Gardena sits between two court districts. Its family cases go west to Torrance, its evictions and small claims go east to Compton or north to Inglewood depending on the ZIP Code, and its larger lawsuits can be filed in either of two South Bay buildings. Mailing addresses complicate it further, because "Gardena" ZIP Codes also cover parts of Los Angeles, Carson and unincorporated county land.
We serve summonses, eviction papers, family law petitions, restraining orders, small claims and subpoenas at Gardena homes, apartments and businesses. We also file with the court. Send the PDFs with a Service Request or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Gardena's courthouses, case by case
We ran the Los Angeles Superior Court's filing court locator for 90247, 90248 and 90249 on October 29, 2026, using the community name Gardena. Here's what came back:
| Gardena case type | 90247 and 90248 | 90249 |
|---|---|---|
| Family law | Torrance | Torrance |
| Restraining orders | Torrance | Torrance |
| Unlimited civil | Inglewood or Torrance | Inglewood or Torrance |
| Limited unlawful detainer | Compton | Inglewood |
| Small claims | Compton | Inglewood |
| Limited civil collection | Norwalk | Norwalk |
| Probate, other limited civil | Stanley Mosk | Stanley Mosk |
From Gardena's Census center point, the Torrance Courthouse at 825 Maple Ave. is 4.3 miles away, the Compton Courthouse at 200 West Compton Blvd. is 4.7 miles, the Inglewood Courthouse at 1 Regent Street is 5.6 miles, Stanley Mosk at 111 North Hill Street is 11.6 miles, and Norwalk at 12720 Norwalk Blvd. is 13.6 miles.
The 90247 locator results also include a community called Moneta, which matched the Gardena row on every case type.
Why the north and south of Gardena split
The Census Bureau's relationship file shows how much of each ZIP Code is actually Gardena:
- 90249: about 88% Gardena and 11% Alondra Park, with a sliver of West Athens
- 90247: about 73% Gardena and 26% City of Los Angeles
- 90248: only about 9% Gardena; the rest is mostly City of Los Angeles (33%), Carson (29%) and West Rancho Dominguez (24%)
The locator returns separate rows for several of those places, including Los Angeles, Rosewood, Carson and Alondra Park, and the rows disagree. The City of Los Angeles row for 90247 sends family law, restraining orders and unlimited civil to Compton, but evictions and small claims to Inglewood, almost the mirror image of the Gardena row. In 90248, the Los Angeles and Rosewood rows put evictions in Compton and small claims in Inglewood. The Carson row sends small claims all the way to the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach.
Local Rule 2.3 explains why. For small claims, limited collection and limited eviction cases, the filer finds the city or community that sets venue, then the ZIP Code the Postal Service assigns to that location, then the courthouse in the rule's tables for that pair. A ZIP Code alone doesn't settle it. When a Gardena address is near the city's edge, confirm the city from the parcel record before the complaint is filed, so the summons names the right building.
Family cases in Torrance
All Gardena family law, from a divorce petition to a custody request, is filed at the Torrance Courthouse, and so are restraining orders. The court's directory lists four divisions there: civil, criminal, family law and traffic. Its civil clerk answers at (310) 787-3693.
Inside the building:
- Family Law Clerk's Office: phone (213) 633-6363, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Family Law Facilitator: 3rd floor, Room 310
- Family Court Services mediation: 3rd floor, Room 330
- Law Library: 1st floor, Room 110
Public parking is in the lot on Maple Avenue, north of the courthouse. Traffic matters are handled in a trailer two buildings west, which is worth knowing if a notice lists a traffic room.
Where a family case is filed doesn't limit where the other party is served. A Gardena respondent can be served at work in El Segundo or at a relative's home in Hawthorne. Restraining order papers have to be handed to the restrained person, so give us a photo, the hearing date and every place the person is likely to be.
When the parcel is in Los Angeles, not Gardena
About a quarter of 90247, and a third of 90248, is inside the City of Los Angeles. For those parcels, the locator's Los Angeles rows move family law and restraining orders from Torrance to Compton. That changes the counter as well as the city.
Compton's directory places the Family Law Clerk's Office on the 9th floor, open from 8:00 a.m., and the Family Law Facilitator's Office on the 2nd floor in Room 200-F, entered through the cafeteria. Family Court Services mediation and evaluation share Room 1003. A Children's Waiting Room is on the 11th floor, Room 1103, for children from 2½ to 13.
If a client gives you a "Gardena" address and the divorce papers name Compton, the parcel may simply be on the Los Angeles side of the line. Check before assuming the papers are wrong.
Alondra Park and El Camino Village under 90249
The 90249 locator results include two more community names besides Gardena: Alondra Park and El Camino Village. Both matched the Gardena 90249 row exactly. Family law and restraining orders go to Torrance, evictions and small claims to Inglewood, and unlimited civil to Inglewood or Torrance.
