| Name | Court Room | Time |
|---|---|---|
| P** W** BEILBY | Unassigned | 9:00 am |
| A** J** RICHARDS | Unassigned | 9:00 am |
| K** GOMES | Unassigned | 9:00 am |
| A** G** MURRAY | Unassigned | 9:00 am |
| J** A** Fardell v P** S** V** and C** A** C** Ltd | Unassigned | 9:30 am |
| B** M** KIRBY | Unassigned | 11:00 am |
Last updated: 10 Sep 2026, 9:55 am. Names are partially masked for privacy. Details may change — always check with the Registry.
The Lismore District Court is the intermediate court of the New South Wales justice system for the Northern Rivers and Richmond Valley, sitting above the Local Court and below the Supreme Court. It hears the serious indictable matters, jury trials, sentence hearings and larger civil claims that fall outside the powers of a magistrate. The court operates from the Lismore Court House at 9 to 11 Zadoc Street, Lismore NSW 2480, the same building that houses the Lismore Local Court list, and both jurisdictions share the one registry and set of contact details. This page gives you the daily Lismore District Court list, the court schedule and the practical detail you need to find a matter by name, case number or date.
The District Court of New South Wales was established in 1858 and now operates under the District Court Act 1973 (NSW). It is the busiest trial court in the state and, for criminal work, the level where most jury trials in New South Wales are actually heard. The court is led by Chief Judge Sarah Huggett, who was appointed in 2024. Judges are appointed on a vice regal basis, and decisions of the District Court can be taken on appeal to the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.
What the Lismore District Court Deals With
The Lismore District Court hears a broad mix of criminal, civil and appeal work referred up from the lower courts or filed directly. Understanding which stream your matter falls into helps you read the daily law list and work out when and where you need to appear.
Criminal Jurisdiction
Most of the court's workload is criminal. The District Court hears serious indictable offences committed for trial or sentence from the Local Court, including drug supply and manufacture, sexual assault, serious assault causing injury, armed robbery, dangerous driving occasioning death, and large scale fraud. These matters are decided by a judge, and where there is a plea of not guilty, by a jury of twelve. The court also conducts sentence hearings for offenders who have pleaded guilty, and it deals with bail applications in certain circumstances.
Civil Jurisdiction
On the civil side, the Lismore District Court hears claims for damages up to $750,000, which covers most personal injury, motor accident compensation, work injury damages, breach of contract and defamation disputes for the region. Matters valued above that threshold are generally heard in the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The court also has unlimited jurisdiction in motor accident cases in some categories, which is why a large share of regional civil filings are heard at this level rather than in the Local Court, where the general limit is $100,000.
Appeals and Regulatory Matters
The Lismore District Court hears appeals against conviction and severity from the Local Court and the Children's Court, so a person unhappy with a magistrate's decision often has that appeal listed here. The court also deals with prosecutions under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, which matters to the many agricultural, construction and transport businesses across the Northern Rivers.
How Busy the NSW District Court Is Right Now
Lismore forms part of a state trial court that carries a heavy and growing load. According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, the NSW Criminal Courts finalised 151,113 court appearances in the 2024 to 2025 financial year, an increase of 7.4 per cent on the year before. Within that total, District Court criminal finalisations held steady at 3,261 matters, of which 2,331 were sentence matters. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded 172,307 defendants finalised across all New South Wales criminal courts in 2024 to 2025, around a third of the national total, with a guilty outcome in about 95 per cent of adjudicated cases.
Delay remains the defining pressure on District Court trials. BOCSAR data shows the median time to finalise a proceeded District Court trial was 826 days in 2024 to 2025, roughly 96 days longer than it was in 2018 to 2019. Sentencing outcomes have also become firmer, with the proportion of proven defendants across the NSW courts receiving a custodial penalty rising from 9.1 per cent to 10.0 per cent, and the number of custodial penalties increasing by 16.8 per cent to 13,035 in a single year. These figures explain why trial dates at regional courts such as Lismore are often set many months ahead, and why checking the current law list matters.
Where Lismore Sits in the State Court Network
Lismore is not a minor circuit stop. It is one of only eight locations in New South Wales where the District Court holds full time sittings, alongside the Sydney CBD, Parramatta, Penrith, Campbelltown, Newcastle, Gosford and Wollongong. That status reflects the size of the catchment the court serves. The Lismore local government area alone had a population of 44,334 at the 2021 Census, and the court draws additional criminal committals and civil filings from surrounding centres across the Northern Rivers, including Ballina, Byron Bay, Casino, Kyogle and Nimbin.
