Kern County Remote Appearance: Reserving, Notice, and Fees

To appear remotely for a Kern County remote court appearance, use CourtCall through the Kern County Superior Court’s Remote Hearings page, which lists a video link, audio stream, or dial-in number for each courtroom. Remote access is available in most civil, family law, probate, and many criminal proceedings, though the judge can always require you to show up in person, and defendants cannot appear remotely for jury or court trials. California’s remote appearance framework under Code of Civil Procedure Section 367.75 is currently set to expire on January 1, 2027, so verify current procedures on the court’s website before every hearing.¹²

Reserving Your Remote Appearance

For courtrooms that use CourtCall’s telephonic reservation system, you must reserve your spot by 3:00 p.m. the court day before your hearing. Reserve online at courtcall.com or by calling (888) 882-6878.²

For video appearances, go to the court’s Remote Hearings page, click the link for your assigned courtroom, and fill out the required information. If you don’t have a computer or smartphone, you can call in at (855) 268-7844 using the passcode listed for your courtroom. Run a compatibility test at video.courtcall.com/test at least a day ahead so any device or browser problems surface before the hearing.³

One exception worth noting: the Mojave Division A courtroom does not currently offer CourtCall. If your case is in that courtroom, plan to appear in person or contact the clerk about alternatives.³

Filing a Notice of Remote Appearance in Civil Cases

Before you can appear remotely in a civil matter, you have to notify the court and every other party. The standard method is Judicial Council Form RA-010, the Notice of Remote Appearance.⁴ Check the Kern County website first, since some courts offer an online process that replaces the paper form. If not, file RA-010 with the clerk and serve it on all other parties, with proof of service on file.⁵

The filing deadlines depend on the type of hearing.

For non-evidentiary hearings such as motions and conferences: if you have three or more court days’ notice of the hearing, file RA-010 at least two court days before. If you have less than three court days’ notice (including ex parte applications), the moving party files with the moving papers, and the responding party files by 2:00 p.m. the court day before.

For evidentiary hearings and trials, including small claims trials: if you have fifteen or more court days’ notice, file at least ten court days before the hearing. With less than fifteen court days’ notice, the moving party files with the moving papers or at least five court days before, and the responding party files by 2:00 p.m. the court day before.⁵

The court has discretion to allow a remote appearance even if you miss a deadline, but that is not something to rely on. You will need your case number, assigned department, and hearing date and time on the form; check them against the online docket, because logging into the wrong virtual courtroom is treated the same as failing to appear.

Which Hearings Can Proceed Remotely

Civil, Family Law, and Probate

Under CCP 367.75, you have a right to appear remotely in civil cases when you give proper notice. That covers status conferences, motions, case management hearings, and similar non-evidentiary proceedings. Family law hearings such as child support and custody mediation commonly proceed remotely, and probate matters frequently allow it, especially when beneficiaries live outside the area.¹

Trials and evidentiary hearings work differently. The court can allow remote testimony on its own motion or a party’s request, and the opposing side gets a chance to file an opposition. Small claims trials and unlawful detainer cases are eligible for remote appearances, but the notice requirements are stricter. The court cannot force you to appear remotely; if you want to be there in person, that is your right, and self-represented parties can only be asked to appear remotely with their consent.¹

Criminal Cases

Criminal remote appearances follow Penal Code Section 977. For misdemeanors, you can generally appear through your attorney alone, and with your agreement the initial appearance, arraignment, plea, and most other proceedings can happen remotely. Jury and court trials are excluded.⁶

Felony rules are much tighter. You must be physically present at your arraignment, plea, preliminary hearing, during testimony at trial, and at sentencing. For other felony proceedings, remote appearance or a waiver of appearance is possible with court approval and your attorney’s agreement. No defendant, felony or misdemeanor, may appear remotely for a jury or court trial.⁶

When the Judge Can Require You to Appear in Person

Even with a right to remote appearance, the judge can require you to show up. CCP 367.75 lists six grounds in civil cases:

The court lacks the hardware or software to hold the hearing remotely.
The audio or video quality prevents the hearing from functioning properly.
The judge decides, hearing by hearing, that in-person appearance would materially assist in resolving the matter. This is the broadest ground and the one used most often, particularly when credibility or complex evidence is involved.
Audio quality prevents the court reporter from producing an accurate transcript.
The technology prevents your attorney from adequately representing you.
The technology prevents a court interpreter from providing language access.

