Fort Bragg is an incorporated city on the Mendocino coast, with 6,983 residents in 2020 and a Census Bureau estimate of 6,946 for July 1, 2025. It is home to the Ten Mile Branch, one of the two courthouses of the Mendocino County Superior Court. We take Service Requests for summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document in the city and the unincorporated land around it.
Fort Bragg requests are run from our Sacramento office, about 136 miles away in a straight line. Send the papers as PDFs on a Service Request, or to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com, and call 855-582-5776 with questions.
The Ten Mile Branch on South Franklin Street
The branch sits at 700 South Franklin Street, about half a mile from the center of town. Here is what the court publishes for it:
| Item | Ten Mile Branch details |
|---|---|
| Clerk's public counter | 8:30 a.m.–noon and 1:00–3:30 p.m., Monday–Friday |
| Clerk's phone hours | Same as the counter |
| Civil, juvenile and family law clerk | (707) 468-2003 |
| Criminal clerk | (707) 463-4661 |
| Traffic clerk | (707) 463-4660 |
| Jury services | (707) 463-4663 |
| Parking | Free, on the south side of the Justice Center |
| Transit | Mendocino Transit Authority stop at Safeway, about half a block away |
The court asks visitors not to use the lot north of the Justice Center, which is marked for county employees only. Everyone entering passes through security screening. Source: Mendocino County Superior Court, Ten Mile Branch location page, checked October 2026.
The noon hour is the trap for a same-day paper filing. Local Rule 1.8 says the clerk's office closes from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Self-represented filers can use the branch drop box for civil, family law and probate pleadings during that hour, and the clerk picks them up when the office reopens. Criminal and traffic fine payments can go in the same box.
What a Fort Bragg filer can start here
Local Rule 1.6 separates two questions that most people treat as one: where the papers get filed, and which judge gets the case.
Filing location. Limited civil, unlimited civil, probate, family law and criminal proceedings may be filed at either courthouse. So the South Franklin Street counter takes most first papers.
Judge assignment. For a new civil, probate or family case, the court looks at the physical address of the party filing first. If that address is in Fort Bragg or another coastal community, limited civil, domestic violence and civil harassment cases are assigned to the judge at the Ten Mile Branch. Every other probate, civil and family law filing is assigned to judges in Ukiah.
Ukiah only. A short list can't start on the coast at all: Lanterman-Petris-Short conservatorships, qui tam actions under the False Claims Act, CEQA cases, juvenile justice and dependency matters, and cases filed by the Department of Child Support Services.
Traffic and other infractions cited in Fort Bragg, along Highway 1, along Highway 20 west of Willits and along the coastline are assigned to the Ten Mile judge too. Source: Mendocino County Superior Court Local Rules, effective July 1, 2026.
A courthouse that stayed open through a vacancy
When a judge retired on October 31, 2025, people on the coast worried the branch would close. The court's November 13, 2025 press release answered that directly. It said the Fort Bragg clerk's office remains open Monday through Friday to accept filings in all matters, criminal and civil, to offer self-help, to take criminal and traffic fine payments and to help with court record searches.
The release also explained how hearings were being covered. Criminal, domestic violence and unlawful detainer cases have priority and often need in-person appearances, while civil and small claims matters may be handled remotely. At that time, the Ten Mile court's unlimited civil and probate cases and some family law matters had been reassigned to Ukiah. The court's later local rules, effective July 1, 2026, now spell out the address-based assignment described above.
For a hearing-day filing, check the court's announcements first. The court also intends to use remote hearings where it can, so ask whether your hearing will be in person before you plan a drive.
Help for self-represented parties on the coast
The court's Self Help Center offers drop-in assistance from the Ten Mile courthouse by Zoom on Mondays, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. In-person walk-in help is at the Ukiah courthouse, Room 304, Monday through Thursday. The center can explain options and help with forms, but it can't give legal advice or represent anyone.
The Guide & File programs on the court's site walk users through restraining orders, divorce, custody, small claims and other forms, and can e-file the result. Source: Mendocino County Superior Court Self Help Center page, checked October 2026.
Ex parte and paper-only filings
E-filing is the rule for represented parties in Mendocino County. Some documents still can't go through an e-filing provider, and in a Fort Bragg case those often land on the same day as a hearing. The court's list includes ex parte applications, stipulations with proposed orders, orders after hearing, requests for judgment, proposed judgments, and bonds and undertakings.
