The actress was supposed to show up at 8 a.m. Thursday to begin her court-ordered service, but L.A. Coroner's Office spokesman Ed Winter said Lohan wasn't there on time.
Lohan's tardiness comes just one day after stern words from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner in court about the actress' community service.
"If Ms. Lohan bails out, she is to immediately, before the next hearing if she wants to mitigate any potential sentence if she is found in violation, do a minimum of 16 hours at the morgue. That's two days a week between now and hearing date," Sautner said.
The hearing ended with Lohan's probation being revoked and her being led from court in handcuffs.
She later posted $100,000 bail and was released.
Winter said his office received a phone call saying she was 10 minutes away from the office at around 7:40 a.m.
"Eight o'clock came and went, and by 8:20, she was late, a no show, and we considered her a no show and notified the volunteer center," said Winter.
Lohan's publicist Steve Honig said the actress was late because they were trying to avoid the media cameras and were unsure about which way to enter the building.
"Well, she was given directions. She was supposed to be here. She's been here prior, so she knows where we're at, and almost all the media was right here, and at 8:40, she showed up at the back of the building," said Winter.
Honig said morgue supervisors showed her the proper entrance to use when she returns Friday.
Lohan's fashionably late entrance Thursday morning doesn't look good. Judge Sautner revoked her probation Wednesday for failing to show up at the Downtown Women's Center on nine different scheduled visits. The women's center kicked her out of the program and suggested she serve at the county morgue before returning to the center.
Now, it may be up to Sautner to decide whether Lohan can return to the morgue Friday, though Honig said she will be back for her orientation in the morning.
The "Mean Girls" star remains on probation for a pair of drunken driving arrests in 2007 and a misdemeanor theft case filed earlier this year after she was accused of taking a $2,500 necklace without permission. She pleaded no contest in that theft case.
Lohan has been ordered to perform 16 hours of service at the morgue before her next court hearing in November.