For evidentiary hearings and trials, the opposing party can file an opposition explaining why the hearing should not proceed remotely.¹ Similar technology-based grounds apply in criminal cases under Penal Code 977 when problems cannot be resolved in a reasonable time.⁶

Connecting on the Day of Your Hearing

On the morning of your hearing, open the Remote Hearings page and click your assigned courtroom to pull up the current video link, audio stream, or phone number and passcode. Connect at least fifteen minutes early. Links can change, so verify them the day before and again that morning. Keep the CourtCall browser tab in focus, and take your phone out of battery-saver or low-power mode, which can drop the stream.³

Expect to wait. The court moves through cases in sequence, and you will likely sit in a virtual waiting period until the clerk or bailiff calls your case number and name. Stay muted. When your case is called, unmute and clearly announce your name and role. Background noise from an open microphone is one of the fastest ways to frustrate a judge with a full calendar.

If your connection drops, rejoin immediately with the same link or phone number. If you cannot reconnect, call the clerk’s office for your department directly. A dropped connection that you promptly try to fix is very different from failing to appear. Note the time and what you did to reconnect in case you need to explain the disruption later.

Technical Setup That Actually Works

Your appearance is only as reliable as your equipment. A few practical steps prevent most failures.

Video hearings need roughly 800 kbps to 3 Mbps of bandwidth. A wired ethernet connection is more stable than Wi-Fi. If you are on a mobile hotspot, run the CourtCall compatibility check ahead of time.
Use headphones with a built-in microphone, like the ones that came with your phone, to prevent echo from speakers feeding back into the mic. Select the headphones as both your speaker and microphone in your device’s audio settings.
Position your camera at eye level. Sit in a quiet, well-lit room with a plain background. Courts treat remote hearings with the same formality as in-person appearances.
Avoid speakerphone. Speaking directly into your phone or headset produces much clearer audio.

Run the compatibility test at video.courtcall.com/test at least a day before your hearing.³ Problems discovered the morning of are rarely fixable in time.

Fees

CourtCall and similar California platforms typically charge a per-hearing convenience fee, often in the range of $25 to $50 depending on the service and hearing type. Kern County’s Remote Hearings page does not publish specific fee amounts, so contact CourtCall at (888) 882-6878 or check courtcall.com for current pricing before your hearing. If you cannot afford the fee, ask the clerk whether a fee waiver applies to remote appearance costs in your case.

Interpreters and Disability Accommodations

If you need a court-certified interpreter, request one as soon as you know your court date. Each court sets its own timeline, so contact the Kern County clerk’s office to confirm how far in advance you need to ask. You can use Judicial Council Form INT-300, Request for an Interpreter (Civil), which must be completed in English and include your case number, the language needed, and your hearing date. After filing, follow up with the court’s interpreter coordinator to confirm the request was received and approved.⁷

For disability accommodations such as real-time captioning, assistive listening, or screen-reader compatible documents, submit Judicial Council Form MC-410, the Disability Accommodation Request, at least five court days before your hearing. The court can waive that deadline in urgent situations. You can also call the court’s ADA coordinator directly to explain what you need.⁸

Public Access

Remote hearings are live court proceedings, and most are open to the public. Anyone connected to the session, including members of the public listening in through the audio stream links on Kern County’s Remote Hearings page, can hear what you say. Closed case types, such as juvenile dependency or matters under seal, remain closed regardless of format.⁹

1
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 367.75
2
Superior Court of California, County of Kern. News Release – Remote Appearances
3
Superior Court of California, County of Kern. Remote Hearings
4
California Courts | Self Help Guide. Notice of Remote Appearance RA-010
5
Judicial Council of California. Notice of Remote Appearance
6
California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 977 – Of the Arraignment of the Defendant
7
California Courts. Ask for an Interpreter
8
Judicial Branch of California. Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities
9
California Courts. Remote Court Hearings