The Civil Division page adds timing. Reserve an ex parte hearing one to two days ahead of the date you want. All the paperwork, including the declaration about notice, must reach the clerk's office by 10:00 a.m. on the hearing day. Decisions are posted to the case after 1:30 p.m. Tentative rulings on certain civil matters go up on the court's site by 3:00 p.m. the court day before the hearing.
We handle both halves of a Fort Bragg filing: the e-filed pleadings and the paper items at the counter. See Mendocino County court filing or our post on same-day court filing.
Papers to serve in Fort Bragg?
Serving the City of Fort Bragg
A lawsuit or small claims case against the city is a public entity case. CCP § 416.50 delivers the summons to the entity's clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body.
The city's website lists City Hall at 416 North Franklin Street, phone 707-961-2823. It is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and closed to the public on Wednesday, an in-service day. Plan the attempt for a day the doors are open. Claims against a city follow their own claim deadlines, so check those with your attorney before you file. This is general information, not legal advice.
The 95437 ZIP Code area
The Census Bureau's 2020 relationship file puts all of Fort Bragg inside one ZIP Code area, 95437. That area also covers all of Cleone, an unincorporated community, and a small slice of Caspar. Most of Caspar is in its own ZIP Code area, 95420, and another part is in 95460, the Mendocino ZIP Code area.
That has two practical effects:
- A "Fort Bragg" mailing address may be county land. City code enforcement notices, city permits and the city government don't reach Cleone. County offices do.
- The court doesn't change. All three places are in Mendocino County. Rule 1.6 names Fort Bragg and Caspar, and its "other coastal communities" wording reaches places it doesn't list.
When you send a request, include the road name and the nearest cross street, and say whether the property is a house, a unit in a building, or a business. ZIP Code areas are Census approximations of postal ZIP Codes.
Planning a north coast service
Distance shapes a Fort Bragg request more than anything else. The Ten Mile Branch is in town, but the main courthouse in Ukiah is about 37.5 miles inland in a straight line, and Sacramento is farther still. Remote areas are subject to different timelines. For a deadline that is close, phone us before you pick Rush and we'll tell you what is realistic for that address.
What helps a server on the first trip:
- Two locations. A home and a workplace, or a home and a family member's address.
- Working hours. Shift times, days off, or the hours a shop is open.
- A description. A photo, a vehicle, or how to find a unit at the back of a lot.
- Your court date. The hearing date tells us the last day service still works.
Get every update by email. If an attempt shows the person has moved, our skip tracing service can look for a newer address.
Fort Bragg evictions
A residential eviction in Fort Bragg is usually a limited civil case, so a coastal landlord's case is assigned to the Ten Mile judge. After personal service, the tenant has 10 court days to file an Answer, not counting weekends or court holidays, according to the California Courts self-help guide.
Starting January 1, 2027, AB 747 changes how service is documented and what counts as reasonable diligence before substituted service. Our AB 747 guide covers it, and proof of service in California explains the form you get back.
Small claims at the Ten Mile counter
The court's small claims page lists the Ten Mile Branch as a place to file, with the same split hours as the rest of the branch, and gives (707) 463-4660 as the small claims phone number. A case belongs in Mendocino County small claims if at least one of these is true: a defendant lives in the county or a business defendant has its principal place of business there, the injury or property damage happened in the county, or the contract was signed, performed or, for a corporation, breached there.
Copies and certified copies from a small claims file can be requested in person at the clerk's office or in writing by mail, but not over the phone. The plaintiff is responsible for serving the claim with the hearing date on it, and can't hand it over personally. We serve it and return the signed proof of service for you to file.
Serving a Fort Bragg business
For a corporation or LLC, the right person is the agent for service of process listed with the Secretary of State. A local shop's agent may be the owner at a Fort Bragg address, or a registered agent company somewhere else in California. Our page on serving corporations shows how to look it up, and we can serve wherever the agent is.
Nearby on the coast
Straight-line distances from Fort Bragg:
- Caspar, 5.3 miles south
- Mendocino, 8.8 miles south
- Little River, 11.8 miles
- Westport, 13.6 miles north
- Comptche, 16.6 miles inland
For papers headed to the county seat, see our Ukiah page. The full list of communities is on the Mendocino County process server page.
We make no guarantees for service.