Delano is a north Kern County city along Highway 99. Valpro Attorney Services serves papers there on individuals and businesses, including civil summonses, small claims claims, family law petitions, subpoenas, three-day notices and unlawful detainer packets. We also file Delano cases with Kern County Superior Court, at the counter or by e-filing.
Delano is about 232 miles straight-line from our Sacramento office. Send a Service Request online with up to 5 PDFs, or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. If a hearing is coming up fast, call 855-582-5776 before you choose a speed.
The Delano branch on Jefferson Street
Kern County Superior Court's Delano courthouse is at 1122 Jefferson St, Delano, CA 93215, phone (661) 610-7300, about 1.2 miles from the city's Census center point. The court's directions: turn east on 11th Avenue to Jefferson Street, turn left (north), and the court complex is on the right.
Its posted hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Friday. The local rules call it the North Division, and the court's civil and family law pages both list it as a filing location.
Source: kern.courts.ca.gov Delano location page and Local Rules, checked Oct 2026.
Which north Kern communities file in Delano
Kern assigns venue by ZIP Code and community name under Local Rule 1.7.4, using the table in Appendix A. The table sends these to the Delano branch:
- Delano (93215)
- McFarland, Famoso, Vineland and Jasmin (93250)
- Pond (93280)
- Elmo, which has no ZIP Code of its own in the table
Wasco is the trap. It shares the 93280 ZIP Code with Pond, but the table assigns Wasco to the Shafter branch. Lost Hills and Buttonwillow go to Shafter as well.
Across the county line, Earlimart is in Tulare County, so a case against someone living there belongs to Tulare County Superior Court in Visalia or Porterville, not Kern.
Source: Kern County Superior Court venue information, Appendix A to the Local Rules, checked Oct 2026.
Cases that leave Delano for Bakersfield
A Delano case can still end up downtown. Local Rule 1.7.5 lists matters that must be filed in the Metropolitan Division, about 31 miles south at 1215 Truxtun Ave:
- Unlimited civil. Anything over $35,000, except a quiet title action on property in the Delano venue, which may stay at the branch.
- Child support. DCSS filings from the Delano venue, along with adoption and abandonment matters.
- Probate and guardianship. These go to the Juvenile Justice Center, 2100 College Ave.
- Juvenile. Delinquency, truancy and dependency cases also go to the Juvenile Justice Center.
Most family law stays local. Under Rule 1.7.5(g)(1), the first petition is filed where the petitioner's ZIP Code points, with the court's certificate of assignment form, KRN SUP CRT FL-2427. Two exceptions are worth knowing. A domestic violence restraining order request is exempt from the venue rules, and a petition to establish parental relationship follows the minor child's ZIP Code, not the parent's.
Source: Kern County Superior Court Local Rules effective July 1, 2026, checked Oct 2026.
Collections cases and the 180-day clock
Kern has its own deadline for debt collection suits. When the civil case cover sheet marks the case as a Rule 3.740 collection, Local Rule 3.12.2 requires every named defendant to be served and a proof of service filed, or an order for publication obtained, within 180 days of filing.
At filing, the clerk issues an order to show cause with two hearing windows: one 180 to 200 days out to check service, and one 340 to 360 days out for the next stage. The clerk vacates the order to show cause when, at least 10 court days before the hearing, the plaintiff files a proof of service or publication order for each named defendant, or one of the other filings the rule lists, such as a default judgment or a notice of settlement.
If the debtor has moved, don't wait for a failed attempt to start looking. Ask about skip tracing, and see how to find a defendant in California.
Source: Kern County Superior Court Local Rules 3.12.1 and 3.12.2, checked Oct 2026.
Small claims at the Delano counter
The court's small claims section says an individual can sue for up to $12,500 and file only two claims over $2,500 in a calendar year. The claim is filed at the courthouse where it will be heard, mailed there, or e-filed through a service provider.
Details from the court's page that save a second trip:
- Copies. Bring the original plus one copy for each plaintiff and each defendant.
- Getting them back. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope, or write a note on the papers that you'll pick them up at will-call. The court says it won't call you.
- Timing. Arrive at least 30 minutes before closing to open a new case.
- Forms. The regional courthouses still hand out small claims packets at the civil window.
The person who files can't serve the claim personally. Once the clerk gives you the hearing date, send us the filed claim and we'll serve each defendant.
Source: kern.courts.ca.gov civil and small claims page, checked Oct 2026.
Papers to serve in Delano?
