Guadalupe is a small city in the northwest corner of Santa Barbara County, west of Santa Maria and close to the San Luis Obispo County line. We serve summonses, complaints, eviction papers, small claims, family law papers and subpoenas at Guadalupe homes, businesses and rural properties, and we file Guadalupe cases with the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
There's no courthouse in Guadalupe. The court divides the county into two regions, and which region a case belongs to decides where it's filed, so that's the place to start.
Guadalupe is North County
Santa Barbara's Local Rule 201 draws a line across the county. South County runs south and east of a line that starts at Gaviota Creek on the coast, follows U.S. Highway 101 to the Santa Ynez River, and continues east to the Ventura County line. Everything else is North County, and Guadalupe falls well inside it.
Local Rule 203 then says that when North County is a proper venue, the filing goes to the appropriate North County clerk's office, which means Santa Maria or Lompoc. Two parts of that rule catch people:
- Real property cases. A case about title to, use of, or regulation of a specific parcel, or a CEQA or Williamson Act claim, is filed first in the region where the property is. A dispute over a Guadalupe lot belongs in North County even if both owners live in Santa Barbara.
- Electronic filings. An e-filer must name the right division, and the division's name is part of the court title on the first page.
The Santa Maria court complex on Cook Street
Most Guadalupe cases end up at the Cook Division, 312 East Cook Street, Building E, Santa Maria. It's about 8 miles east of central Guadalupe in a straight line. The court's location page lists these case types: appeals, civil, domestic violence, family law, mental health, probate, restraining orders, small claims and unlawful detainer.
Practical details from that page:
- Hours. The building is open 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Phones are answered from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at (805) 614-6414.
- Mail. Use 312-C East Cook Street, Santa Maria, CA 93454.
- Parking. There's a lot at the complex, street parking in the surrounding neighborhood, and a parking structure at the shopping mall on Cook Street.
- Security. Visitors may be searched, and prohibited items that are taken aren't returned.
Criminal and traffic cases go to the Miller Division on the same campus, at 312-M East Cook Street. Juvenile petitions are filed at the Santa Maria Juvenile Court, 4285 California Boulevard, about 9 miles from Guadalupe.
Lompoc as a second option for some cases
The Lompoc Division at 115 Civic Center Plaza is the other North County courthouse. Its page lists criminal and criminal appeals, limited civil, unlawful detainer, traffic infractions, restraining orders and a limited family law calendar. Its civil and family phone is (805) 737-5452.
Lompoc is about 23 miles from Guadalupe, so for most Guadalupe matters Santa Maria is the closer door. Lompoc doesn't take small claims at all: the court moved North County small claims filing to the Cook Division in 2013.
Filing in the wrong division
Mistakes happen, and Local Rule 204 softens them for paper filers. The filing location ordinarily, but not always, decides where the case is heard. For a document that doesn't have to be e-filed, the clerk won't refuse it just because it was delivered to the wrong division, as long as it's otherwise acceptable. Rule 203 also lets the court transfer a case filed in the wrong division, on a party's motion or its own.
Small claims for a Guadalupe dispute
The court's small claims page lists Guadalupe by name in the Cook Division's venue, along with Santa Maria, Orcutt, Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley. An individual can claim up to $12,500, and no more than two claims over $2,500 in a calendar year. Fees on that page:
| Claim amount | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| $1,500 or less | $30 |
| $1,500.01 to $5,000 | $50 |
| $5,000.01 to $12,500 (individuals only) | $75 |
| Filer with more than 12 California claims in 12 months | $100 |
After filing, the claim has to be served by someone who isn't the plaintiff and is at least 18. The court's page says the proof of service must reach the court at least 5 days before trial. Other points on that page:
- Postponement. Either side can make one written request to reschedule, at least two weeks before the court date, for a $10 fee.
- Interpreters. The court doesn't provide spoken-language interpreters for small claims litigants, only sign-language interpreters for people with hearing impairments, requested in advance. Bring your own if you need one.
- Mediation. Free mediation from trained volunteers is available at the courthouse at the time of the hearing. The Conflict Solutions Center's Santa Maria number is (805) 349-8943.
If the defendant doesn't pay a judgment, the next step is often a Judgment Debtor Hearing. The notice for it has to be personally served, which is a job we handle.
Papers to serve in Guadalupe?
Guadalupe evictions
A Guadalupe unlawful detainer can be filed at the Cook Division or in Lompoc. Under the state court self-help page, a tenant who is handed the summons has 10 court days to file an answer, not counting weekends or court holidays. When the papers are left with another adult or posted and then mailed, the deadline is 10 calendar days plus 10 court days after the mailing. The court's own eviction page still describes a shorter period, so rely on the self-help page.
