California › Counties

California civil filing requirements, county by county

Every superior court has its own habits. 14 of the 58 require a county form with a new civil complaint; most require specific documents served with the summons; several changed where civil cases are filed in 2026. Pick your county.

Alameda CountyNo local filing form Alpine CountyNo local filing form Amador County1 local form required Butte CountyNo local filing form Calaveras CountyNo local filing form Colusa CountyNo local filing form Contra Costa CountyNo local filing form Del Norte CountyNo local filing form El Dorado CountyNo local filing form Fresno CountyNo local filing form Glenn County1 local form required Humboldt CountyNo local filing form Imperial CountyNo local filing form Inyo CountyNo local filing form Kern County1 local form required · filing location changed 2026 Kings CountyNo local filing form Lake CountyNo local filing form Lassen CountyNo local filing form Los Angeles County1 local form required Madera CountyNo local filing form Marin CountyNo local filing form Mariposa CountyNo local filing form Mendocino CountyNo local filing form Merced CountyNo local filing form Modoc CountyNo local filing form Mono CountyNo local filing form Monterey CountyNo local filing form · filing location changed 2023 Napa CountyNo local filing form Nevada CountyNo local filing form Orange CountyNo local filing form · filing location changed 2025 Placer CountyNo local filing form Plumas CountyNo local filing form Riverside County1 local form required · filing location changed 2026 Sacramento CountyNo local filing form · filing location changed 2026 San Benito CountyNo local filing form San Bernardino County1 local form required San Diego CountyNo local filing form San Francisco CountyNo local filing form San Joaquin CountyNo local filing form San Luis Obispo CountyNo local filing form San Mateo CountyNo local filing form Santa Barbara County1 local form required Santa Clara County2 local forms required · filing location changed 2026 Santa Cruz CountyNo local filing form Shasta CountyNo local filing form Sierra CountyNo local filing form Siskiyou CountyNo local filing form Solano CountyNo local filing form Sonoma CountyNo local filing form Stanislaus County3 local forms required Sutter CountyNo local filing form Tehama CountyNo local filing form Trinity County1 local form required Tulare CountyNo local filing form Tuolumne County2 local forms required Ventura County1 local form required Yolo County1 local form required Yuba County1 local form required

One complaint in, the county's packet out

SimpleCase reads the complaint, picks the courthouse, adds the county forms, and shows you every decision before it generates.

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SimpleCase prepares document drafts for attorney review; it is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Court data on this page is sourced from the 1Court Directory with the verification date shown, and statutes and court rules change: always confirm current requirements, deadlines, and fees with the clerk of the court before filing.