| Name | Court Room | Time |
|---|---|---|
| LOUDEN, S** V P** A** | Courtroom 1 | 10:00 am |
| DAVOREN, D** V J** P** | Courtroom 1 | 10:00 am |
Last updated: 10 Sep 2026, 9:54 am. Names are partially masked for privacy. Details may change — always check with the Registry.
The Ballarat Magistrates' Court sits at 100 Grenville Street South, Ballarat VIC 3350, and serves as the main headquarter court for one of Victoria's busiest regional justice regions. If you need to check the Ballarat Magistrates Court list, confirm a hearing time, or find out which courtroom your matter has been allocated to, this page brings together accurate scheduling details, contact information, and practical guidance for anyone attending the Ballarat courthouse. The court operates Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm and is closed on weekends and public holidays, so it helps to plan your visit and review the daily law list before you arrive.
Ballarat is a full-service headquarter court, not a small satellite venue. It administers the circuit courts at Ararat and Bacchus Marsh, both of which share the same Ballarat postal address at PO Box 604, and it hosts several specialist divisions under one roof. These include an intervention order registry, a Diversion program, the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP) for bail support, and the Assessment and Referral Court (ARC), which supports accused people living with mental health conditions or cognitive impairment. This concentration of services makes the Ballarat Magistrates Court list broader and more varied than the list at many comparable regional courts across the state.
What the Ballarat Magistrates Court list covers each day
The Magistrates' Court is the entry point for almost every criminal and civil matter in Victoria. More than 93 per cent of the state's criminal and civil cases begin and end in this court, which means the daily list at Ballarat reflects the full range of everyday legal business in the region. On any given sitting day you may see summary criminal offences, traffic and driving matters, bail applications, committal hearings for more serious indictable charges, family violence and personal safety intervention order applications, and civil disputes.
The criminal jurisdiction of the Magistrates' Court hears and determines all summary offences, some indictable offences that can be dealt with summarily, and conducts committal hearings that decide whether serious charges proceed to a higher court. On the civil side, the court can hear disputes up to the value of $100,000, covering debts, claims for damages, and other monetary or equitable claims. Because a single courtroom can move between these matter types across a morning and afternoon session, checking the current court schedule by defendant surname or case number is the most reliable way to know when and where your matter is listed.
Specialist lists and support programs at Ballarat
Ballarat runs several therapeutic and problem-solving lists that you will not find at every venue. The Assessment and Referral Court connects eligible accused people with treatment and support rather than dealing with their offending through punishment alone. The Court Integrated Services Program offers case management and bail support for people with health, housing, or substance issues that contribute to their contact with the justice system. There is also a Diversion program that gives some first-time or lower-level offenders the chance to avoid a criminal record by completing agreed conditions. These lists reflect a statewide shift toward addressing the underlying causes of offending, and they are a significant part of the daily workload at the Ballarat courthouse.
How to find the Ballarat Magistrates Court list today
The way Victorians check a daily court list has changed. From 30 June 2026, the CMS Portal Hearing Search replaced the criminal and civil components of the older EFAS system. To track a matter listed in the criminal or civil jurisdiction, you select the correct case type, then enter either the case number or the surname of the defendant, accused, or respondent, and run the search. This gives you the courtroom and listing details for that day's sitting.
A few practical points are worth remembering. Family violence intervention order and personal safety intervention order hearings are not published in the Hearing Search, so if your matter is an intervention order application you should contact the registry directly. Some matters are heard over an audio-visual link using Webex, and the details of an open link are published around 48 hours before the court date. If your matter forms part of an open link, the court will advise you, and you should log in about five minutes before your allocated time. All proceedings remain open to the public for in-person observation unless a closed court order has been made.
Reading the daily law list correctly
A daily law list is essentially a timetable of every matter a court is hearing that day. It shows listing times, courtroom allocations, and the parties involved, but listed times are a guide rather than a firm appointment. Matters are often grouped, and a courtroom may work through several cases before reaching yours, so allow extra time and arrive early. If you are a legal practitioner, entering an appearance and proposing a hearing time through the CMS Portal helps the court prioritise your matter and can save you queuing at the counter on the morning of the hearing.
Ballarat within the wider Victorian court system
Understanding where Ballarat sits in the state structure helps explain the volume and type of matters on its list. The Magistrates' Court of Victoria was established in 1836 and now operates across more than 51 venues, with the Chief Magistrate, Justice Lisa Hannan, leading the court. It is the lowest court in the state hierarchy, with appeals running upward to the County Court of Victoria and the Supreme Court of Victoria. The scale of its work is considerable. In 2022 to 2023, the court finalised 160,959 criminal cases, a 21 per cent increase on the previous year, alongside a 53 per cent reduction in cases that had run longer than 12 months.
