Washoe County covers the north and northeast shore of Lake Tahoe, including Incline Village and Crystal Bay, so a criminal case from either town starts in the Incline Village–Crystal Bay Justice Court and is prosecuted by the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office. A misdemeanor is decided in Incline Village. A felony that goes forward after its preliminary hearing moves to the Second Judicial District Court in Reno, not to Douglas County’s courts.
I’m Theodore FitzGerald, a criminal defense lawyer in Stateline. I work from one rule: the government has to follow the law at every step, on the north shore as on the south.
Where the court is and what it hears
The court sits at 855 Alder Avenue in Incline Village. It has served the Washoe County side of the lake since 1980, and its jurisdiction covers matters arising around Incline Village and Crystal Bay. On the criminal side it handles misdemeanors from arraignment through trial, gross misdemeanors and felonies from arraignment through the preliminary hearing, and criminal traffic citations. It also hears civil traffic infractions, evictions, harassment protection orders, small claims, and civil cases up to $15,000.
The first hearing is the arraignment. You receive the criminal complaint, the court confirms your name and advises you of your rights, and it decides whether you qualify for a public defender if you ask for one. On a misdemeanor you may plead guilty, no contest, or not guilty. The court says that on a DUI or domestic battery, a guilty or no-contest plea may be continued to a later sentencing date so the prosecutor and any victim can attend.
Criminal traffic citations are arraigned on Tuesday mornings at 8:30, and other criminal arraignments are held on Wednesday mornings at 8:30, with check-in closing at 8:15. The court says a late arrival on a citation is rescheduled one time only. The date and time on your citation or release paperwork control.
Missing a date has the same consequences in Washoe County as anywhere in Nevada. On an unexcused missed misdemeanor date, the court must order an arrest warrant within 14 judicial days, and failing to appear is a separate crime unless the person surrenders within 30 days. The court warns that paying online for a case that has gone to warrant will not prevent an arrest.
How a felony moves from Incline Village to Reno
The court does not try gross misdemeanors or felonies. The judge holds a preliminary hearing within 15 days, unless the defendant waives it or the judge extends the time for good cause. If the evidence shows probable cause that the offense was committed and that the defendant committed it, the defendant is held to answer in the Second Judicial District Court, Washoe County’s district court in Reno; otherwise the defendant is discharged. A waiver sends the case to Reno immediately.
The prosecutor then has 15 days to file the information in district court. A pretrial habeas petition challenging the probable-cause finding has to be filed within 21 days after the first appearance in district court, with limited extensions. The Reno courts are covered on Reno and Washoe County Courts.
A misdemeanor conviction from this court is appealed to the same district court: notice within 10 days of the judgment, and the appeal is decided on the record made in Incline Village.
Can I appear remotely?
The court’s rule is that proceedings require attendance in person unless the court grants a virtual appearance. To ask for one, a party files the court’s Motion for Remote Appearance:
- It has to be filed at least 72 hours before the hearing. In extreme weather, it is filed as soon as practicable.
- It is submitted by email to the court for approval, and the person filing it has to give notice to the other side and make sure the connection works.
- If the court approves, it sends a link to appear remotely.
In-custody hearings are held by Zoom, Monday through Thursday at 7:45 a.m.
When a remote appearance is approved, treat it like a courtroom. Use a quiet room, a working camera and microphone, and dress as you would for court. In my experience judges notice, and a clean remote appearance makes the next request easier to grant.
Working with FitzGerald Law in Incline Village
Incline Village and Crystal Bay are on the Nevada side of the lake, the same side as my Stateline office, and the law that governs a case there is the same Nevada law that governs a case in Douglas County. What changes is the county: a Washoe County prosecutor, this court, and the district court in Reno.
On an Incline Village case, my office confirms from the citation or booking paperwork which court the case is in, files the Motion for Remote Appearance inside the 72-hour window where a remote appearance makes sense, and sets up the appearance with you. You are told in advance which dates the court will want you in Incline Village or in Reno. Reports, video, and test records are requested before the first substantive date, and preservation letters go to any hotel, bar, or resort whose cameras may have recorded what happened. On a felony, the preliminary-hearing transcript is the record a habeas petition in Reno would be argued on, and the 21-day deadline runs from the first appearance there, so both are planned from the start.
Address and contact
Incline Village–Crystal Bay Justice Court 855 Alder Avenue, Incline Village, NV 89451 Phone: (775) 832-4100 · Fax: (775) 832-4162 Email: IJCInfo@washoecounty.gov Open Monday through Thursday; closed to the public on Friday Court website: washoecounty.gov/ijc
The date on your paperwork is already set. Hire me now, and I’ll get to work on everything that comes before it. Call FitzGerald Law.