Culver City sits almost entirely inside the City of Los Angeles on the map, and its court routing follows the Westside pattern. There's no courthouse in town that takes Culver City civil or family cases. A small claims case crosses into Beverly Hills, an eviction heads west to Santa Monica, and a divorce goes downtown.
The good news is consistency. Every community row the court's locator lists for Culver City's three ZIP Code areas returned the same courthouses, including the rows labeled Fox Hills, Baldwin Hills, Mar Vista and Playa Vista. That's rarer than it sounds in Los Angeles County, where a single ZIP Code can route three different ways.
That consistency makes Culver City requests simpler to plan from Sacramento, 362 miles north. The courthouse question is settled by case type alone, so the Letter of Instruction can concentrate on the person: the unit or suite, the gate or front desk, and the hours someone is usually there.
Culver City filing locations
We checked 90230, 90232 and 90066 in the Los Angeles Superior Court's filing court locator on October 29, 2026:
| Culver City case | Filing courthouse | Straight line from central Culver City |
|---|---|---|
| Small claims | Beverly Hills Courthouse, 9355 Burton Way | 4.6 mi |
| Unlimited civil (over $35,000) | Beverly Hills Courthouse or Santa Monica Courthouse | 4.6 or 5.4 mi |
| Limited unlawful detainer (eviction) | Santa Monica Courthouse, 1725 Main Street | 5.4 mi |
| Restraining orders | Santa Monica Courthouse | 5.4 mi |
| Family law | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles | 9.2 mi |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | 9.2 mi |
| Limited civil, not a collection | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | 9.2 mi |
| Limited civil, collection | Chatsworth Courthouse, 9425 Penfield Avenue | 19.0 mi |
The locator lists both Beverly Hills and Santa Monica for unlimited civil without saying how they're divided. The criteria are in Chapter 2 of the court's Local Rules. One rule worth knowing: since January 1, 2026, an unlimited personal injury case must be filed in the district where the incident arose.
The ZIP Codes on a Culver City address
Culver City's mailing addresses cross the city line in both directions. The Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file shows how:
- 90230 is about 56% Culver City by land area. About 24% is Ladera Heights, an unincorporated community governed by the county, and about 21% is the City of Los Angeles.
- 90232 is about 96% Culver City, with the rest in Los Angeles.
- 90066 is mostly Los Angeles, about 90% of its land. Only about 9% is in Culver City.
- Culver City's own land is about half in 90230 and about 40% in 90232, with the rest in 90066 and small pieces of 90016, 90045 and 90292.
For filing, the locator treats all of these rows the same, so the courthouse doesn't change. For everything else, it can. A Ladera Heights or Mar Vista address is outside Culver City, and any city-specific rule, such as a local tenant ordinance or a business license requirement, follows the actual city, not the mailing name. When the city matters to your case, confirm it from the property record before you serve a notice.
Evictions: Santa Monica filing, Culver City service
A limited eviction case from any Culver City row is filed at the Santa Monica Courthouse, in the same building that hears Westside restraining orders. The summons and complaint are then served at the Culver City unit.
Culver City rentals range from older courtyard apartments to newer mixed-use buildings with secured lobbies and garages. For each one, send:
- Every adult tenant's name, spelled as on the summons.
- The unit and the entrance, since courtyard buildings often have units facing an interior walkway.
- Call-box and garage details, or a note that you have none.
- Any known schedule, such as a night shift or weekend job.
If a notice to quit has to be served before the case is filed, say so on the request, and say which city the unit is in. The proof of service will show the date, time and method, which matters when a deadline runs from the date of service. Our proof of service guide shows what it contains.
Small claims at Burton Way
Culver City small claims go to the Beverly Hills Courthouse, 4.6 miles north. The directory lists the small claims line at (310) 281-2496.
Count backward from the hearing date: a defendant living in Los Angeles County needs the papers 15 or more days ahead, and one living elsewhere needs 20 or more (CCP § 116.340). Someone other than the person suing must make the delivery, an adult with no stake in the case, and we can be that someone. Afterward, the server fills in form SC-104 for you to file.
