Fremont is the largest city in southern Alameda County, with 230,504 people at the 2020 Census and an estimated 226,442 on July 1, 2025. It sits at the county's southern edge, next to Santa Clara County, so Fremont papers often belong to cases filed in San Jose, Oakland or farther away.
We serve summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document on people and businesses at Fremont homes, offices and workplaces. Our office is in Sacramento, and there is no Valpro Attorney Services office in Fremont. Requests arrive online or at Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
How do I get papers served in Fremont?
Start a Service Request, attach the papers as PDFs (up to 5) and name the person or company to serve. List every Fremont address you have, choose Rush or Standard and add a Letter of Instruction. We assign the request, make the attempts and send you the proof of service when it's done.
Four things make a Fremont request faster to work:
- The district, not just the street. Fremont covers a lot of ground, and a district name helps the server plan the route. Add Niles, Irvington, Centerville, Mission San Jose or Warm Springs if you know it.
- Unit and building details. Newer apartment and townhome communities near the BART stations can have gated garages and numbered buildings.
- Work hours. A long commute toward San Jose or the Peninsula changes when someone is home. Tell us when they leave and return.
- Your hearing date. If a court date is set, put it in the Letter of Instruction so the attempts are planned around it.
Watch every update comes by email. Call 855-582-5776 with questions, weekdays 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Where are Fremont cases filed?
Not in Fremont, for most civil work. The Fremont Hall of Justice at 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway hears criminal and traffic cases only. A civil complaint involving Fremont parties is filed at the Hayward Hall of Justice or the René C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland. Family law, evictions and small claims hearings run in Hayward.
| Case type | Courthouse for a Fremont party | Straight-line distance from central Fremont |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal, traffic | Fremont Hall of Justice, 39439 Paseo Padre Pkwy (Depts. 601–608) | about 4 miles |
| Civil, limited and unlimited | Hayward Hall of Justice, 24405 Amador St, or René C. Davidson Courthouse, 1225 Fallon St, Oakland | about 14 miles to Hayward, 27 to Oakland |
| Unlawful detainer | Assigned to Dept. 511, Hayward Hall of Justice | about 14 miles |
| Small claims | File in Hayward, Oakland or by e-filing; heard in person in Hayward | about 14 miles |
| Family law | Hayward Hall of Justice (DVPA papers may also go to Oakland) | about 14 miles |
| Probate | Berkeley Courthouse, 2120 Martin Luther King Jr. Way | about 32 miles |
Courthouse facts from alameda.courts.ca.gov, checked October 2026. Distances are straight-line from the Census center point of Fremont to each courthouse's map coordinates on the court's site.
The Fremont building is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Its criminal clerk takes in-person filings Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. and Friday until 2:00 p.m. Fremont BART is 0.6 miles away, by the court's own count, and parking is free in the lot next to the building.
Do I need e-filing for a Fremont civil case?
If a lawyer represents you, yes. The court's e-filing FAQ says attorney-represented litigants must e-file in all civil cases as of January 1, 2022 (Local Rule 3.27), and that covers unlawful detainer and small claims. Self-represented parties are encouraged, not required, to e-file, so they can still drive to Hayward or Oakland.
For a Fremont plaintiff without a lawyer, that trip is the main cost of paper filing. We file at either Alameda County civil counter or through eFiling, and the Alameda County court filing page explains how the endorsed copies come back. For other courts, see Court Filings. Our post on same-day court filing covers tight deadlines.
Papers to serve in Fremont?
Serving across the Santa Clara County line
Fremont shares its southern border with Milpitas and San Jose, which sit in Santa Clara County. Service follows the person, not the court: a Fremont resident can be served at home for a case filed in San Jose, and a Milpitas resident can be served for a case filed in Hayward. The case number and court on the papers don't change where we go.
What does change is the filing. A Santa Clara County case files with that county's court in San Jose, not in Alameda County. If you need both steps, filing in one county and service in the other, say so in the Letter of Instruction. See San Jose and Milpitas for the Santa Clara County side.
Which Fremont addresses need extra notes?
Fremont spreads across 5 Census ZIP Code areas, 94536, 94538, 94539, 94555 and 94560. The last also covers Newark, a separate city that Fremont wraps around. Housing runs from older homes in Niles and Irvington to hillside lots below Mission Peak and new multi-building communities near Warm Springs.
- Hillside homes in Mission San Jose. Long private drives and gates are common on the upper streets. A gate code, an intercom name or a description of the house saves a wasted trip.
- Warm Springs and the south end. Industrial and office buildings here may route visitors through a single reception desk or security post. Give the suite, the floor and the name of the person's manager if you have it.
- Ardenwood and the northwest. Business parks and newer subdivisions sit close together off Highway 84. Tell us whether the address is a home or a workplace.
- Newark addresses. If the street address says Newark, it's Newark. We serve it the same way.
ZIP Code areas are Census approximations of postal ZIP Codes, from the 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file.
How do I serve a Fremont company?
Look up the company on bizfile Online and serve its agent for service of process. California corporations and LLCs must name that agent with the Secretary of State (Corporations Code §§ 1502(b) and 17701.13). Send us the agent's name and address, and we serve the agent wherever that office is.
Fremont has many manufacturing and technology employers, and a large one may list a commercial registered agent with an office in another city. For a smaller corporation, CCP § 416.10 also allows service on an officer such as the president or general manager, which can mean the owner at a Fremont storefront. Our guide to serving corporations covers each method.
What does AB 747 change for Fremont service in 2027?
Starting January 1, 2027, reasonable diligence before substituted service is shown by attempting personal delivery on at least 3 occasions, on 3 different days at 3 different times (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). Each proof will also need a photo of every attempt, stamped automatically with the date, time and GPS location (CCP § 417.10(a)(1)).
For a Fremont resident with a long commute, a weekday morning, a weekday evening and a weekend try may be the realistic mix. More detail is in our AB 747 guide. This is general information, not legal advice. We make no guarantees for service.
When the Fremont address is out of date
Ask about skip tracing if the person has moved. Give us the last address, a workplace, a phone number or a relative. We research a current address, send it to you, and with your go-ahead the papers go back out. For records from an Alameda County case file, use document retrieval.
Cities close to Fremont
- Newark (5 miles) and Union City (8.6), both in Alameda County
- Milpitas (5.1) and Alviso (5.1) in Santa Clara County
- Hayward, where most Fremont civil and family cases are filed and heard
All Alameda County cities are listed on our Alameda County page.