Process Server in Chino Hills, California

Chino Hills sits in the southwest corner of San Bernardino County, and its court business is split among three buildings in three other cities. A process server's job is the same everywhere: get the papers into the right hands and prove it. Knowing which courthouse has the case still matters, because the proof of service has to land in that file before the hearing or the default request.

We handle Chino Hills requests from Sacramento, about 385 miles to the north, and assign each one to a server who makes the attempts at the local address.

Where Chino Hills cases are filed

The San Bernardino Superior Court publishes a Where Can I File page that lists each courthouse with the communities it serves. Chino Hills appears on these lists (miles are straight-line distances from the city's Census center point to each building):

Every one of those clerk's offices lists hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except court holidays. Juvenile delinquency filings for Chino Hills go to 900 East Gilbert Street in San Bernardino, and dependency cases from every city in the county go to 860 East Gilbert Street.

One gap is worth flagging. The court's list for unlimited landlord-tenant cases at the San Bernardino Justice Center doesn't name Chino Hills, while the Haven Avenue division takes limited and unlimited civil cases for the city. If your eviction claims more than $35,000, call the civil clerk at (909) 708-8678 to confirm the courthouse before filing. Most residential evictions are limited cases and go to Fontana.

One ZIP Code, three counties at the edge

The whole city falls in a single ZIP Code area, 91709. The Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file shows about 99.6% of that area's land inside Chino Hills. The remainder touches Chino and Pomona. Chino's main ZIP Code area, 91710, reaches a tiny piece of Chino Hills land too.

Pomona is a Los Angeles County city, and the court's lists name "parts of Pomona" among the Haven Avenue communities. If an address near the western edge reads Pomona, send it as written. The server goes to the street address, and the clerk decides the filing location from the case.

The neighbors across the county lines are close. Yorba Linda, 4.6 miles south, and Brea, 8.1 miles, are in Orange County. Diamond Bar, 6.6 miles, and Pomona, 8.2 miles, are in Los Angeles County. A Chino Hills case doesn't move when its defendant lives in one of them. The papers are served there, and the proof comes back to the San Bernardino court.

Serving a Chino Hills household

Most Chino Hills requests are for homes: subdivisions off the main roads, townhouse and condominium communities, and larger lots on the hillsides. A server can't make a valid attempt on someone they can't reach, so the instructions you send carry as much weight as the address.

Send these with the papers:

• Community name and gate access. If the home is in a gated community, give the gate code, the guard house procedure, or the property manager's name. A server waiting at a gate for a resident to drive through loses the attempt window.
• Unit and building letters. Condominium complexes often repeat a street number across several buildings.
• Who else lives there. Substituted service means leaving the papers with a competent household member at least 18 years old, then mailing a copy (CCP § 415.20(b)). Knowing who lives at the home helps the server judge who can accept.
• The person's schedule. A defendant who commutes into Los Angeles or Orange County may only be home early in the morning or after dark. Tell us when the car is usually in the driveway.
• A recent photo, if you have one. It lets the server confirm identity before handing over the papers.

From January 1, 2027, under AB 747, three good-faith attempts at personal delivery on three different days, at three different times of day, show the reasonable diligence that substituted service rests on (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). Our AB 747 guide covers the changes, and our proof of service guide explains what the server signs. We make no guarantees for service.

Chino Hills small claims go to Fontana

A small claims case against a Chino Hills resident or business is filed and heard at the Fontana District. The court's small claims page sets the limits at $12,500 for an individual and $6,250 for a business, with filing fees of $30 for claims up to $1,500, $50 up to $5,000 and $75 up to $12,500. A filer with more than 12 claims in California in the previous 12 months pays $100.

The plaintiff can't hand over the claim personally. The page lists three routes: personal delivery by an adult who isn't a party, certified mail sent by the clerk for $15 per defendant, or substituted service. Personal service has to be complete at least 15 days before trial for a defendant living in San Bernardino County, or 20 days for one living elsewhere. The court asks for every proof of service 5 days before the hearing. For a Chino Hills defendant who works in Orange County and lives in Diamond Bar, that 20-day window is the one that applies.

