Valpro Attorney Services handles process serving, court filings and document retrieval throughout Alameda County. We file in person and through eFiling, and we serve summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document on people and businesses. Send a Service Request with up to 5 PDFs attached, email it to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com, or call 855-582-5776.
We work from our Sacramento office with a statewide network of experienced process servers and court runners. An Oakland eviction, a Hayward civil filing and a Berkeley probate matter all come in through the same request form and the same phone number.
Where Alameda County filings go
Alameda County splits its case types across several buildings, so the courthouse depends on what you're filing. Civil filings, including unlawful detainer and small claims, are taken at only two counters: the René C. Davidson Courthouse in downtown Oakland and the Hayward Hall of Justice. All family filings go to Hayward, and small claims hearings are held there too. Probate is the outlier: Berkeley is its only filing location.
Criminal and traffic matters are spread across Oakland, Dublin and Fremont, and juvenile cases go to San Leandro. Two buildings, in Alameda and on Oak Street in Oakland, take no filings at all. Clerk counters are open 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and close at 2 p.m. on Fridays, with drop boxes open for the hour or two after the counter closes.
Tell us the case type and case number on the Service Request and we'll take the filing to the right counter. Source: the court's locations and division pages, checked Oct 28, 2026.
Do attorneys have to e-file in Alameda County?
Attorneys in Alameda County e-file. Local Rule 3.27 makes electronic filing mandatory for represented parties in every civil case type, including unlawful detainer, small claims, civil harassment restraining orders and civil appeals. Since October 23, 2023, attorney-represented litigants in probate, mental health, adoption and family law cases must e-file too. Self-represented litigants are encouraged but not required.
Some documents still go in on paper, such as bonds, undertakings, bench warrants, certified judgments and sister-state judgments. Filings go through one of the court's approved e-filing service providers. Source: the court's civil e-filing page and Local Rule 3.27, checked Oct 28, 2026.
We handle both routes. Choose Court Filing on the Service Request, upload the documents and tell us the court and case number. Read more on our Court Filings page. Small claims rules and forms are on the court's small claims page.
From Albany to Fremont
Alameda County had 1,682,353 residents in the 2020 Census and an estimated 1,636,630 on July 1, 2025 (Census Population Estimates, Vintage 2025). Oakland is the largest city with 440,646 people, followed by Fremont, Hayward and Berkeley. The Tri-Valley cities of Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin sit east of the hills. The cities run from Albany at the northern edge to Fremont and Newark in the south, between about 65 and 82 straight-line miles from Sacramento.
That spread is why the Letter of Instruction matters. Tell us:
- Every address you have for the person, home and work, with unit or suite numbers
- The best days and times to find them, and any gate code or lobby instructions
- A description or photo if you have one
- Any deadline, hearing date or last day for service
If the address you have no longer works, our skip tracing help can look for a current one before the next attempt.
How do you serve a business in Oakland and the East Bay?
A business defendant here may have an Oakland, Emeryville or Fremont address. California corporations and LLCs name an agent for service of process, and you can find that agent in the Secretary of State's free bizfile Online search. Our serving corporations guide covers agents, officers and the court-ordered fallback through the Secretary of State.
How an Alameda County Service Request works
Start a Service Request, choose the service and upload up to 5 PDFs, then pick Rush or Standard. You can also email the request and PDFs to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. You'll get a confirmation email, and every update comes in that thread. If you don't hear from us within 5–10 minutes during business hours (Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.), call or email.
Get the updates by email. The status moves through New, In progress, Served/Filed and Closed.