California City is an incorporated city in eastern Kern County, and by land area it's enormous: about 203.6 square miles in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer. About 63% of that land lies outside any Census ZIP Code area. Our work here covers new lawsuits, evictions, divorces and custody cases, small claims, witness subpoenas and post-judgment papers, delivered to houses, apartments, shops and outlying lots. Requests are handled from Sacramento, about 312 miles north.
The courthouse for most California City cases is in Mojave, and the city's size is what makes service here different from a typical small town.
The Mojave courthouse takes most California City cases
Kern County Superior Court assigns cases by ZIP Code under Local Rule 1.7.4 and the Appendix A venue table. California City is listed by name under ZIP 93505, with the Mojave Multi-Divisional Courthouse as its venue. That building's sheet in the table covers four kinds of work for California City residents: civil matters up to the limited-civil cap, including evictions, small claims, name changes and harassment petitions; divorce, custody, support, paternity and domestic violence cases; felony and misdemeanor prosecutions; and traffic tickets.
The courthouse is at 1773 State Highway 58 Business, Mojave, (661) 610-7400. Its doors open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, and at noon on Friday. From California City's Census center point it's about 18 miles in a straight line.
Local Rule 1.7.5 sends some matters to Bakersfield regardless of ZIP Code. Unlimited civil cases over $35,000 go to the Justice Building at 1215 Truxtun Ave, about 66.5 miles away. Probate, guardianship and conservatorship cases go to the Juvenile Justice Center at 2100 College Ave, about 64 miles away. Adoption, abandonment and child support agency cases from the Mojave venue are filed in the Metropolitan Division family law department under Rule 1.7.5(g)(3). Owners of vacant California City lots should know one carve-out: Rule 1.7.5(b) allows a quiet title suit over land outside metropolitan Bakersfield to be filed at the branch for that land's ZIP Code, here Mojave, even when the case is unlimited.
A city of about 204 square miles
The city's size changes how an address works. Splitting the city's land by Census ZIP Code area, from the 2020 relationship file:
| Part of California City | Share of the city's land |
|---|---|
| Inside the 93505 ZIP Code area | About 30.4% |
| Inside the 93501 (Mojave) ZIP Code area | About 6.9% |
| Inside the 93554 ZIP Code area | Under 0.1% |
| In no Census ZIP Code area | About 62.6% |
The 93505 area itself is about 65 square miles, and about 95% of it lies inside the city.
Two practical points follow. First, a "Mojave, CA 93501" mailing address can sit inside California City limits, and the venue is still the Mojave courthouse. Second, the venue table lists 93554 under Randsburg and Old Garlock with Ridgecrest as the venue, while California City itself appears under 93505. If an address really carries 93554, confirm the courthouse before filing. Census ZIP Code areas approximate postal ZIP Codes, so treat the split as a guide.
Finding the right lot
On the outer streets, a correct address isn't always enough to find a house, and remote areas are subject to different timelines. Put these in the Letter of Instruction so the first trip isn't wasted:
- The full street address and the assessor's parcel number, if the lot isn't posted.
- A map pin dropped on the driveway, not just the street.
- A description of the property: house, manufactured home, trailer or a structure under construction.
- Gates, fences and dogs, and whether anyone is usually home during the day.
- A second address, such as a workplace in town or on the base side of the county.
Edwards Air Force Base
The base lies south of the city, and its ZIP Code, 93523, also goes to the Mojave courthouse in Kern's table, along with North Edwards and Aerial Acres. Base access is controlled. What we need is an address off the base where the person can be found: an apartment in California City, a house in a neighboring community, or a business they visit regularly. If all you have is an on-base address, flag it on the Service Request before it's assigned.
The California City Correctional Facility is closed
CDCR's facility page for the California City Correctional Facility now carries one line: the facility was deactivated in March 2024. Older case files and skip reports may still show it as an address. Don't send papers there. Give us the person's full name and CDCR number, and call 855-582-5776 before submitting. We can't promise access to anyone in custody, wherever they're now held.
Collecting a judgment from a California City debtor
When a judgment is entered, service doesn't stop. In small claims, Kern Local Rule 2.7.1 has the clerk mail the Notice of Entry of Judgment and the Information after Judgment form to every party, so the date on that notice is where collection planning starts. Kern Local Rule 2.7.3 lists the tools for enforcing a small claims judgment, and they're the same ones used on most money judgments:
- An order for examination of the judgment debtor
- A writ of execution
- An abstract of judgment
- A report of an unsatisfied judgment under the Vehicle Code
The debtor exam has a strict service rule. Under Kern Local Rule 3.3.3, the court grants no continuance when the creditor can't serve the debtor with the Order to Appear. If proof of service isn't on file with the clerk at least three calendar days before the exam date, the clerk takes the matter off calendar, and a new Order to Appear means a new filing fee. Send the order to us as soon as it's issued, with the debtor's home and work addresses. When the proof comes back, timing matters: the e-filing page says a document received electronically before midnight on a court day counts as received that day, and one received on a non-court day counts on the next court day.
