Valpro Attorney Services handles service of process for cases that touch the Town of Danville: lawsuits against residents, subpoenas for witnesses, divorce and custody papers, small claims and unlawful detainers. We also take the filing side to the Contra Costa County court in Martinez, about 61 miles from our Sacramento office, so one Service Request can cover both the attempt and the paperwork that follows it.
Danville is a town, not a city, and it shares its mailing addresses with several unincorporated places. That matters less for which court hears the case than you might expect, and more for how an address gets found. Both points are covered below.
Where Danville cases are filed
The Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa, keeps most non-criminal filing in Martinez, the county seat. Its where-to-file page assigns each community to a courthouse by ZIP Code, and Danville's two, 94506 and 94526, both point to the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse.
| Danville matter | Filed at | Heard at |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited civil (over $35,000) | Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, 725 Court St, Martinez | Martinez departments |
| Limited civil ($35,000 or less) | Wakefield Taylor, Martinez | Dept. 14, George D. Carroll Courthouse, Richmond |
| Small claims | Wakefield Taylor, under the city-where-it-started rule | Martinez |
| Unlawful detainer | Wakefield Taylor, same rule | Martinez, Dept. 57 for ex partes |
| Probate, guardianship, conservatorship | Wakefield Taylor | Martinez |
| Elder abuse | Wakefield Taylor | Martinez |
| Family law, including DVROs and adoptions | Spinetta Family Law Center, 751 Pine St, Martinez | Spinetta center |
| Juvenile | Walnut Creek Juvenile and Traffic Center | Walnut Creek |
Taken from the court's where-to-file, limited civil and civil department pages, read October 2026.
The two Martinez buildings are a short walk apart, about 16.8 miles north of central Danville in a straight line. Walnut Creek's center on Ygnacio Valley Road is much closer, about 8.2 miles, but it only takes juvenile filings and traffic cases. Its page lists Danville, Alamo and San Ramon among the communities its traffic court serves, which is why some Danville residents know that building and assume it handles everything.
Limited civil hearings go to Richmond
A Danville contract claim, credit card collection or property damage suit for $35,000 or less is a limited civil case. The court's limited civil page says that, effective January 5, 2026, all of those cases were reassigned from Department 34 to Department 14 in Richmond. The court's list of civil departments places Department 14 at the George D. Carroll Courthouse, 100 37th Street, and gives its phone as (510) 942-2114 and its email as dept14@contracosta.courts.ca.gov.
So the case is filed through Martinez but argued about 21.6 miles from Danville, on the west side of the county. If a filing, a courtesy copy or a hearing appearance involves Department 14, say so on your Service Request so the papers go to the right building.
Getting papers to the Martinez counters
For paper filings at Wakefield Taylor, three times matter:
- 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., when the clerk windows are open, Monday through Friday.
- 5:00 p.m., the last moment for the drop box. A document deposited between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. is deemed filed that day.
- 3:00 p.m., when the court stops answering its phones.
Most Danville attorneys file electronically instead. Under Local Rule 2.87, represented parties must e-file in civil, unlawful detainer, small claims and family law cases, and self-represented parties may choose paper. The court's e-filing FAQ says a document received before 11:59:59 p.m. on a court day is deemed filed that day, while the court itself processes e-filings between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. A rejected e-filing doesn't move a deadline, so leave room to fix one. Our Contra Costa County court filings page covers what to send us for a Martinez filing.
Family law papers for Danville spouses and parents
Divorces, custody cases, support matters and domestic violence restraining orders for Danville residents are filed at the Spinetta Family Law Center, 751 Pine Street. Its page says the court encourages filing by drop box or mail. The drop box stands in front of the building, and filing fees must go with the papers, though there's no fee for a DVRO.
DVRO paperwork is a special case. The center's page asks that it be submitted in person at the DVRO and ex parte window or e-filed through the court's portal, and certified copies still have to be picked up at the courthouse. When the restrained person needs to be served, send us the filed order and the hearing date together. The Family Law Facilitator isn't offering in-person help at the courthouse right now, according to the same page.
For a Danville respondent, tell us about work hours and any address where the person stays part of the week. Family law hearing dates leave little room for a missed attempt.
Evictions from Danville rentals
Contra Costa files and hears unlawful detainers in the courthouse serving the city where the dispute began. For a Danville rental, that's Martinez. Department 57 is listed as the Martinez department on the court's landlord-tenant page.
Two local procedures are worth knowing before you file:
- Ex partes. The court's unlawful detainer ex parte procedure, effective November 25, 2024, tells Martinez applicants not to check in at the clerk's window. You go directly to Department 57, Monday through Friday, and must appear at 1:30 p.m. After the hearing, all papers are filed and all fees paid immediately, regardless of the outcome.
