
Criminal, Appellate, Mental Health, Juvenile. Beginning in summer 2025, L.A. began a phased rollout of LACourtConnect to courtrooms in these divisions. Judges retain discretion over whether a particular hearing can be remote, and you should expect more in‑person requirements than in civil. If you need to confirm for a specific case, the Criminal Clerk’s Office at 210 W. Temple St., Room 5‑300, publishes 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. hours by phone and in person.
Probate. Probate is the main L.A. division that still points litigants to CourtCall for video appearances, with a separate vendor fee collected by the company. Audio or other appearances may be handled through LACourtConnect or in person depending on the department. Your minute order is the instruction sheet; follow it exactly.
Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. This is the Court’s main civil, family, probate, and small claims hub. Building hours are generally 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, with the Civil and Family clerk counters posting 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. windows. Many civil departments here allow LACourtConnect for non‑evidentiary hearings. Probate departments will direct you to CourtCall for video when permitted, which is why the same courthouse can involve two different “court call” systems on the same morning.
Metropolitan Courthouse, 1945 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90007. This busy traffic and misdemeanor courthouse lists 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. public hours and clerk windows 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Traffic arraignments regularly appear with a LACourtConnect option in the portal. If your screen shows audio only, plan around the fact that you cannot share documents during the call.
Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, 210 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. For appeals and criminal filings, the building posts 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. office and phone hours for the Criminal Clerk’s Office in Room 5‑300. As the Court expands LACourtConnect to more criminal calendars, expect your minute order to say whether a given status hearing can be remote or must be in person.
No. In Los Angeles, “court call” almost always means a remote appearance in your hearing through LACourtConnect or, in Probate, through the vendor CourtCall. Calling a clerk’s line is for information like hours or directions and does not count as an appearance on a calendar.
Many L.A. calendars list a $15 cost‑recovery fee per appearance for either audio or video on LACourtConnect. If you have an approved court fee waiver, your LACourtConnect appearance is free. Probate video appearances scheduled through CourtCall carry a separate vendor fee collected by the company.
Traffic arraignments regularly allow LACourtConnect. Trials are generally in person. If your traffic calendar is audio‑only, you will not be able to show documents to the judicial officer through the call, which is why proof‑heavy traffic matters still tend to be handled in the courtroom.
Courthouse public hours across Los Angeles are generally 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, with clerk windows 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Plan time for the security line at buildings like Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 111 N. Hill St., where morning calendars bring crowds through screening at once.
When you’re choosing between logging in and showing up, read the minute order carefully, then match the platform to the division. In L.A., “court call” usually means LACourtConnect, unless a probate judge tells you to use the vendor’s system.
Published: September 4, 2026