Pasco County runs two courthouses, one on each side of the county, and which one your case lands in depends on where the offense happened. The West Pasco Judicial Center on Little Road in New Port Richey is the western one, and of the two it is by far the easier building to arrive at.
The right building
The West Pasco Judicial Center, 7530 Little Road, New Port Richey, FL 34654. Built in 1990 and expanded in 2009. Main number (727) 847-8128. It houses both circuit and county judges and hears civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic cases. The Clerk and Comptroller’s court operations are in the same building, open 8:30 to 5:00 Monday through Friday.
Pasco’s other courthouse is the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City. If your paperwork says Live Oak Avenue, you want that page, not this one. The drive between the two is about forty minutes, so it is worth checking the address on your notice the night before rather than the morning of.
Parking, security, and timing
Parking is free in the courthouse lot, and there is a lot of it right out front. Handicap accessible spaces are near the main entrance. This is the least stressful arrival of any courthouse in this region: you park, you walk in, you are done.
Phones are allowed in the building. The Sixth Circuit says plainly that cell phones and electronic devices are permitted but must be silenced in courtrooms, and that photography, video, and audio recording are prohibited without a judge’s prior approval. Weapons, anything usable as a weapon, pepper spray, and handcuff keys do not come in. There is also a published dress code: no tank tops, no exposed midriff, no shorts above mid thigh, and no hats except for religious or medical reasons.
The court itself says to allow extra time during the busy morning hours. If you need an accommodation, Pasco County Customer Service at (727) 847-2411 asks for at least seven days notice before your court date.
County court or circuit court
County court handles misdemeanors. Circuit court handles felonies. That single distinction decides which judge you see, which prosecutor is assigned, and how long your case takes. A first DUI, a driving while license suspended, a petit theft, a simple battery: those are misdemeanors, and they are county court cases. A third DUI within ten years, a grand theft, a felony battery: those are circuit court, and they move on a slower and more formal track. If you are not sure which one you have, the charge on your paperwork will say, and I can tell you in a two minute phone call.
Both sit in this building, so being in the right courthouse does not mean you are in the right courtroom. Check the docket screen when you come through security.
Florida’s criminal rules require a judge to permit remote appearance for non-evidentiary pretrial matters set for thirty minutes or less unless there is good cause to refuse, and Sixth Circuit judges publish their individual practice preferences, including how they handle remote appearances, at the circuit’s practice requirements page.
Pasco shares the Sixth Circuit with Pinellas, which has two consequences worth knowing. Formal review of a DUI license suspension is filed with the Clearwater BAR office, not anywhere in Pasco. And the first offense DUI diversion program here is DROP, the same program Pinellas uses, not the Twelfth Circuit program used one county south.
If someone you love is in the county jail
Pasco’s jail is not at either courthouse. The Sheriff’s jail page covers custody, visitation, and how to find someone, and records and body camera video requests go through the Sheriff’s public records portal. Request video early. It is the single most useful thing in a DUI case and retention windows are shorter than people assume.
Who sits where, and how to look up your own case
The prosecutor and the public defender are both in this building. The State Attorney’s West Pasco office is (727) 847-8158 and the Public Defender’s is (727) 847-8155, both at 7530 Little Road.
The Public Defender represents people who qualify financially, and the office is appointed by the court rather than chosen. If you are represented privately you will not deal with them, but it helps to know which building is which.
Your case file is public and you can read it yourself. Pasco County online court records is the records platform run by the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers, which the clerks in smaller counties use instead of hosting their own. Public search needs no login and costs nothing. Looking at your own docket before a hearing is one of the cheapest useful things you can do: it tells you what has actually been filed, what the next setting is, and whether anything was entered that you were not told about.
Who your judge is, and what they want. The Sixth Circuit lists every judge with their division, their courthouse, their judicial assistant’s name and phone number, and a link to that judge’s own practice preferences I do not list judges by name on this page on purpose, because divisions rotate and a name here would go stale. The directory is always current.
Common Questions
Is my case in New Port Richey or Dade City?
It depends on where the offense occurred and which agency made the arrest. West Pasco cases are heard on Little Road in New Port Richey and east Pasco cases at the Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City. Your notice of hearing gives the address. The two are about forty minutes apart, so check it before you drive.
Where do I park at the West Pasco Judicial Center?
Free, in the courthouse lot out front. There is plenty of it, with handicap accessible spaces near the main entrance.
Can I bring my phone into the courthouse?
Yes. The Sixth Circuit permits phones and electronic devices but requires them silenced in courtrooms, and photography, video, and audio recording are prohibited without a judge’s prior approval.
Is there a dress code?
Yes, and it is published. No offensive clothing, no tank tops or halter tops, no exposed midriff, no shorts above mid thigh, and no hats except for religious or medical reasons.
Do I have to appear in person?
Not always. Florida’s rules require judges to allow remote appearance for non-evidentiary pretrial matters set for thirty minutes or less absent good cause, and once you hire a lawyer a written plea of not guilty can waive your arraignment appearance in most misdemeanor cases. Individual judges post their own preferences on the circuit website.
Related reading
My Pasco County defense page covers how I handle cases here, and the Dade City courthouse guide covers the other half of the county. Because Pasco is in the Sixth Circuit with Pinellas, the Pinellas County Justice Center guide describes the same circuit’s practices, and DROP is the shared first offense DUI diversion program.
Your court date is not the finish line, it is the starting gun. If you have a date at the West Pasco Judicial Center, call or text me at (727) 761-4318 before you go. In many cases I can appear for you so you do not have to be there at all. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Your judge publishes their own rules. How hearings get scheduled, deadlines before trial, plea cutoffs, and whether they will let you appear remotely. Where to find them, by circuit, and what you are looking at when you get there.
