Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, in each county wherein the juvenile hall is not located at the county seat of the county, a majority of the judges of the superior court in and for such county may by an order filed with the clerk of the court direct that a session or sessions of the superior court, while sitting for the purpose of hearing and determining cases and proceedings arising under Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 or Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 6 or Chapter 4 of Part 4 of Division 6 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, may be held or continued in any place in the county in which the juvenile hall is located and thereafter such session or sessions of the court may be held or continued in the location designated in such order. In a county having two superior court judges the presiding judge may make the order.
§ 73e.Juvenile hall not located in county seat; Sessions in judicial district where juvenile hall located
Title 1. Organization and Jurisdiction · Chapter 4. Superior Courts · Last amended 2002 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentence§ 73e lets a majority of a county’s superior court judges order that sessions handling specified dependency-related Welfare and Institutions Code matters be held wherever in the county the juvenile hall sits, when that is not the county seat.
Full Text of § 73e
Plain-English Summary
Juvenile hall is not always in the same place as the courthouse. § 73e lets a county’s superior court judges hold — or move — their juvenile sessions to wherever the juvenile hall is located, rather than requiring everyone to travel to the county seat.
A majority of the superior court judges in the county may file an order directing that a session or sessions handling specified dependency and related Welfare and Institutions Code proceedings be held or continued at the juvenile hall’s location; once made, that order controls where future sessions of that kind take place. In a county having two superior court judges, the presiding judge alone may make the order.
Official Comment
The following official comments are published by the California Law Revision Commission (and, for a few older sections, its predecessor Code Commissioners) alongside the statute itself — not commentary from this site.
2002 Law Revision Commission Comment. Section 73e is amended to reflect unification of the municipal and superior courts pursuant to Article VI, Section 5(e), of the California Constitution. Cf. Section 38 (judicial district). The section is also amended to reflect elimination of the county clerk’s role as ex officio clerk of the superior court. See former Gov’t Code § 26800 (county clerk acting as clerk of superior court). The powers, duties, and responsibilities formerly exercised by the county clerk as ex officio clerk of the court are delegated to the court administrative or executive officer, and the county clerk is relieved of those powers, duties, and responsibilities. See Gov’t Code §§ 69840 (powers, duties, and responsibilities of clerk of court and deputy clerk of court), 71620 (trial court personnel). The section is also amended to replace language referring to the senior judge with language referring to the presiding judge. Every superior court has a presiding judge. See Gov’t Code §§ 69508, 69508.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can juvenile dependency hearings be held under § 73e?
At the location of the juvenile hall itself, rather than the county seat, if a majority of the county’s superior court judges have ordered it.
Who decides where these sessions will be held?
A majority of the county’s superior court judges, by an order filed with the clerk of the court; in a county having two superior court judges, the presiding judge alone may make that order.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1947 ch 1346 § 1. Amended Stats 1951 ch 1737 § 2, operative January 1, 1952; Stats 1955 ch 966 § 1; Stats 2002 ch 784 § 24 (SB 1316).
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: juvenile hall hearing locationjuvenile dependency session location