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HomeWelfare and Institutions CodeDiv. 2Pt. 1Ch. 2Art. 4§ 255 Juvenile Hearing Officer Appointment

§ 255 Juvenile Hearing Officer Appointment

Welfare and Institutions Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 255 Juvenile Hearing Officer Appointment

Key Takeaways

  • •The court can pick people with experience to be juvenile hearing officers. These people can be probation officers or their assistants.
  • •These hearing officers work as long as the court wants them to. They can be fired anytime, and if not, they stay until someone new is picked.
  • •The court decides if these hearing officers get paid and how much, but only if they don’t already have another government job.
  • •If a probation officer is picked to be a hearing officer, they have to say it’s okay first.
  • •When a hearing officer is in charge, the juvenile court is called the 'Informal Juvenile and Traffic Court'.

Example

Imagine a probation officer named Alex is asked by the court to also be a juvenile hearing officer.

Alex can say yes or no. If Alex says yes, they’ll work as a hearing officer until the court says they can’t anymore or someone else takes over. The court will decide if Alex gets extra pay, but only if Alex doesn’t already have another government job. When Alex is hearing cases, the court will be called the 'Informal Juvenile and Traffic Court'.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 255 Juvenile Hearing Officer Appointment

The court may appoint as subordinate judicial officers one or more persons of suitable experience, who may be a probation officer or assistant or deputy probation officers, to serve as juvenile hearing officers on a full-time or part-time basis. A hearing officer shall serve at the pleasure of the court, and unless the court makes an order terminating the appointment of a hearing officer, the hearing officer shall continue to serve until the appointment of his or her successor. The court shall determine whether any compensation shall be paid to hearing officers, not otherwise employed by a public agency or holding another public office, and shall establish the amounts and rates thereof. An appointment of a probation officer, assistant probation officer, or deputy probation officer as a juvenile hearing officer may be made only with the consent of the probation officer. A juvenile court shall be known as the Informal Juvenile and Traffic Court when a hearing officer appointed pursuant to this section hears a case specified in Section 256. (Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 784, Sec. 610. Effective January 1, 2003.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

probationinformal juvenile and traffic court.appointmenthearingexperiencecompensation

Related Statutes

  • § 204 Juvenile Court Information Sharing
  • § 224.2 Indian Child Inquiry Duty
  • § 224.3 Indian Child Welfare Notice
  • § 250 Referee Order Effectiveness
  • § 252 Juvenile Court Rehearing Requests

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Welfare and Institutions Code. Section 255.
View Official Source