Court Security

Please do not bring any of these prohibited items to the courthouse. Any items found abandoned outside the building or hidden in this facility will be seized by security personnel and destroyed.

Court security personnel cannot store property that is not allowed at the courthouse while individuals are conducting their business.

Entering the Court Floor or Juvenile Courtroom

To ensure the safety of the public, court staff, attorneys and others who have business at the courthouse, the Court contracts with the Marin County Sheriff's Office and with a private company, Universal Protection Service, for court security services. Court security screening is performed in the Civic Center courthouse and the courtroom at the Juvenile Services Center in Lucas Valley.

All individuals who enter the Court Floor of the Civic Center or the juvenile courtroom are subject to search and seizure of items identified on the list below. Attorneys, members of the public, court and other criminal justice department staff and all others entering the facility are screened. Only uniformed law enforcement officers and judicial officers are exempt from screening. You may be asked to remove jewelry, accessories, and clothing.

Please note that the only entrance to the Court Floor is through the middle arch lobby of the Civic Center. All other elevator and stairway access to the Court Floor is permanently closed. When going to court, please allow sufficient time for security screening. Please do not bring unnecessary bags, briefcases or packages to the courthouse as these will slow down the screening process.

The following prohibited items are not allowed on the Court Floor and will be confiscated and destroyed. Please review this list carefully.

Any property abandoned, discarded, or hidden prior to entry on the Court Floor will be confiscated and destroyed.

California Penal Code section 602 (y) states that individuals who intentionally avoid or refuse to submit to screening and inspection of themselves and their personal property while entering or re-entering a court building may be subject to detention, arrest and prosecution.

Visitors' Access to the Restricted Judicial Corridor

Judicial chambers, settlement conference rooms and jury deliberation rooms are located in the restricted judicial corridor on the Court Floor. Individuals who have appointments with judicial officers, are serving on a jury or who have other court business that requires them to be in the restricted judicial corridor must obtain a visitor's badge from the Court Bailiff's Station in Room C-24. Visitors will be required to sign in at the Bailiff's Station and exchange photo identification for the visitor badges. Upon return of badges, identification cards will be returned to the visitors.

Visitor badges must be worn at all times while in the restricted corridor. Bailiffs will escort visitors out of the restricted corridor if they fail to display their badges.