Compton keeps most of its cases at home. Plenty of Los Angeles County cities send small claims to one building, evictions to another and divorces downtown. Compton doesn't. Local Rule 2.2 lists a single courthouse for the South Central District, the Compton Courthouse at 200 West Compton Boulevard, and the court's Filing Court Locator sends nearly every kind of Compton civil and family case through its doors.
Compton had 95,740 residents at the 2020 Census. Around the city sit unincorporated communities, Willowbrook, East Rancho Dominguez, West Rancho Dominguez and Rancho Dominguez, that share its ZIP Codes and its courthouse. This page explains the routing, how the building is laid out, and where the city line still matters.
We serve summonses, complaints, subpoenas, restraining orders, family law papers and eviction notices at Compton homes, apartments and businesses. Compton requests are handled from our Sacramento office, roughly 373 miles away.
The Compton Courthouse and its divisions
The court's directory lists eight divisions at 200 West Compton Boulevard: civil, criminal, family law, juvenile dependency, juvenile justice, small claims, traffic and unlawful detainer. The building is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, and the clerk's offices from 8:30 a.m. The main number is (310) 761-4300.
When we ran Compton's ZIP Codes through the locator in October 2026, this is what came back:
| Matter | Where it's filed |
|---|---|
| Unlimited civil | Compton Courthouse |
| Family law | Compton Courthouse |
| Restraining orders | Compton Courthouse |
| Limited unlawful detainer | Compton Courthouse |
| Small claims | Compton Courthouse |
| Limited civil collections | Norwalk Courthouse, 12720 Norwalk Boulevard, Norwalk |
| Limited civil, not collections | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse |
The list was identical for 90220, 90221 and 90222, and for every community name the locator attaches to them.
The unincorporated neighbors share the courthouse
The locator lists more than Compton under these ZIP Codes. Under 90220 it shows Rancho Dominguez. Under 90221 it shows East Rancho Dominguez, Rancho Dominguez and a row called "Unincorporated area east of Compton". Under 90222 it shows Willowbrook only. All of them route to the Compton Courthouse.
So do some addresses outside Compton's ZIP Codes. In October 2026 the locator sent the same case types to Compton for Willowbrook and Los Angeles addresses in 90059, for Lynwood in 90262, and for Carson in 90746. A paralegal handling a South Central caseload will see the same building on many complaints that never mention Compton.
The Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP-to-place file shows how the city itself divides. About half of Compton's land is in 90220, about a third in 90221 and about a sixth in 90222, with roughly 1% in 90059. From the other direction, Compton holds about 72% of 90220's land, 60% of 90221's and 62% of 90222's. The rest is mostly unincorporated territory, including all of East Rancho Dominguez and about a third of 90222 in Willowbrook.
Why the city line still matters
For filing, the line rarely changes anything. For the substance of a case, it can.
The clearest example is housing. Los Angeles County's Department of Consumer and Business Affairs runs a rent stabilization and tenant protection program that, by its own description, covers rental units in unincorporated Los Angeles County. DCBA says that since April 16, 2026, a non-payment termination in those areas can proceed only when unpaid rent is more than two months of Fair Market Rent. A unit in Willowbrook or East Rancho Dominguez falls under that program. A unit inside Compton's city limits does not fall under the County ordinance, and your attorney should check what rules apply there instead. DCBA also runs a Tenant Right to Counsel program, in place since January 1, 2025, that offers free eviction defense to eligible tenants in unincorporated areas, so plan on the possibility that a Willowbrook tenant will be represented.
Write the address exactly as it appears on the lease or the papers. If the ZIP Code is 90220, 90221 or 90222 and you aren't sure whether the property is in the city, tell us on the Service Request and we'll note what the Census data shows.
Finding your way inside the building
Much of the civil and family work at the Compton Courthouse happens on one floor. The directory lists:
- Civil Clerk's Office: 9th floor, (310) 761-8657, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Small Claims: Room 902, 9th floor, same phone and hours.
- Family Law Clerk's Office: 9th floor, (213) 633-6363, open from 8:00 a.m.
- Family Law Facilitator: Room 200-F on the 2nd floor, entered through the cafeteria.
- Family Court Services, mediation and evaluation: Room 1003.
- Sheriff's Office: Room 102 on the 1st floor.
The directory also lists a fax number for filings, (562) 753-0958, alongside the civil clerk. The courthouse has 31 departments, some numbered and some lettered, so read the department on the notice carefully. Parking is in a pay structure at 400 South Acacia Avenue, at Myrrh Street, south of the courthouse.
