As a Burlingame process server, Valpro Attorney Services delivers summonses, complaints, subpoenas, eviction papers, restraining order papers and small claims to residents, hotel guests, employees and businesses in the city. Burlingame had 31,386 residents at the 2020 Census, and the Census Bureau estimates 31,929 for July 2025. It sits on the bay between Millbrae and San Mateo, with San Francisco International Airport just to the north.
Our office is in Sacramento, and we have no Burlingame location. You send the papers online, we assign the job, and the signed proof of service comes back to you.
Three courthouses, three different jobs
San Mateo County spreads a Burlingame case across three buildings. Which one matters depends on what you're doing:
| Building | Distance from central Burlingame | What it does for a Burlingame case |
|---|---|---|
| Central Branch, 800 North Humboldt Street, San Mateo | about 1.9 miles | Eviction pretrials, court trials and ex partes; no clerk's office |
| Northern Branch, 1050 Mission Road, South San Francisco | about 6.2 miles | Small claims hearings, criminal and traffic |
| Hall of Justice, 400 County Center, Redwood City | about 9.7 miles | Filing for civil, eviction, small claims, family law and probate |
Distances are straight-line. Court facts are from the San Mateo County Superior Court's location and division pages, checked October 2026.
The pattern catches people. The closest building can't take a filing, and the filing counter is the farthest away. The Redwood City clerks see the public by appointment only, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on weekdays. Attorneys skip the trip because e-filing is mandatory for them in civil, family law and probate cases. A party without a lawyer can book an appointment, use the drop box outside Room A, or e-file voluntarily.
Burlingame evictions at the Central Branch
A landlord with a Burlingame unit files the unlawful detainer complaint in Redwood City or online. After that, the case moves closer to home. The court's unlawful detainer page sets the Central Branch as the place for eviction pretrials and court trials, and the schedule there runs like this:
- Pretrials: 8:30 a.m., in person at Central or by Zoom.
- Court trials: in person at Central, with morning and afternoon start times on the court's grid.
- Ex partes: Tuesdays and Fridays at 1:30 p.m., Courtroom H. Everyone appears in person unless California Rules of Court rule 3.1207 allows otherwise, and the application must include a proposed order.
- Jury trials and law and motion: before the judge assigned to the case.
Two procedural notes on the same page affect timing. Because e-filed papers can take time to reach the court's file, the court asks parties to email any unlawful detainer opposition, reply brief or summary judgment motion to its law and motion reply address, or risk a continuance. When a case settles in full, the court won't sign a stipulated judgment until the plaintiff files a Notice of Settlement of Entire Case, form CM-200.
What we need to serve the papers: the notice, the summons and complaint as PDFs, every adult occupant by name, and the unit and entry details. Starting January 1, 2027, the diligence needed before an eviction summons can be posted is shown by attempts on at least 3 occasions, on 3 different days at 3 different times (CCP § 415.45). Our AB 747 guide has the detail, and this is general information, not legal advice.
Small claims for a Burlingame dispute
The claim is filed at the small claims clerk's office in Room A of the Hall of Justice. The court's hearing schedule then lists sessions in South San Francisco, so most Burlingame plaintiffs file in one city and argue in another. The division page says hearings can be at the Hall of Justice or the Northern Branch. Read the notice for your case before planning the day.
A few court rules shape what we serve and when:
- The claim form. The court lists form SC-100, the Plaintiff's Claim and Order to Go to Small Claims Court, and form SC-103 for a business that uses a fictitious business name.
- Paper items. Anything the clerk must issue, such as a small claims subpoena or a writ, has to be filed in hard copy. Plan for an appointment before we can serve a subpoena.
- Appeals. The court tells filers to e-file a small claims Notice of Appeal as a new case, with the old case number written on form SC-140.
The court's small claims advisor releases appointments each Tuesday morning. For the service itself, upload the issued claim and we take it from there.