Several costs and rules from the eviction page are useful to both sides:
- Answer fees. The page lists $225 when the demand is under $10,000, $370 from $10,000 to $25,000, and $435 above $25,000, with fee waivers available.
- Jury trial. A party wanting a jury files a Memorandum to Set for Trial at least 5 days before the trial date and pays the initial $150 in jury fees.
- Continuance. A motion to continue costs $60, or the parties can stipulate.
- Interpreters. Unlike small claims, the court does provide spoken-language interpreters in eviction cases.
- Records. The court file isn't open to the public for the first 60 days, except to the parties and their attorneys.
For a Guadalupe eviction request, send the summons, complaint and notice, the names of all adult occupants, and the exact unit or rear-house description. Our proof of service guide shows what the server's declaration says.
Probate notes for a North County estate
Guadalupe probate matters are filed at the Cook Division. The court's probate examiners review petitions before the hearing and post probate notes for each reviewed matter on the tentative rulings page, about one week before the hearing date. Checking those notes is the filer's job.
If the notes flag a problem, the page says supplements or amendments filed after 5:00 p.m. three court days before the hearing may not be considered, and a continuance has to be arranged under Local Rule 1722. Note one more detail: the Probate Examiner's email address doesn't take questions about North County cases.
Probate hearings usually require notice to heirs and other interested people. When one of them lives in Guadalupe, we can serve the notice there.
E-filing, fax filing and ex parte timing
Represented parties in Santa Barbara must e-file civil, family law, probate and small claims documents under Local Rule 1012, and self-represented parties may file on paper. For documents outside the e-filing mandate, Local Rule 1008 allows direct fax filing, paid by credit card; the Santa Maria civil fax is (805) 614-6616, and Lompoc's is (805) 737-5440.
Local Rule 1009 adds a timing rule for emergencies: papers supporting an ex parte application should be filed and served by 10:00 a.m. on the court day before the hearing, where practicable. Late papers may not reach the judge in time and can push the hearing back. If you need a North County filing made in person or electronically, our Santa Barbara County court filing service handles it.
One ZIP Code area, mostly open land
Guadalupe uses a single ZIP Code area, 93434, but the city covers only a small part of it. The Census Bureau's 2020 relationship file shows the city on about 6% of the ZIP Code area's land. The other 94% lies outside any city or Census-designated place.
So a "Guadalupe, CA 93434" address may be a home in town or a rural property miles out on a county road. The court is the same either way. For an address outside town, include a map pin, cross streets, gate instructions and the person's work hours, because rural addresses can take more trips. Census ZIP Code areas are approximations of postal ZIP Codes.
Across the San Luis Obispo County line
Guadalupe sits close to the county line. Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach, each about 11 miles away, and Pismo Beach, about 14 miles, are all in San Luis Obispo County. A case that belongs there is filed with the San Luis Obispo Superior Court, not Santa Barbara.
For service, the line doesn't matter. A Santa Barbara summons can be served in Arroyo Grande, and a San Luis Obispo summons can be served in Guadalupe. If someone lives on one side and works on the other, list both places on one Service Request.
Serving the City of Guadalupe
The City of Guadalupe is served as a public entity under CCP § 416.50, through its clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body. The city's website gives 918 Obispo Street, Guadalupe, CA 93434, for in-person visits and P.O. Box 908 for mail. Give us the exact name of the entity in the caption and who should receive it. Guadalupe businesses are served through their agent for service of process; see serving corporations for how to find one.
The sheriff's North County civil office
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Santa Maria Civil Office lists Guadalupe among the North County areas it serves. It's at 312-O East Cook Street, Santa Maria, entered through the screening station off Miller Street and up to the second floor of Building D. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the phone is (805) 346-7430. The sheriff is one option for service; an adult who isn't a party, including a process server, is another. Our guide on who can serve papers in California explains the choices.
Sending Guadalupe papers
Open a Service Request, attach up to 5 PDFs, name each person or business exactly as the papers do, and give every address with unit numbers and the hours they're usually there. If the person has left the area, skip tracing can look for a new address. For copies from an existing case file, use our document retrieval service. Get every update by email. We make no guarantees for service. Call 855-582-5776 or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Near Guadalupe
Santa Maria, home of the North County courthouses, is about 8 miles east. Lompoc is about 22 miles south. Every place we serve in the county is on our Santa Barbara County page.