Sentencing data underlines just how central this court is to Victorian justice. Over the ten years to 30 June 2023, the Magistrates' Court sentenced 882,896 people, averaging more than 88,000 cases each year. A fine was the most common sentence, imposed in 54 per cent of cases, with an average fine of $732 for individuals. Traffic and vehicle offences were the single largest category, accounting for 42 per cent of cases sentenced. Because Ballarat is a headquarter court serving a large regional catchment, its daily list mirrors these statewide patterns, with driving and traffic matters, summary offences, and intervention orders featuring heavily.
The most recent national data confirms the trend. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 95,917 criminal defendants finalised in Victoria in 2024 to 2025, which was 18 per cent of all defendants nationally, at a rate of 1,514 per 100,000 people aged 10 and over. Traffic and vehicle offences again topped the list at 42 per cent. For anyone following a matter at Ballarat, these figures give a sense of how common most listings are and why the court schedule can be long on a busy sitting day.
Ballarat and the County Court circuit
Ballarat is also one of the twelve regional circuit locations where the County Court of Victoria sits to hear more serious criminal and civil matters. The County Court, established in 1852, is the intermediate court in the state and handles indictable offences such as armed robbery, serious assault, sexual offences, and large fraud and drug matters, along with civil disputes that generally exceed $100,000. If a matter that begins in the Ballarat Magistrates' Court proceeds beyond summary jurisdiction, it may be committed to the County Court, sometimes to be heard on the Ballarat circuit and sometimes in Melbourne. Knowing this pathway helps you understand why some matters move off the magistrates list and appear later on a higher court's schedule.
Visiting the Ballarat Magistrates' Court
The courthouse is centrally located and reasonably easy to reach. Ballarat Railway Station runs regular services from Melbourne and other regional centres and is a short distance from the court, while local bus routes stop nearby. Parking at the court itself is limited and includes three disabled parking bays, with metered parking available in Grenville Street and all-day parking at the Anderson Street car park. Because parking near the court fills quickly on busy mornings, arriving early is the safest approach, especially if you need time to find your courtroom and check the current list.
Before you attend, double-check your court documents, confirm the date and time on your paperwork, and bring any material relevant to your matter. If you are unsure which courtroom to go to, registry staff and the daily list will point you in the right direction. If you cannot attend on your listed date, contact the registry as early as possible to ask about changing your court date, since options depend on the type of matter and how far the case has progressed.
Support available at court
Attending court can be stressful, and several free services exist to help. Court Network volunteers provide support and information to people attending, the CISP team assists eligible people on bail, and the Victims of Crime program supports those affected by an offence. Interpreters can be arranged, and legal help is available through duty lawyer services and community legal centres for people who qualify. If your matter involves family violence, specialist support workers are available at court to help with safety planning and applications.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check the Ballarat Magistrates Court list for today?
Use the CMS Portal Hearing Search, select whether your matter is criminal or civil, and enter either the case number or the surname of the person involved. This is the system that replaced the criminal and civil parts of EFAS from 30 June 2026. Intervention order hearings are not published in the search, so contact the registry for those.
What types of cases are heard at Ballarat Magistrates' Court?
The court hears summary criminal offences, traffic and driving matters, bail applications, committal hearings, family violence and personal safety intervention orders, and civil disputes up to $100,000. It also runs specialist lists including the Assessment and Referral Court, CISP bail support, and a Diversion program.
What are the opening hours and address?
The court is at 100 Grenville Street South, Ballarat VIC 3350, and is open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm. It is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
Can I attend a hearing as a member of the public?
Yes. All proceedings are open to the public for in-person observation unless the court has made a closed court order. Some matters are heard by audio-visual link, and those details are published around 48 hours before the hearing.
What happens if my matter is too serious for the Magistrates' Court?
More serious indictable matters can be committed to the County Court of Victoria, which sits on circuit at Ballarat as well as in Melbourne. The Magistrates' Court conducts the committal stage that decides whether the case proceeds.
For hearings in nearby regions, you can also review the daily lists for other Victorian venues, including the Geelong Magistrates Court list and the Bendigo Magistrates Court list, both of which serve large regional catchments like Ballarat. If your matter has moved to a higher jurisdiction, the County Court daily list covers serious criminal and civil sittings across the state. For a full directory of every sitting venue, see our complete Victorian court lists hub, which links through to each courthouse and its current schedule.