- Remote hearings. Hearings are in person unless a party complies with Code of Civil Procedure § 367.75 and files form RA-010. For a remote hearing, documents go to the clerk's office in person, by drop box or by overnight delivery at least 3 court days ahead. The court won't take them electronically.
The landlord-tenant page still says a tenant usually has 5 days to respond. Current law gives 10 court days after personal service, and 10 calendar days plus 10 court days after substituted service and mailing, per the California Courts self-help site. Count from the correct method of service when you calendar the default.
From January 1, 2027, AB 747 sets out how reasonable diligence before substituted service is shown: personal delivery attempted on at least three occasions, on three different days, at three different times. Our AB 747 guide explains the change, and the proof of service guide covers what the server's declaration must show.
Papers to serve in Danville?
Small claims from a Danville dispute
A small claims case that started in Danville is filed and heard at Wakefield Taylor. The court's small claims page sets these terms:
| Item | Contra Costa's figure |
|---|---|
| Claim limit for an individual | $12,500, including a sole proprietor using a business name |
| Claims over $2,500 | No more than two per calendar year, anywhere in California |
| Fee, claim up to $1,500 | $30 |
| Fee, $1,501 to $5,000 | $50 |
| Fee, $5,001 to $12,500 | $75 |
| Fee after 12 claims in 12 months | $100 per case |
Hearings are in person, and a remote appearance needs form RA-010. The court's Self-Help and Small Claims Advisor answers by email, and the page says to expect a reply within 2 weeks. That's slow if your hearing is close, so plan service early.
The plaintiff can't serve the claim personally. Any adult who isn't a party can, and so can a process server. Our guide to who can serve papers in California lists the options.
One ZIP Code, several communities
The Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP Code to place file shows how differently Danville's two ZIP Codes behave:
- 94526 is almost entirely the town. By land area, about 99.7% lies inside Danville.
- 94506 is mostly not. About 26% is Danville, about 31% is Blackhawk, about 7% is Camino Tassajara and about 1% is Diablo. Roughly 35% lies outside any city or Census-designated place.
Blackhawk, Camino Tassajara and Diablo are unincorporated Census-designated places, served by Contra Costa County rather than the town. All of 94506 is in Contra Costa County, and the court's ZIP table lists Blackhawk 94506 and Diablo 94528 under Wakefield Taylor, so the filing destination stays the same.
What changes is the approach. A "Danville, CA 94506" address can be in a town neighborhood, in a private development or out along a rural road. If the papers show a community name, copy it exactly. If you know about a gate, a guard house, a private road or a long driveway, put it in the Letter of Instruction, along with a gate code if the party or a cooperating resident has given you one.
Probate and older Danville court files
Probate, guardianship and conservatorship documents for Danville estates and families are filed and heard at Wakefield Taylor. A petition often comes with notice requirements for relatives and other interested people, and personal service may be needed where the statute or the court calls for it. List each person to be served and where they live, in or outside Danville.
If you need something from an older file, the court's Court Records office moved to Room 103 of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse on January 12, 2026. Its page says the court plans to scan about 12 million pieces of paper over the next 12 months for a new case document system, and that the scanning may delay records requests. Requests can also go by mail, with a self-addressed stamped envelope, to 725 Court Street (P.O. Box 911), Martinez.
The same page sets the costs and the ground rules:
- A valid ID is required to view any file in person.
- Copies are 50 cents a page, whether you ask at the counter or by mail.
- Certification is $40 plus 50 cents a page.
- A certified divorce judgment is $15, copies included.
A Danville homeowner refinancing after a divorce, or a lender's counsel checking a judgment, often needs that last item. For a pull you'd rather not handle, see our document retrieval service.
Serving a Danville business
A business with a Danville storefront or office may not be served there. Look up the entity on the California Secretary of State's bizfile Online and give us the agent for service of process exactly as listed. Many companies name a commercial agent elsewhere in the state. Our serving corporations page walks through each route, including CSC and CT Corporation.
For a sole proprietor, the person is the business, so a home address in 94526 or 94506 works as well as the shop.
Sending Danville papers
- Start a Service Request and attach up to 5 PDFs.
- Name each person or company and give every address you have, with the community name.
- Add the hearing date and any department, especially Department 14 or 57.
- Choose Rush or Standard, and add a Martinez filing if you want one.
Get the updates by email. Questions go to 855-582-5776 or Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. We make no guarantees for service. If the party has left Danville, our skip tracing service can look for a newer address, and our post on how to find a defendant in California explains what helps.
Near Danville
Straight-line distances from central Danville:
- San Ramon, 3.8 miles south, same Martinez routing
- Walnut Creek, 7.3 miles north
- Moraga, 8.7 miles west
- Clayton, 9.1 miles north
- Dublin, 7.8 miles, across the county line in Alameda County
The Contra Costa County page lists every place we serve in the county.