Chula Vista has a courthouse of its own, and it handles fewer case types than many people expect. The South County Regional Center on Third Avenue takes family law, criminal and traffic matters, plus civil harassment and elder abuse restraining orders. A Chula Vista lawsuit, eviction or small claims case still has to be filed in downtown San Diego.
We serve papers for all of those cases at Chula Vista addresses. Requests come in through our Sacramento office, about 484 miles away in a straight line, and the papers are served at the address you give us. The Census counted 275,487 people in the city in 2020, across five ZIP Code areas.
Which Chula Vista cases stay in Chula Vista?
The San Diego Superior Court splits the county into four divisions, and its Zip Code List (form ADM-254) puts every Chula Vista ZIP in South County. The local rules then pull several case types out of South County and into Central. Here is how that works for a Chula Vista party.
| Chula Vista matter | Courthouse | Straight-line distance from city center | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Divorce, custody, paternity, domestic violence orders | South County Regional Center, 500 Third Avenue | about 3.6 miles | ZIP list |
| Civil harassment and elder or dependent adult abuse orders | South County, Family Law Business Office, 3rd floor | about 3.6 miles | ZIP list, LR 1.2.2(E) |
| Limited and unlimited civil, including collections | Hall of Justice, 330 West Broadway, Room 225 | about 10.7 miles | LR 1.2.2(E) |
| Unlawful detainer | Hall of Justice, Room 225 | about 10.7 miles | LR 2.4.2(A) |
| Small claims | Hall of Justice | about 10.7 miles | LR 2.4.4(A) |
| Probate | Central Courthouse, 1100 Union Street, 3rd floor | about 10.7 miles | LR 4.1.2(A) |
A few family matters skip South County too. Local rule 5.1.5 sends surrogacy cases and Department of Child Support Services cases to Central. Probate papers can also go in the drop box at the North County Regional Center in Vista, but that is about 41 miles from Chula Vista.
Sources: sdcourt.ca.gov South County, civil, family and probate pages, the 2026 local rules and form ADM-254 (Rev. 1/25), checked October 2026.
The third floor at 500 Third Avenue
The South County building used to have a civil and small claims counter. The court's page now says plainly that there is no longer a Civil and Small Claims business office on the third floor. What remains upstairs for civil-side work is restraining orders.
If you are a Chula Vista resident asking for a civil harassment order, the court's instructions are specific:
- File the temporary restraining order request at the Family Law Business Office, third floor.
- For help with the forms, the Civil Temporary Restraining Order Clinic is on the first floor in Room 158, first come, first served. The court points to the Legal Aid Society of San Diego for its schedule.
- The court lists the South County restraining order counter as open 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.
- To have a request reviewed by a judge the same day, the court says you must be in line with completed paperwork by 3:00 p.m., citing Code of Civil Procedure § 527.6(e).
Every other civil document from Chula Vista goes to the Civil Business Office at the Hall of Justice. That also applies to attorneys who e-file. The court's e-filing FAQ says the South County branch accepts only gun violence restraining order filings electronically, and that limited and unlimited civil cases from South County go through the Central branch.
Serving restraining order papers in Chula Vista
Once a judge signs a temporary order, the other side has to be served before the hearing. Judicial Council form CH-200, revised January 1, 2026, sets the ground rules for the server. That person must be at least 18, must not be the protected person or anyone else named on the request, and must hand the papers over personally. Mailing them doesn't count.
The packet usually includes the Notice of Court Hearing (CH-109), the temporary order (CH-110), the request itself (CH-100) and a blank response form (CH-120). The server writes the date, time and address of service on CH-200 and signs it under penalty of perjury.
For a Chula Vista Service Request of this kind, tell us in the Letter of Instruction where the person sleeps and where they work, what car they drive, and anything about their schedule you know. If there is a safety concern, say so up front so we can plan the attempt. We return the signed proof so it can be filed before the hearing at 500 Third Avenue.
Papers to serve in Chula Vista?
Lawsuits and evictions with a Chula Vista address
For a breach of contract claim, a collection case or an unlawful detainer, a Chula Vista ZIP doesn't keep the case local. Local rule 1.2.2(E) folds the South County venue into Central for limited and unlimited civil, and rule 2.4.2(A) does the same for every eviction in the county. The summons you send us will carry the Hall of Justice address.
Attorneys filing those cases must do it electronically. Local rule 2.1.4 requires e-filing by attorneys in all limited, unlimited and complex civil actions filed on or after April 15, 2021, unless excused. Self-represented parties may still file on paper in Room 225.
We file at the Hall of Justice by eFiling or with a court runner, then serve the endorsed papers in Chula Vista on the same request. Details are on our San Diego County court filing page. If a witness in Chula Vista needs a subpoena, our post on serving a subpoena in California explains the steps.
When the other party lives across the border
Some Chula Vista cases involve a person who lives in Baja California. California service rules stop at the border. The U.S. State Department's country page for Mexico, in a May 2026 copy, says:
- Mexico is a party to the Hague Service Convention.
- Requests go to Mexico's Central Authority in duplicate, with two sets of the documents and translations.
- The person signing the request in the United States should be an attorney or a clerk of court.
- Mexico objected to service through postal channels, and the State Department describes the Central Authority route as the exclusive method.
So a process server can't simply drive to Tijuana and hand over a California summons. What we can do is serve the person at a California address, if there is one. If the person crosses for work or school, a job site or a relative's home on this side may be the place to find them. Put every California address you know in the Letter of Instruction, and talk to the attorney about the Hague route if there is none. General information only, not legal advice.
Chula Vista ZIP Codes and how far they sit from each court
The Census matches five ZIP Code areas to Chula Vista: 91910, 91911, 91913, 91914 and 91915. The court's ZIP list also names three post office box ZIPs for the city, 91909, 91912 and 91921. A box can receive mail, but a server needs a street address.
| ZIP | To South County, 500 Third Ave | To Hall of Justice |
|---|---|---|
| 91910 | about 1.1 miles | about 8.3 miles |
| 91911 | about 2.2 miles | about 9.9 miles |
| 91913 | about 5.3 miles | about 12.3 miles |
| 91914 | about 7.6 miles | about 12.9 miles |
| 91915 | about 7.5 miles | about 14.1 miles |
Distances are straight lines between Census ZIP Code area points and the courthouse addresses. For a gated subdivision or a secured apartment building, a gate code, the call box name or the leasing office's hours helps the first attempt.
How do you serve a business in Chula Vista?
A shop, clinic or warehouse in Chula Vista is usually served through its agent for service of process, not at the counter. Corporations and LLCs list that agent with the Secretary of State under Corporations Code §§ 1502 and 17701.13, and the agent's address is often outside the city. Look the entity up on bizfile Online first, then send us the result. Our serving corporations page explains the options when the listed agent is gone.
Before you send the request
Upload up to 5 PDFs on the Service Request form or email them to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. Tell us who to serve, every address you have, and the hearing or trial date. Get every update by email. For questions, call 855-582-5776. Our guide on who can serve papers in California covers the rules for the server.
South County neighbors
Most cities around Chula Vista share its family law courthouse. The ZIP list places Bonita, National City, Imperial Beach and San Ysidro in the South County Division. Lemon Grove, about 7 miles north, is the exception: its 91945 ZIP is assigned to East County, so its family cases go to El Cajon. The full county list is on our San Diego County page.