For nearby District Court matters, the closest equivalent registries are Grafton to the south and Tweed Heads to the north. You can check the Grafton District Court list or the Tweed Heads District Court list if your matter has been transferred or listed at another North Coast venue. Lower level criminal, traffic and small civil matters for coastal residents are frequently heard at the Ballina Local Court list before any committal to the District Court.
Lismore Court House Location, Contact and Facilities
The Lismore Court House stands on Zadoc Street in the city centre, close to Wilsons River, and combines the District and Local Court registries in the one building. The registry is open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm, with telephone enquiries taken from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The general registry number is 1300 679 272 and the fax line is 6623 3600. Postal correspondence goes to PO Box 18, Lismore NSW 2480.
Getting There and Parking
Lismore is around 735 kilometres north of Sydney and is reached by road via the Bruxner Highway. Street parking is available in the surrounding blocks, and it is sensible to arrive early on busy sitting days when both the District and Local Court lists are running. Travellers using public transport can take NSW TrainLink services to Casino and connect by coach to Lismore, and Lismore Airport offers regional flights for interstate practitioners and parties.
Registry and Courtroom Facilities
The court house is wheelchair accessible and all visitors pass through a security screening point on entry. Audio visual link facilities are installed in court rooms 1, 2, 3 and 4, which allows evidence from in custody defendants, remote witnesses and vulnerable complainants to be given without them attending in person. Interpreter services can be arranged through the registry if requested in advance, and recording devices, food and drink are not permitted inside the courtrooms.
How to Read and Search the Lismore District Court List
The daily Lismore District Court list sets out each matter listed for hearing, usually covering appearances up to three weeks ahead and one week in the past. Each entry shows the party name, the assigned court room and the listing time, and matters are grouped by type such as arraignments, callovers, trials, sentences and civil directions. On our page, names are partially masked to protect privacy while still letting you confirm that a matter is listed.
- Search by name: locate a defendant or party using the surname shown on the court attendance notice or bail papers.
- Search by date: confirm the sitting day and time before you travel, as trial estimates often shift.
- Check the court room: note the listed room, since Lismore runs several courts at once on busy days.
- Verify with the registry: listings can change at short notice, so confirm anything critical directly with the court.
Crime and Community Context in the Northern Rivers
The caseload at Lismore reflects the profile of its community. The Lismore local government area covers about 1,290 square kilometres and had a median age of 44 at the last Census, older than the national figure of 38. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.9 per cent of the population, close to double the national average of 3.2 per cent, which underlines the importance of culturally appropriate court processes and support services in this jurisdiction.
BOCSAR publishes recorded crime data for every local government area in the state, and for Lismore the most common recorded offence categories in recent years have been justice procedures offences, theft and assault, with more than one thousand justice procedures offences recorded in a single year. Domestic and family violence continues to weigh heavily on regional court lists across New South Wales, now accounting for more than one in four Local Court finalisations statewide, and many of the most serious of those matters are ultimately committed to the District Court for trial or sentence.
The court has also worked through significant local disruption. The catastrophic floods of February 2022 and the later impact of ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March 2025 damaged infrastructure across the city and delayed parts of the region's recovery, which at times affected access and listings. Keeping an eye on the current law list is the most reliable way to confirm that a Lismore matter is proceeding as scheduled.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Lismore District Court and the Lismore Local Court?
The Local Court is presided over by a magistrate and handles less serious criminal matters, traffic offences, apprehended violence orders and civil claims up to $100,000. The District Court is presided over by a judge, hears serious indictable offences with a jury where there is a not guilty plea, and deals with civil claims up to $750,000. Both operate from the same Zadoc Street court house.
How far ahead does the Lismore District Court list run?
Court lists generally show matters up to three weeks in the future and one week in the past. Because trial estimates change, always confirm the current sitting day and court room before attending.
Can I appeal a Local Court decision at Lismore District Court?
Yes. Appeals against conviction or the severity of a sentence imposed in the Local Court or Children's Court are heard in the District Court, and these appeals are commonly listed at Lismore for Northern Rivers residents.
Are Lismore District Court hearings open to the public?
Most criminal and civil hearings are open to the public, although a judge can close a court or make suppression orders in particular cases, such as certain sexual offence or child related matters. Recording is not permitted inside the courtroom.
How do I confirm my court date if I am unsure?
Check your court attendance notice or bail conditions for the listed date and location, review the daily Lismore District Court list on this page, and contact the registry on 1300 679 272 if you still need confirmation.