Small claims eFiling has been voluntary since May 8, 2023, so a plaintiff can file online and still need a server for the defendant.

Evictions from Chino Hills rentals

Limited landlord-tenant cases for Chino Hills, $35,000 or less, are filed at Fontana. The court's landlord-tenant eFiling has been voluntary for attorneys and self-represented filers since October 2, 2023, and the page says no mandatory date has been set.

The tenant has 10 court days after personal service to file an answer, according to the California Courts Self-Help Guide. When nobody can be found after reasonable efforts, the court can authorize posting the summons on the property and mailing a copy, a method set out in CCP § 415.45. Ask us about the attempt record you'll need for that application. For a rental with a separate unit in back, or a room rented inside a house, tell us exactly where the tenant sleeps.

Divorce, custody and restraining orders

Family law for Chino Hills is filed at the Historic Courthouse in San Bernardino. That covers divorce, legal separation, parentage, custody, domestic violence restraining orders, adoptions and emancipations. The court's family law page adds that a paternity case is filed according to where the child lives.

The court announced on October 26, 2026 that the Family Law Clerk's Office moves to the second floor of the Historic Courthouse Annex, 351 N. Arrowhead Avenue, starting Monday, November 9, 2026. The phone stays (909) 521-3136. Courtrooms aren't moving, so a party with a hearing should go where the hearing notice says.

Family summons service is usually proved on form FL-115. If the other spouse has moved out of Chino Hills, send every address you know, including a workplace. A respondent can be served anywhere in California.

Civil filing and hearings on Haven Avenue

Attorneys have had to e-file civil documents in San Bernardino County since September 2, 2025, including judgments. Self-represented parties can still file on paper. A Chino Hills civil summons gives the defendant 30 days to respond once service is complete, and substituted service completes on the 10th day after the mailing.

The court lists four Haven Avenue courtrooms, R1, R12, R14 and R17, that host Zoom and CourtCall with video. At Fontana, all eight courtrooms, F1 through F8, host Zoom, with CourtCall by audio only. The court warns that the courtroom has to know ahead of time that you plan to appear remotely, and that waiting until the hearing day risks not being admitted. Our San Bernardino County court filing page covers filing and service together.

Papers for the City of Chino Hills itself

Sometimes the party is the city government, not a resident. A summons against a California public entity is served by delivering it to the clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body (CCP § 416.50). For the City of Chino Hills, that usually means the city clerk's office. Before a damages lawsuit, most claims against a public entity first go through the government claim process, so check that step with counsel. Tell us in the Letter of Instruction which official the papers are addressed to, and we'll deliver to that office during business hours and note the name and title of the person who accepted.

Subpoenas in Chino Hills criminal cases

Felony and misdemeanor cases from Chino Hills are heard at the Rancho Cucamonga District on Haven Avenue. A defense subpoena for a Chino Hills witness has to reach the witness with enough time to appear, and the server's proof shows the date and manner of delivery. Send the subpoena, the hearing date and department, and any phone number or workplace you have for the witness. Our post on serving a subpoena in California covers the general rules.

Corporations and LLCs with a Chino Hills address

A Chino Hills storefront or office usually isn't where a company receives lawsuits. Corporations and LLCs name an agent for service of process with the Secretary of State (Corporations Code §§ 1502 and 17701.13). Search bizfile Online and send us the agent's name and address exactly as listed. National companies often name CSC or CT Corporation, whose offices are in other cities. Our serving corporations page explains the options when no agent can be found.

When a Chino Hills address turns out to be stale, skip tracing can look for a current one before the next attempt. Our post on finding a defendant in California shows how the search works.

Before you send the request

Upload up to 5 PDFs to the Service Request, name each party as the caption does, and pick Rush or Standard. Add the filing if you need it done at Haven Avenue, Fontana or Arrowhead Avenue. You can get every update by email.

Chino, 4.6 miles east, shares the same Haven Avenue and Fontana assignments. Ontario is close by but files civil cases in San Bernardino instead. The rest of the county is on our San Bernardino County page.