Writs go to the Sheriff, not a process server. The court's e-filing page says writs of execution and possession and abstracts of judgment can be submitted electronically and come back electronically once issued. It adds that these filings must be printed in color before they go to the enforcing agency.
Papers to serve in California City?
A new California City civil case: notices to serve
New Kern civil cases come with notices that have to travel with the summons. Kern Local Rule 3.3(a) assigns each new case to one judge for all purposes and has the clerk issue a Notice of Case Assignment, which must be served on the parties along with the case-starting papers. On an e-filed case, the court's e-filing page says notices under Rules of Court 3.110 and 3.740 and the Notice of Assignment and Case Management Conference appear in the Documents section of the electronic case.
So before a new complaint goes out for service in California City, download those notices from the electronic case and include them with the summons and complaint. A missing notice can mean a second trip to the same desert lot.
Ex parte hearings in a California City civil case
Kern's civil ex parte rule has three parts. Local Rule 3.4(a) requires every ex parte matter to be pre-cleared with the Clerk's Office. Notice must reach all parties by 10:00 a.m. on the court day before the hearing, and the application and supporting papers must be filed by noon that same day, under Rule 3.4(b). Rule 3.4(e) says the request is decided on the moving papers without oral argument, unless the judge allows it. Under Rule 3.4(c) and (d), the presiding or direct calendar judge signs ex parte orders or names who will, and attorneys may not take an order to a judge the presiding judge hasn't assigned.
If notice has to be handed to someone in California City on that schedule, send it to us as soon as the date is cleared and call 855-582-5776.
Evictions in California City
A California City unlawful detainer is filed at the Mojave courthouse. Represented landlords file it electronically: the e-filing page lists unlawful detainers among the case types where e-filing is mandatory for parties with a lawyer. The page also gives technical limits that cause rejections: 50 megabytes per envelope, 8.5 by 11 inch pages, and PDFs made with a standard PDF producer.
How the tenant was served controls the answer deadline, according to the state court self-help page:
- Personal delivery: 10 court days, not counting weekends or court holidays.
- Substituted service or posting: 10 calendar days after the mailing, then 10 court days.
- Safe at Home: 15 court days.
Posting needs a court order under CCP § 415.45. Starting January 1, 2027, AB 747 adds that reasonable diligence before substituted service is shown by attempting personal delivery on at least three occasions, on three different days at three different times (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). The AB 747 guide has the details. Send the summons, complaint, the notice that ended the tenancy, the unit or lot number and the names of all adult occupants.
Copies from a Kern case file
Kern case files aren't available online, according to the court's records page, though the register of actions is. You can view a file at the courthouse or mail a request with the case names, a check to Kern County Superior Court and a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The page lists 50 cents per page, $15.00 for a certified judgment of dissolution, and $40.00 plus 50 cents per page for certified orders. Mailed requests can take at least 10 working days. Local Rule 1.8.1 adds $20.00 per file when a file has to be pulled from off-site storage. Our document retrieval service can pick up copies for you.
Serving a California City business
Companies are served through the agent they've registered with the Secretary of State, which bizfile Online shows for free. Many small California City businesses list the owner as agent at a home or shop address in town. Others pay a commercial agent, such as CSC or CT Corporation, and the papers go to that office. A shop that trades under a name other than its owner's needs the legal name first, and the court's small claims page points filers to Kern County's fictitious business name records for that. More on each route is on our serving corporations page, and skip tracing can find an owner who has moved away.
Sending California City papers
- Upload up to 5 PDFs on a Service Request.
- Spell each party's name the way the caption does.
- Add the lot, parcel and property notes from the list above.
- Pick Rush or Standard. If the Mojave clerk also needs papers, add a Kern County court filing.
Get status updates by email. Questions go to 855-582-5776 or Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. Our proof of service guide shows what comes back to you. We make no guarantees for service.
Near California City
Edwards is 15.7 miles away and Mojave 20.3. Rosamond is 27.6 miles, Tehachapi 32.6 and Ridgecrest 35.3. Across the county line, Hi Vista is 28.9 miles away. See Kern County for every place we serve there.