Clearlake is the biggest city in Lake County, with 16,685 people at the 2020 Census, and it's one of the few places in the county with a courthouse inside its limits. That courthouse doesn't hear everything, though. Which Lake Superior Court building a Clearlake case belongs in depends on the type of case, not the address.
For a landlord, a small claims plaintiff or a paralegal sending papers to Clearlake, the split matters on both ends: where the case is filed, and how fast the other side has to be served. We coordinate Clearlake requests from Sacramento, about 66 miles away, and the papers are served at the Clearlake address.
The Clearlake Branch and what it hears
The court's branch sits at 7000-A South Center Drive, roughly 2 miles from the city's Census center point. Its location page lists five kinds of cases:
| Case type | Filed at the Clearlake Branch? |
|---|---|
| Small claims | Yes, and hearings are held here |
| Civil limited unlawful detainer (eviction) | Yes |
| Infraction traffic | Yes |
| Infraction non-traffic | Yes |
| Department of Child Support Services cases | Yes |
Counter and telephone access runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The branch phone is (707) 994-6598. To get there, the page's directions follow Highway 53 to Dam Road, then Dam Road Extension to South Center Drive, where the court is the last building on the right. Parking is next to the building.
The court's courtroom schedule, effective June 16, 2025, runs the branch's eviction work on Mondays: unlawful detainers in person at 8:30 a.m., then status conferences and other eviction motions at 11:00 a.m. Child support matters are heard on Tuesdays.
Lake's local rules, effective January 1, 2026, still call this building the Southlake Courthouse in one older rule, so you may see both names on paperwork.
Cases that leave town for Lakeport
Everything not on the branch list is filed at the Lakeport Courthouse, which the court lists at 675 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport. That's about 16 miles northwest of central Clearlake in a straight line, and longer by road around the lake. The Lakeport list covers:
- civil cases over $35,000 and civil cases of $35,000 and under, other than limited evictions
- family law, domestic violence and guardianship
- probate
- real property, eminent domain and equity cases
- juvenile, mental health, felony criminal, appeals and habeas corpus
The same local rules still give the Lakeport building's address as 255 N. Forbes. The court's own location page is the current listing, so that's the address we use, and we confirm it before any filing run. Our Lake County court filing service files at either building.
Filing a Clearlake eviction: rules that follow service
A Clearlake landlord files a limited unlawful detainer at the branch, then has the summons and complaint served on each tenant. After personal service, the tenant has 10 court days to answer. Lake's local rules add their own timing on top of the statutes:
- Rule 13.2, status conference. A case still pending and not set for trial 25 days after filing goes on a status conference calendar. If the plaintiff or the plaintiff's attorney doesn't show up, the court may dismiss what's left.
- Rule 13.3, motions. A motion to quash service for lack of jurisdiction must be made no more than 5 days after the proof of service is filed, and it's heard on the next unlawful detainer calendar at least three days later.
- Rule 11.6, attorney fees. The presumed reasonable fee is $350 on a default, $400 if an answer is filed but the case is uncontested at trial, and $500 if it's contested.
- Local forms. The court lists an optional LK-120 application and LKUD-106 proposed court order for serving the summons by posting, and LKUD-107, a notice of restricted access under CCP § 1161.2.
Because Rule 20.2 covers limited civil cases, a represented landlord can also e-file the eviction through a provider instead of bringing it to the branch counter, which closes at 4:00 p.m. Paper filings still go across the branch counter.
A clean proof of service matters here more than usual, since the short Rule 13.3 window starts when it's filed. Our proof of service guide explains what the server's declaration contains. General information, not legal advice.
When a Clearlake case settles on terms
Many evictions and small claims cases end in an agreement rather than a trial, and Lake has its own optional forms for that. On the eviction side, LKUD-100 is a stipulation for conditional dismissal and LKUD-105 adds terms and conditions. If the tenant later misses a term, LKUD-200 is an ex parte request for judgment after default, LKUD-205 is the tenant's response and LKUD-210 is the judge's ruling. Small claims has a matching set, starting with LKSC-300, a stipulated agreement, and LKSC-400, a request for judgment after default.
Because the other side has a form to respond, keep a current address for them after the settlement is signed. If they've moved out of the rental or out of Lake County, skip tracing can look for the new address before anything else goes out.