Papers to serve in Burlingame?
SFO, the hotels and the airport workforce
A Burlingame case can easily involve someone who works at SFO or is staying near it. Three points help.
First, the airport isn't in Burlingame. SFO's About page says it sits in unincorporated San Mateo County and is owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, as a department of that city and county. A claim against the airport itself is a claim against a public entity, and California law has a summons on a public entity delivered to its clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body (CCP § 416.50). Your attorney decides who is named.
Second, a person who works airside can't be reached past security. A home address is better. If work is the only option, give us the employer, the terminal or building, and the shift.
Third, a hotel guest is a moving target. Desk staff are usually not in a position to send a server to a room. Tell us the guest's name as registered, the check-out date and any phone number you have, and pick Rush if the stay is short.
Family law and restraining orders for Burlingame residents
North county location doesn't bring family court closer. The Family Law Division's clerk is at the Southern Branch in Redwood City, on the same appointment-only, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. schedule as the civil counter. The court's office hours page lists the Family Law Facilitator at the Northern Branch in South San Francisco as closed until further notice, so in-person help with forms is in Redwood City too. The Southern Branch page lists it Mondays and Tuesdays, 8:00 a.m. to noon, with live chat on other days.
For domestic violence restraining orders, the family law page says a hearing may be held remotely or in person, and the moving party should bring a proposed order. The temporary order and the hearing notice still have to be personally served on the restrained person before that hearing. If the person lives or works in Burlingame, send us the filed papers, the hearing date and any safety information the server should know. Family Court Services takes calls only, at (650) 261-5080.
One ZIP Code area shared with Hillsborough
The Census Bureau matches a single ZIP Code area, 94010, to Burlingame, and the whole city falls inside it. The reverse isn't true. By land, the 94010 area breaks down roughly like this:
- Hillsborough: about 41%. The entire Town of Hillsborough is inside 94010.
- Burlingame: about 29%.
- Outside any city or Census-designated place: about 30%.
- Millbrae: under 1%, a thin edge.
So "Burlingame, CA 94010" on a document can describe a Hillsborough house. Hillsborough is a separate town, not a Burlingame neighborhood. It is in San Mateo County too, so the court stays the same. The 2020 ZCTA to county file places all of 94010 in San Mateo County. Our Hillsborough page covers service there.
Filling in a Burlingame Letter of Instruction
The Letter of Instruction carries what the address can't. For Burlingame, the useful details are:
- Apartments near downtown and the train: the unit number, the name on the call box, and the entrance the person uses.
- Homes west of El Camino Real: a cross street, the house color, a side gate and any dog.
- Offices and hotels east of Highway 101: the company or hotel name, floor or suite, and when the person is on site.
- Commuters: a second address and the hours they're usually home.
A photo, a description or a vehicle helps on every type of address.
Serving a company with a Burlingame office
Search the business on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online and copy the agent for service of process. A front desk in a Burlingame office or hotel usually has no authority to accept for the company, and the agent may be a registered agent firm elsewhere. If so, we serve that office. See our serving corporations guide, plus pages on CSC Lawyers Incorporating Service and CT Corporation.
Sending Burlingame papers
- Start a Service Request and attach up to 5 PDFs.
- Name each party as the caption does.
- Add the Burlingame address, plus a workplace or hotel if you have one.
- Choose Rush or Standard, and add a Redwood City filing if needed through San Mateo County court filings.
Questions go to 855-582-5776 or Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. We make no guarantees for service. If the person has left Burlingame, skip tracing can look for a new address, and the proof of service guide explains what comes back when service is done.
Cities near Burlingame
Straight-line distances from central Burlingame:
- Millbrae (2.2 miles) and Hillsborough (2.3)
- San Mateo (3.5), where the Central Branch sits
- San Bruno (4.5) and South San Francisco (4.6), home of the Northern Branch
All of the county's cities are on the San Mateo County page.