Restraining orders and hearing day at the branch
Restraining order papers usually run on a short clock. The court's civil FAQ says civil harassment packets are free at most counters that take civil filings. The filing fee is $435, but it's waived if a judicial officer grants the temporary restraining order. Domestic violence and gun violence restraining order requests can also be submitted through the court's online portal, according to its e-filing page.
Once the order and hearing notice are issued, the restrained person has to be served before the hearing. Send us the filed papers as soon as you have them, with a photo and every address you know.
On hearing day, the court says to look for your name on the lobby docket monitor, listed alphabetically. Confidential matters don't appear, so go to the clerk's window if yours isn't there. For a civil motion, Local Rule 3.3.1 says a law and motion date in the regional divisions comes from that court's civil counter, and it lists (661) 610-7300 for Delano.
Source: kern.courts.ca.gov civil and small claims and e-filing pages; Kern Local Rule 3.3.1, checked Oct 2026.
Eviction papers in Delano and McFarland
A landlord with a unit in the Delano venue files the unlawful detainer at the Delano branch. The court's landlord page reminds owners that only the Sheriff can remove a tenant, and that the landlord must first serve the right written notice and wait for it to run out.
After the summons and complaint are served, the tenant's time to answer depends on how they got the papers. Handed over in person, it's 10 court days, leaving out weekends and court holidays. Left with someone else or posted, it's 10 calendar days plus 10 court days after the mailing. Posting falls under CCP § 415.45.
For questions on the court side, the Landlord/Tenant Assistance Center takes calls at (661) 610-6299. We serve the notice and the court papers at the unit. Include the unit number and the names of every adult occupant you know of.
Source: kern.courts.ca.gov landlords and self-help pages; California Courts Self-Help, responding to an eviction, checked Oct 2026.
E-filing a Delano case
The court's e-filing page says represented parties will be required to e-file in limited and unlimited civil, family law, probate and unlawful detainer cases, while self-represented litigants may keep filing on paper. A few entries on that page cause trouble on branch filings:
- Party names. Enter a new party's name and address in all capitals the first time, and pick from the list after that.
- Confidential papers. The filer marks a document confidential in the security field and is responsible for redacting identifiers.
- Returned orders. Orders filed electronically aren't returned through e-filing. Ask the court where the case is filed by email for a copy.
- Writs. Writs of execution and possession can be e-filed, and the issued writ comes back electronically. The court says it must be printed in color before it goes to the enforcing agency.
The Sheriff's Civil Division, which enforces those writs, is at 5251 Office Park Dr, Bldg 300, Bakersfield, (661) 635-1300, according to the court's civil page. For how we take Kern filings, see Kern County court filing.
Source: kern.courts.ca.gov e-filing and civil and small claims pages, checked Oct 2026.
Two state prisons on West Cecil Avenue
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation runs two prisons in Delano. North Kern State Prison is at 2737 West Cecil Avenue, and CDCR describes it as including a reception center for incoming inmates. Kern Valley State Prison is at 3000 West Cecil Avenue.
Papers for someone in custody can't be handled like a house call. CDCR asks that all inmate mail carry the person's name, CDCR number and last known housing, and those details matter for any service plan too. Tell us on the Service Request that the person is incarcerated and call 855-582-5776 before you submit.
Source: CDCR facility pages for North Kern State Prison and Kern Valley State Prison, checked Oct 2026.
Delano's ZIP Code area
The 93215 ZIP Code area covers about 145 square miles of land, and about 14 of them are inside Delano's city limits. The Census file also shows a small piece of the Jovista Census place inside it. The rest is unincorporated farmland. An address that reads "Delano" may be a vineyard road far outside town, so give the full address, the nearest cross road and a description of the property.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file.
What to send with a Delano request
- PDFs: up to 5, with the Notice of Case Assignment if it's a new civil case.
- Name: the full legal name, or the exact entity name for a business.
- Addresses: home and workplace, with unit numbers.
- Instructions: the hearing or deadline, best hours, a photo and vehicle details.
- Speed: Rush or Standard, plus a Billing Reference.
Get every update by email.
Nearby places we serve
Straight-line distances from Delano:
- McFarland (6.9 miles) and Earlimart (8.6)
- Richgrove (9.1) and Wasco (13.3)
- Shafter (20.1) and Porterville (24.2)
The county's main courthouses are in Bakersfield. See Kern County for the rest.
Other help for Delano cases
- Document retrieval for copies from a Kern file.
- Serving a corporation through its registered agent.
- Who can serve papers in California and the AB 747 changes.
We make no guarantees for service.