Filing Requirements and Fees
New Case Filings
Pursuant to Standing Order SSC-6-12, effective August 1, 2012, all civil litigants filing case initiating pleadings in unlimited civil matters, including complaints, cross-complaints, petitions and applications, shall provide one additional complete paper copy of the pleading to the filing clerk at the time of filing.
The additional copy (total of an original plus 3 copies) of the pleading shall not be file marked but shall be stamped with the date of filing and marked as “Public Access Copy – Not Official Court Document”. The additional copy shall then be placed by the filing clerk in the Court’s Public Access Bin on the day of filing where it shall be available for public inspection subject to the restrictions of California Rules of Court, Title 2, Division 4. Pleadings placed in the Public Access Bin shall remain there for two weeks, after which, they shall be discarded by the filing clerk.
No person shall remove any pleading in the Public Access Bin from the Court building. Any person inspecting a pleading from the Public Access Bin may copy it inside the Court building at his or her own expense. The person shall promptly return the pleading to the Public Access Bin after inspection/copying.
Probate Estates/Trust cases
- Add the names of the Trustor, Petitioner and/or Trustee.
- Do not add beneficiaries.
- When a Petition for Probate of Will is e-Filed, a copy of the will must be submitted with a coversheet and the original will must be delivered to the Clerk’s Office no later than 3 weeks before the hearing. Failure to deliver the original will to the clerk’s office may result in your petition hearing being continued or dismissed.
Fees
Please Note: Jury fees are located in Optional Services and are only accepted if they are submitted in conjunction with a document filing.
Forms
State Forms
All Judicial Council forms are available on the Judicial Council's website. Users can complete and print the forms from the website.
Local Forms
Local forms are available at the Clerk's Office and on the Court's website.