Papers to serve in Culver City?
Divorce, probate and restraining orders
A Culver City divorce, custody or support case is filed at Stanley Mosk, 9.2 miles away. The court's directory says the building opens at 7:30 a.m. and puts the family law window up on the fourth floor. Culver City estates are probated in the same building.
Protective orders are the exception and stay on the Westside, at Santa Monica. Whoever is restrained must receive the order in hand; a domestic violence case uses DV-200 to prove it, a civil harassment case CH-200. The usual proof for a divorce summons is FL-115. A current picture of the person, their working hours and the date of the hearing are the three things that help most.
Starting January 1, 2027, the diligence that comes before leaving papers with a roommate, spouse or coworker is shown by trying to hand them to the person on at least three occasions, on three different days at three different times (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). The AB 747 guide walks through that rule and the new proof requirements. We make no guarantees for service.
A crash or fall in Culver City
Local Rule 2.3, as amended effective January 1, 2026, ties an unlimited personal injury case to the district where the incident happened. For a collision on Culver Boulevard or a fall in a Culver City store, the locator's unlimited civil choices are Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, both West District buildings. A smaller injury claim, $35,000 or less, is limited civil and goes to Stanley Mosk.
Where the defendant gets served is a separate question. A driver from a Culver City collision may live in the Valley, the South Bay or another county entirely, and the summons goes to wherever that person can be found. When we take an injury case, the things that help most are:
- Each defendant's last known home and work address, even if one is old.
- The registered owner of the vehicle, if different from the driver, since both may be named.
- The entity name for a business defendant, exactly as the Secretary of State lists it, so the papers go to the agent rather than a store manager.
Office buildings and campuses
Culver City has a lot of office space, from small buildings downtown to larger office and production campuses with a security desk at the entrance. Security staff generally won't let a server walk in to find an employee, and they aren't authorized to accept papers for one.
What works better:
- The person's home address, if you have it, which is usually the simplest place to serve an individual.
- Arrival and departure times, so the server can meet the person at a public entrance or a parking structure exit.
- The company's agent for service of process, when the defendant is the company itself. Look it up on bizfile Online and send us the name and address (Corporations Code § 1502).
When the agent is a commercial service, see our pages on CSC and CT Corporation, or the general rules at serving corporations.
Witness and records subpoenas
Under CCP § 1987(a), a witness ordered to appear gets the subpoena handed to them directly. For a Culver City employee called as a witness, a home address and a schedule usually beat the workplace. A records subpoena is different: the custodian of records can usually be found at the business during working hours. Our subpoena post covers witness fees and timing.
Filing before serving
Represented parties in Los Angeles civil cases file electronically, and the court's e-filing FAQ describes the exemptions. A new complaint goes in with form LACIV 109, where you state why Beverly Hills, Santa Monica or Stanley Mosk is the right building. Self-represented filers can still use the clerk's window. Either way, we can get the case on file and then send the conformed set out for service, all on one request. Our Los Angeles County court filing page explains how.
Getting a Culver City request started
Open a Service Request and attach the documents, five PDFs at most. Type each name the way the caption has it, then list every address you know with its true city, since Ladera Heights and Mar Vista addresses often carry a Culver City mailing name. Add unit numbers, garage codes and the hours the person keeps. Choose Rush or Standard at the end, and tick the filing option if the case isn't on file yet.
Once it's submitted, the updates come to you by email. When an address turns out to be stale, skip tracing can look for a newer one before the server goes back out. Questions go to 855-582-5776 or Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Near Culver City
Los Angeles wraps around Culver City, 1.2 miles from its center. Marina del Rey is 3.7 miles away and Venice 3.8. Inglewood is 4.6 miles off and Beverly Hills, where Culver City small claims are heard, 5.1. The full list is on our Los Angeles County page.