Chapter 13 of 13 · Your court · 3 of 4
The Criminal Courts of Justice: where the Dublin District Court hears criminal cases
Checked 15 Oct 2026the Road Traffic Acts, the Criminal Justice Acts and the District Court Rules as amended.
Where the Dublin District Court hears criminal cases: the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street, its office, the Bridewell and Cloverhill custody courts, the lists and what to do on arrival.
Written for the person who has to go to court. This guide covers the District Court of the Republic of Ireland.
What the building is
The Criminal Courts of Justice, usually shortened to the CCJ, is the courthouse on Parkgate Street in Dublin 8, opposite the Phoenix Park gates and beside Heuston Station. It opened in 2010 to bring Dublin's criminal courts under one roof, and it houses the Circuit Criminal Court, the Central Criminal Court and the Special Criminal Court as well as the Dublin District Court's criminal courtrooms and office.
For most people who arrive there, the District Court is the reason. The District Court handles about 90% of the State's criminal caseload: 342,791 offences in 2025, 175,328 of them road traffic (Courts Service Annual Report 2025). The Dublin Metropolitan District is the largest of its districts, and its summary criminal business sits daily in the District courtrooms at the CCJ. The venue's own page on this site is at /courts/criminal-courts-of-justice, and the district page is at /districts/dublin.
If you are not sure which courthouse your case is in, the summons or charge sheet names it. A Dublin summons for a road traffic matter, a public order charge or a theft usually names the Criminal Courts of Justice; family law goes to Dolphin House, civil claims to the Four Courts or Áras Uí Dhálaigh, under-18s to the Children Court at Smithfield, and suburban cases to Blanchardstown, Tallaght, Swords, Balbriggan or Dún Laoghaire.
Which District Court lists sit there
The District courtrooms at the CCJ take the Dublin Metropolitan District's summary criminal lists: first appearances on charge sheets, summons lists, remand lists, hearings on pleas of not guilty, sentencing after a probation report, and bail applications. The District Court can impose up to 12 months on one charge and 2 years in all on consecutive sentences (Criminal Justice Act 1984, sections 11 and 12 as amended), and fines by class under the Fines Act 2010, from Class E at €500 to Class A at €5,000, with the court bound to consider your means.
The Dublin Metropolitan District has no general sittings page on courts.ie; the only published schedule is the vacation sittings page, which lists which courtrooms sit on vacation days. Outside vacation, the District courtrooms sit every weekday. What happens in the District Court is the same in Dublin as anywhere else: the charge is read, you plead or ask for time, you can apply for legal aid with a statement of means, a guilty plea may be dealt with that day or adjourned for a report, and a not guilty plea gets a hearing date.
The office
The Dublin District Court Office is in the CCJ building. It holds the daily lists, takes documents for lodgment, issues summonses applied for by the Garda, deals with fines and appeals, and answers the questions a court user has about a date. Contact details are the Courts Service's.
| Detail | Dublin District Court Office, Criminal Courts of Justice |
|---|---|
| Address | Courthouse, Parkgate Street, Saint James, Dublin 8 |
| Eircode | D08 K6YH |
| Phone | 01 798 8003 |
| districtcourtccjmail@courts.ie | |
| Hours | Mon to Fri 9:00 to 17:00 |
| Bail Office | Dublin District Court Bail Office, 01 798 8001 |
| Courts Service page | https://www.courts.ie/offices/dublin-criminal-courts-of-justice |
The Bail Office is a separate counter inside the same building. The judge fixes bail in court under the Bail Act 1997; the office takes the recognisance, the surety's details and any money lodged, and it is where a surety goes to sign. The court can require an independent surety and at least a third of the bond to be lodged, and the bail guide explains who can and cannot stand.
The Bridewell and Cloverhill: the custody courts
Two other venues share the CCJ's criminal work for people who are held in custody rather than arriving on their own.
The Bridewell is the courthouse at Chancery Street, Dublin 7, behind the Four Courts and beside the Bridewell Garda station. It has no page of its own on courts.ie, and the Courts Service lists the CCJ District Court office as its contact; which office administers its lists should be confirmed with that office. The vacation sittings notice lists Court 44 for child care business and Court 46 at Chancery Street.
| Detail | Chancery Street Courthouse (the Bridewell) |
|---|---|
| Address | Courthouse, Chancery Street, Dublin 7 |
| Eircode | D07 A599 |
| Office | Dublin District Court Office, Criminal Courts of Justice |
| Phone | 01 798 8003 |
| districtcourtccjmail@courts.ie | |
| Hours | Mon to Fri 9:00 to 17:00 |
Cloverhill District Court sits beside Cloverhill Prison on Cloverhill Road in Clondalkin, Dublin 22. It handles summary criminal business, mostly remands and applications for people in custody there, and on vacation days the courthouse sits at 10:00 am. If a family member is on remand at Cloverhill, the court date on the committal warrant is usually at this venue.
| Detail | Cloverhill District Court |
|---|---|
| Address | Cloverhill Courthouse, Cloverhill Road, Dublin 22 |
| Eircode | D22 T043 |
| Office | Cloverhill District Court Office |
| Phone | 01 630 4912 |
| cloverhill@courts.ie | |
| Hours | Mon to Fri 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00 |
| Courts Service page | https://www.courts.ie/offices/cloverhill-district-court-office |
The Dublin Drug Treatment Court sits at Green Street Courthouse, Dublin 7, with its office open to the public on Wednesdays 12:00 to 15:00 and otherwise by appointment on 01 888 6267. Its venue page is at /courts/green-street.