Custody cases may also bring parents to Family Court Services in Room 1003. The directory describes two roles there: mediators who help parents build a custody and visitation plan, and evaluators who assess families and recommend parenting plans. Papers setting a mediation date are served like any other family law notice, so include them in the upload.
Papers to serve in Compton?
Family cases and restraining orders
A Compton divorce, custody or support case stays in Compton. A family law summons is usually proved on Judicial Council form FL-115, and the server who delivers it can't be a party to the case.
Restraining orders also stay in Compton, and the papers have to be handed to the restrained person. The proof forms for domestic violence and civil harassment orders, DV-200 and CH-200, are both titled Proof of Personal Service. Before the hearing date, give us what you can: a photo, a car, the person's work schedule and any second address. If the restrained person is avoiding service, tell us early so there's room for more attempts.
Evictions filed and served in Compton
A limited unlawful detainer for a Compton property is filed at the Compton Courthouse and then served at the unit. The California courts' self-help guide gives tenants 10 court days to answer after the summons is handed to them. If it's left with another adult at the home, or posted and mailed, the guide allows 10 calendar days plus 10 court days from the mailing date.
AB 747 takes effect January 1, 2027. Under the amended CCP § 415.20(b)(2), trying personal delivery on three different days at three different times shows the reasonable diligence needed before substituted service. Posting an eviction summons is covered by CCP § 415.45. Our AB 747 guide explains both, and the proof of service guide shows what the proof will record.
Small claims on the 9th floor
A Compton small claims case is filed and heard in the same building, at the Small Claims window in Room 902. The California courts' self-help guide sets the usual limits at $12,500 for an individual and $6,250 for a business, and says a lawyer can advise you beforehand but can't appear with you at the hearing.
Service has its own timetable. CCP § 116.340 requires the claim to reach a defendant who lives in Los Angeles County at least 15 days before the hearing, or at least 20 days before if the defendant lives in another county. A defendant who has moved from Compton to Riverside or San Bernardino County needs the longer window, so send the hearing date with the request.
The person who filed the claim can't serve it. A friend or relative over 18 who isn't part of the case can, and so can a process server. The server then signs form SC-104, the small claims proof of service, and that form is filed before the hearing.
Witness subpoenas for Compton hearings
When a Compton trial or hearing needs a witness who won't appear voluntarily, a civil subpoena to appear is served by handing a copy to the witness personally (CCP § 1987). The witness can ask for the fees and mileage allowed by Government Code § 68093, so the party issuing the subpoena should be ready to pay them if asked.
Give us the witness's home and work addresses, the hearing date and department, and whether the witness is expected to cooperate. Our post on how to serve a subpoena in California covers records subpoenas and the consumer notice rules.
Collections in Norwalk, probate downtown
Two Compton case types leave town. Limited civil collection cases, the kind California Rules of Court rule 3.740 defines, go to the Norwalk Courthouse. The locator sends the same case type from Westside and Valley ZIP Codes to Chatsworth instead, so this one case type follows its own map. The Norwalk directory lists the Civil Clerk's Office in Room 101 on the first floor and gives a separate line for limited collections, (562) 345-0898.
Probate goes to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Local Rule 2.3 requires probate, conservatorship, guardianship and trust matters to be filed in the Central District, with exceptions only for the North District. The directory lists Probate Operations in Room 429 on the fourth floor, where ex parte probate filings are also taken, with the probate filing line at (213) 830-0800. Probate notices for a Compton estate are often mailed rather than personally served, but a citation or an order to appear may need a server. Tell us which document it is, and the hearing date, so the method fits the paper.
Injury cases and new civil complaints
An unlimited personal injury suit must be filed in the district where the incident arose, under Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(A). For a crash or a fall inside Compton, that's the South Central District, which means the Compton Courthouse. Every new civil filing must also include form LACIV 109, the Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location, and a copy is served with the summons and complaint.
If you file through us, see our Los Angeles County court filing page. Our post on court e-filing explains when electronic filing is required.
Businesses and hard-to-find defendants
To sue a company with a Compton or Rancho Dominguez address, find its agent for service of process on California Secretary of State bizfile Online and send us the name and address exactly as listed. Many companies use a commercial agent such as CT Corporation, whose office may be far from Compton. Our serving corporations page covers officers and other options.
When a defendant has moved, skip tracing looks for a current address first. Our post on finding a defendant in California explains the steps. Status updates come by email. We make no guarantees for service.
Around Compton
Lynwood is 2.5 miles away and Paramount 3.5. Carson is 3.9 miles south, South Gate 4 miles north and Gardena 4.6 miles west. For the whole county, see Los Angeles County. To send papers now, start a Service Request.