Papers to serve in Clearlake?
Small claims Mondays at the Clearlake Branch
Small claims cases from anywhere in Lake County are heard in Clearlake, on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. Local Rule 12.2 sets each trial between 20 and 70 days after the Plaintiff's Claim and Order is issued. If the defendant can't be properly served in time, the court will continue the hearing under CCP § 116.570.
State law sets the service deadline. A defendant who lives in Lake County must be served at least 15 days before the hearing, and one who lives in another county at least 20 days before (CCP § 116.340). The plaintiff can't serve the claim. A non-party adult or a process server can, and the server then signs form SC-104. The court's Small Claims Legal Advisor is reached at 707-994-4612.
Help in the same building
The Self-Help Center and Family Law Facilitator's office share the Clearlake Branch building. The court's Self-Help page lists Monday and Wednesday as walk-in days and Tuesday and Thursday as appointment-only, and the office is closed on Fridays. It helps people without lawyers on both sides of an eviction, plus small claims, name changes, restraining orders, guardianships of the person and child support cases.
The center doesn't serve papers. Once a self-represented filer has a filed case, the other party still has to be served by someone who isn't a party. Our guide on who can serve papers in California lays out the options.
E-filing under Local Rule 20.2
Lake has allowed e-filing since January 1, 2024, and it's still optional. Local Rule 20.2 permits it in all civil cases, including limited cases and domestic violence restraining order petitions, in probate and in family law, through an approved electronic filing service provider. The court can't take e-filings directly. Its eFiling page says a submission received before midnight counts for that business day if accepted, and that documents must be text-searchable PDFs.
Rule 20.8 keeps some papers on paper, among them subpoenaed documents, bonds, original wills, orders of examination, peremptory challenges and exhibits lodged for trial. Clearlake filers who'd rather not set up an e-filing account can still use the branch counter.
Why the Sheriff may not fit your deadline
The Lake County Sheriff's Civil Division works out of 1431 Hoyt Ave in Lakeport, on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Its page is direct about its limits. It doesn't offer rush service, and it suggests a process server when the timeframe is tight. It doesn't answer service questions by phone, it mails the proof of service once service is done, and it collects its fees in advance whether or not service is completed. For help with forms, the page sends readers back to the Self-Help Center at the Clearlake Branch, since the Sheriff's Office can't give legal advice.
With a Service Request to Valpro Attorney Services, you can get every update by email instead of waiting for the mail. From January 1, 2027, three good-faith attempts on three different days, at three different times, show reasonable diligence before papers are left with another adult (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). Our AB 747 guide explains the change.
Inside ZIP 95422
Clearlake uses one ZIP Code, 95422, and the city covers only part of it. The Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA to place file puts about 27 square miles of land in 95422. About 38% is inside Clearlake city limits. The other 62% is outside any city or named community.
That means a "Clearlake, CA 95422" address can be a city lot near the branch courthouse or a parcel on unincorporated land past the city line. For any address, send:
- the street number and, for apartments or mobile home parks, the unit or space number
- whether the home is visible from the road, and whether there's a gate or dogs
- the person's usual hours at home or at work
- a recent photo or vehicle description, if you have one
Remote areas are subject to different timelines, and a parcel at the edge of the ZIP takes longer to reach than a street near downtown.
Serving a Clearlake business
Look up a corporation or LLC on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online search and send us the agent's name and address as listed. A local shop may name its owner at a home address. A regional or national company usually names a commercial agent. Our serving corporations page covers the rules, and skip tracing can find a current address for someone who has moved. Our post on skip tracing for legal cases explains how that works.
Starting a Clearlake Service Request
- Upload up to 5 PDFs on the Service Request form.
- Name each party exactly as the papers do, and add the hearing or answer date.
- Describe the address using the details above.
- Choose Rush or Standard, and tell us if you also need a filing at the Clearlake Branch or in Lakeport.
You can reach us at 855-582-5776 or Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. We make no guarantees for service.
Lake County towns near Clearlake
Clearlake Park sits just 1.1 miles away, and Lower Lake is 3.5 miles south. Clearlake Oaks, a separate community on the north shore, is 4.4 miles off. Glenhaven is 7 miles and Lucerne 9.9. Our Lake County page lists every community we serve around the lake.