Getting there
The CCJ is at the city end of Parkgate Street, a few minutes' walk from Heuston Station, which is served by the Luas Red Line, Dublin Bus and intercity trains. The Courts Service page does not list public parking at the courthouse, so most people come by public transport or use the paid car parks around Heuston and the quays. The court office arranges interpreters, Irish Sign Language and other access needs on request; ask when you ring.
Expect a security screening at the entrance, as at an airport. Leave anything that could be read as a weapon at home, and allow ten minutes for the queue on a busy morning.
The lists, the Legal Diary and adjournment notices
District Court daily lists are not published online. The Legal Diary on courts.ie covers the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Circuit Court and the other higher courts; it does not carry District Court lists. The list for each District courtroom is held by the Dublin District Court Office and displayed in the building on the day. If you have lost your date, ring the office with your name and, if you have it, the charge sheet or summons number, or use the court date tool to work out where you are in the process.
The Courts Service's news page carries notices when a venue's lists are adjourned or cancelled, for example on a day of severe weather or a building closure, and the updates page on this site notes the ones that affect the District Court. If a notice says a list is adjourned, the office writes to the people on it with the new date; if nothing has arrived within a fortnight, ring.
What to do when you arrive
Go through security, then find your courtroom. The lists are grouped by courtroom and by type: charge sheet matters, summons matters, remands. Ask at the office if you cannot find your name; it is on 01 798 8003 and at the public counter in the building. Be in the courtroom before the list is called, stand when your name is called, and address the judge as "Judge". There is no dress code; clean and plain is what most people wear.
If your solicitor is appearing, wait for them outside the courtroom unless told otherwise. If you have none and your means are insufficient, you can apply for legal aid with a statement of means from the court clerk; the judge decides it, usually at the first appearance, and there is no contribution. If you have not had time to get advice, an adjournment for legal advice or legal aid is normally granted on a first appearance.
If you cannot attend, ring the office before the list is called. For a minor matter on a summons the court can proceed and convict in your absence; on a bail date, non-appearance brings a bench warrant and forfeiture of the bond. In 2025 the median time from a summons to disposal was 182 days and from a charge sheet 245 days, so most cases return to the building more than once; adjournments are normal and are at the judge's discretion.
The 2026 legal aid dispute at the CCJ
From 1 July 2026 a flat €520 per District Court case replaced the per-appearance legal aid fees, and criminal legal aid solicitors withdrew their services from mid-June, almost completely from 1 July except for custody and protocol cases. The Dublin withdrawal continued into the new legal year, with a protest on 5 October, and a High Court challenge was awaiting judgment on 13 October 2026. Cases at the CCJ were adjourned by the thousand and bench warrants issued for people whose solicitors did not appear.
If your solicitor has withdrawn: attend every date yourself, tell the judge, ask for an adjournment and for legal aid, ask the office which solicitors are still taking certificates, and keep every date. The changes page tracks the dispute, and the position for people in custody is unchanged.
Where this leaves you
The CCJ is the busiest District Court venue in the State, and the people at its office answer the same questions every day: where is my courtroom, what is my date, what do I bring. Use Find a court to check the venue your summons names, its office and its district, and keep the office number with your papers. If you may qualify for legal aid, ask the judge for it at your first appearance (how legal aid works). If you want a solicitor of your own, the solicitor page explains how to find one who takes District Court work in Dublin.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Criminal Courts of Justice the District Court?
Partly. The building on Parkgate Street houses the Dublin District Court's criminal courtrooms and office alongside the Circuit Criminal Court, the Central Criminal Court and the Special Criminal Court. If your summons or charge sheet names the District Court at the CCJ, you go to the District courtrooms there.
Can I see the Criminal Courts of Justice court list online?
No. District Court daily lists are not published online; the Legal Diary covers the higher courts only. The list is held at the Dublin District Court Office in the building, and the Courts Service's news page carries notices when a venue's lists are adjourned or cancelled.
What is the Bridewell court?
The Bridewell is the courthouse at Chancery Street, Dublin 7, beside the Garda station of the same name. Its District courtrooms are used for people brought from custody, and the vacation sittings notice lists Court 44 for child care business and Court 46 there. The Courts Service lists the CCJ District Court office as its contact.
Where is Cloverhill District Court?
Cloverhill Courthouse is on Cloverhill Road, Dublin 22, beside Cloverhill Prison in Clondalkin. It deals with summary criminal business for people held in custody, and its office is open Monday to Friday 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00 on 01 630 4912.
What time should I arrive at the CCJ?
Arrive before the time on your summons or bail sheet, which for most District lists is the morning. Allow time for the security check at the door, find your courtroom from the list, and be in the room when the list is called. Missing the call can mean a bench warrant on a bail date or a conviction in your absence on a summons.
Where do I apply for bail at the Criminal Courts of Justice?
The Dublin District Court Bail Office is in the CCJ on 01 798 8001. Bail itself is fixed by the judge in court under the Bail Act 1997; the office handles the paperwork, the recognisance and any lodgment.