Alondra Park is a Census-designated place, which means unincorporated county territory with its own Census name, not part of any city. A landlord there deals with county rules and county services, and a claim against a local public body runs to the county, not to the City of Gardena. For the server, the difference is only the city name on the proof: we write the place where the address actually is.
Papers to serve in Gardena?
Evictions and small claims in Compton
For Gardena rentals in 90247 and 90248, evictions are filed at the Compton Courthouse. Compton's directory lists civil, family law, small claims, unlawful detainer and other divisions under one roof. The Civil Clerk's Office is on the 9th floor, the small claims counter is in Room 902 on the same floor, and the directory gives a fax filing number, (562) 753-0958. Pay parking is in the structure at 400 South Acacia Avenue, at Myrrh Street, south of the courthouse.
Once a Gardena tenant is served, the response clock runs. The California Courts self-help page gives 10 court days after personal service, not counting weekends or court holidays. After substituted service or posting and mailing, the tenant has 10 calendar days plus 10 court days, counted from the mailing. A tenant served through Safe at Home gets 15 court days.
Evictions and small claims in Inglewood
From 90249, the locator sends both case types to the Inglewood Courthouse. The directory puts its Civil Clerk's Office on the 2nd floor, Room 202, with phones at (310) 419-1396 and (310) 419-1397, and lists the restraining order counter in the same room. It also gives the county's Small Claims Advisor line, (213) 974-9759, which Gardena plaintiffs can call for free help with forms and service questions. Public parking is for a fee in the east garage.
Small claims timing for Gardena defendants
Small claims deadlines count backward from the trial date. Form SC-104B requires personal service at least 15 days before trial, or 20 days if the defendant is located outside Los Angeles County. For substituted service, the cutoff is 25 days before trial, or 30 outside the county, counted from the date the papers were mailed. The plaintiff can't serve the claim personally, and the original proof of service has to be filed at least 5 days before trial.
If a Gardena defendant is served but a second defendant can't be found, SC-104B points the plaintiff to form SC-150, Request to Postpone Trial, filed at least 10 days before the trial date. Send every defendant on one request so we can work the addresses together.
Larger lawsuits: Inglewood or Torrance
The locator lists two courthouses for Gardena unlimited civil cases, Inglewood and Torrance, without picking one. Local Rule 2.2 puts both in the Southwest District, along with the Torrance Annex at 3221 Torrance Boulevard. Ask the clerk which building fits your case before filing.
Personal injury suits have less room. Local Rule 2.3 requires an unlimited personal injury action to be filed in the district where the incident arose. A crash on a Gardena street in the city's Southwest District territory belongs there, while a crash a few blocks into the City of Los Angeles strip, where the locator lists Compton for unlimited civil, may belong in the South Central District. Run the locator for the crash location, not the parties' homes.
Every new civil filing also needs form LACIV 109, the Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location. Local Rule 2.3 requires a copy to be served with the summons and complaint, so include it in the PDF set.
Collections and probate outside the South Bay
Limited civil collection cases from every Gardena ZIP Code are filed in Norwalk. The directory puts the Civil Clerk's Office there on the 1st floor, Room 101, and gives collections their own number, (562) 345-0898. Paid parking is in the City of Norwalk structure off Civic Center Drive.
Probate for a Gardena estate, and limited civil cases that aren't collections, go to Stanley Mosk downtown. Local Rule 2.3 keeps probate in the Central District for anyone outside the North District. When you need a filed copy from either building, document retrieval can send someone to the counter.
Serving the City of Gardena
A lawsuit against the city starts with a claim. Form SC-104C tells small claims plaintiffs to file a claim with the public entity first and ask for its claim procedure. If the claim is denied, the summons goes to the city clerk, a chief officer or an agent authorized to accept service.
The city's website lists City Hall at 1700 West 162nd Street, Gardena 90247, open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Plan the delivery inside those hours.
Businesses and hard-to-find people
A Gardena business is normally served through its agent for service of process. Look up the exact entity name and agent on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online. Many agents are professional registered agent companies, whose offices may be elsewhere in the state. See our guides to CSC Lawyers Incorporating Service and CT Corporation, and the main serving corporations page.
For a person, send the unit number, gate or call box details, work hours and a photo with the request. If an attempt shows the person moved, skip tracing looks for a new address before the next try. Our post on skip tracing for legal cases covers what that involves.
Filing and service on one request
We can file in Torrance, Compton, Inglewood, Norwalk or downtown, or e-file, and then serve once the summons issues. Our Los Angeles County court filing page lists what to send, and each update comes to you by email. We make no guarantees for service.
Nearby cities route differently, so check each one: Torrance, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Compton, Carson and Inglewood. For the rest of the county, see our Los Angeles County page.