Sacramento Superior Court takes civil papers four ways. The court's civil filing instructions say documents "may be e-Filed, mailed, brought in person, or placed in the designated drop box." We handle the three that don't depend on the mail: a court runner at the counter, a drop box deposit, or an eFiling through one of the court's approved electronic filing service providers.
Which one fits depends on the document and the deadline. A filing that needs a fee paid on the spot, or originals that have to be seen at the window, goes to the counter. A same-day filing late in the afternoon can go in the drop box. Routine filings in an open civil case often go electronically.
The counter at 500 G Street
Civil filing for Sacramento County now happens on the 2nd floor of the Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse, 500 G Street. It took over from the Hall of Justice and Room 102 of the Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse on April 13, 2026, so older instructions and old letterhead addresses can be out of date.
The civil front counter windows and the civil harassment restraining order window are both listed at 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. The court says advance reservations are required for many civil departments, so check the assigned department's own filing requirements before a hearing date is set.
Drop box rules
The civil drop box works on the time stamp. Under Local Rule 1.16, each document needs a time stamp on the back of its last page. If it's properly submitted before 5:00 p.m., the court treats it as filed that day. Anything after 5:00 p.m. counts as filed the next court business day.
When a filing fee is due, the court points filers to the front counter windows. If you send us a drop box filing, tell us whether fees are owed and how they're being paid.
Getting the paperwork right
The civil instructions set a few basic rules that cause most counter returns:
- Copies. Submit an original and one copy. Only one copy of each document is conformed.
- Format. Pleadings should follow California Rules of Court, rule 2.100.
- Exhibits. They must be as legible as original typing or printing.
- Fees. Documents without the right filing fee under the court's fee schedule are returned unfiled.
If your office keeps its own conformed set and needs another for a client, say so in the Letter of Instruction.
E-filing at Sacramento Superior Court
E-filing is optional in Sacramento for civil, small claims and unlawful detainer cases. The civil page says that "until further notice, e-filing is permissive (optional) for all parties," and that self-represented litigants don't have to file electronically, though the court encourages it.
Three practical points from the court's pages:
- Document names matter. The court publishes a list of e-filing document names for each case type. A document sent under the wrong name may be rejected.
- You go through an EFSP. An electronic filing service provider processes the payment and sends the filing to the court. Providers may charge transaction or convenience fees, which are waived for parties with an active fee waiver, government agencies and court-appointed counsel.
- Sent isn't filed. California law defines electronic filing as sending the document to the court. The court's processing, review and entry into its records are separate steps before a document is officially filed (CCP § 1010.6(a)(1)(D)).
Valpro Attorney Services isn't an EFSP. When we eFile for you, the filing goes through a provider on the court's approved list, and we report back when the court accepts it.
Small claims and evictions at the Carol Miller Justice Center
Small claims cases, which the court lists at up to $12,500, and unlawful detainer cases up to $35,000 are filed at the Carol Miller Justice Center, 301 Bicentennial Circle. An eviction over $35,000 goes to the Civil Division instead. It keeps a Monday through Thursday schedule, 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., and is closed Fridays.
E-filing for both case types started on June 17, 2024, and is optional for every party. The court still asks people to e-file when they can. Its pages tie that request to a backlog expected from a new case management system and warn that papers not filed electronically may be delayed. For a tight eviction timeline, that delay is worth weighing.
The small claims e-filing page also carries a notice that serving a defendant who lives outside California has its own rules, and suggests getting legal advice before e-filing those cases.
Family law and probate at Ridgeway
Family law and probate filings go to the William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse, 3341 Power Inn Road. The court lists probate e-filing through its approved providers, but the page we read doesn't say whether it's optional or required. We didn't find a family law e-filing page at all. Check the court's current page before a family filing, and tell us if you need it filed at the counter.
How to send a Sacramento filing to Valpro Attorney Services
Start a Service Request, choose Court Filing and upload up to 5 PDFs, or email the request and documents to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. Include the case number, the courthouse, the deadline, whether a fee is due, and whether you want in-person filing or eFiling. If you don't get a reply within 5–10 minutes during business hours, call or email us.
We email you the filing's status as it moves, in the same thread as your confirmation, and we return filed-stamped (endorsed) documents when the court provides them.
When the filing is a new complaint, the summons it produces usually needs serving next. See process serving in Sacramento and the wider Sacramento County process server page. For copies of papers already in a Sacramento court file, use document retrieval. For a filing in another county, start from Court Filings.
About these facts
The court's live site blocks automated reading, so the details on this page come from archived copies of saccourt.ca.gov pages dated May through July 2026, checked October 2026. Hours, fees and e-filing rules change. Confirm on the court's site before a deadline. This is general information, not legal advice.