Highland is an incorporated city in the San Bernardino Valley, with 56,999 residents at the 2020 Census. Its ZIP Code areas also take in parts of the City of San Bernardino, Redlands and unincorporated Mentone. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey counts 16,265 occupied homes in Highland, 5,845 of them rented.
Valpro Attorney Services serves summonses, eviction papers, small claims, subpoenas and family law documents at Highland homes, apartments and businesses. Highland requests are handled from our Sacramento office, about 393 miles north in a straight line.
Three courthouses for Highland cases
The San Bernardino Superior Court publishes a Where Can I File page that lists each courthouse, the filings it accepts and the communities it serves. Highland appears under several entries at three addresses:
| Highland filing | Courthouse | Straight-line distance |
|---|---|---|
| Civil, limited and unlimited; unlimited landlord-tenant; name changes | Civil Division, San Bernardino Justice Center, 247 West 3rd Street | 7.0 mi |
| Limited landlord-tenant (most evictions); small claims | Fontana District, 17780 Arrow Boulevard, Fontana | 14.4 mi |
| Probate, guardianship, conservatorship; elder abuse restraining orders | Fontana District | 14.4 mi |
| Family law, domestic violence orders, adoptions, emancipations | Family Law Division, Historic Courthouse, 351 North Arrowhead Avenue | 7.1 mi |
| Child support | Child Support Division, Historic Courthouse | 7.1 mi |
| Criminal | Criminal Division, San Bernardino Justice Center | 7.0 mi |
Each entry lists clerk's office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except court holidays. Distances run from Highland's Census center point to each building's geocoded address.
One overlap is worth knowing. Civil harassment, workplace violence, gun violence restraining orders and postsecondary school protective orders appear under both the San Bernardino Civil Division and the Fontana District for Highland. Confirm with the clerk which building will take a Highland petition before filing, so the hearing location on the papers we serve is right.
Evictions split by amount
Highland unlawful detainers split by amount. A limited case, $35,000 or less, goes to Fontana. An unlimited one goes to the Civil Division downtown. Check the amount demanded on the complaint before choosing the building.
The court's landlord-tenant page adds a few points that shape service:
- Resource center. The Fontana Courthouse has one on the second floor, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Friday. The page says to arrive early.
- Appointments. The page links appointment booking for limited landlord-tenant filings at Fontana, and separately for unlimited landlord-tenant filings.
- Writs. After a judgment for the landlord, the sheriff posts a Notice to Vacate, giving the occupants five days to move out before a lockout.
- E-filing. Voluntary since October 2, 2023, with no mandatory date set. Writs of execution and possession can be e-filed.
For a Highland eviction, send the filed summons and complaint, the notice that started the case, every adult occupant's name, and the unit, gate and parking details. The tenant's time to answer depends on how they were served. The state court self-help page gives 10 court days after personal delivery, and 10 calendar days plus 10 court days from the mailing after substituted service or posting. Posting needs a court order under CCP § 415.45.
Eviction trials sometimes need witnesses. The landlord-tenant page says a witness subpoena has to be served in person, with enough notice, and the proof of service brought to court. If a Highland trial date is set, send the subpoena as soon as it's issued, with the witness's home and work addresses.
Other filings at the San Bernardino Civil Division
Beyond lawsuits and unlimited evictions, the Where Can I File page lists several Highland filings that go to the Civil Division at the Justice Center, 247 West 3rd Street. Each one has someone to serve:
- Name change petitions. When a parent petitions to change a child's name, the other parent usually has to get notice of the hearing.
- Petitions for return of firearms and gun violence restraining orders, where the person affected receives the papers.
- Labor board appeals, where an employer or worker challenges a Labor Commissioner decision and the other side is served.
- Writs of mandate, which are served on the public agency and any real party in interest.
Upload the filed petition and the notice of hearing, and tell us the hearing date. A server who knows the date can space the attempts so the proof reaches the court in time.
Highland's ZIP Code areas reach into three cities
The Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file shows how loosely Highland's ZIP Code areas follow the city line:
- 92346 holds about 75% of Highland's land. Only about 51% of the 92346 area is inside Highland; about 17% is in San Bernardino, 11% in Redlands, and 21% outside any city.
- 92359 holds about 14% of Highland's land. The Mentone Census-designated place takes up about 24% of 92359, Highland about 14%, Redlands about 10%, and about half lies outside any city or CDP.
- 92410 holds about 6% of Highland's land, but about 80% of 92410 is in San Bernardino city.
- Small pieces of Highland are in 92404, another San Bernardino ZIP Code.
The court lists Highland, Mentone, Redlands and San Bernardino under the same San Bernardino-area entries, so most filings land in the same buildings either way. The difference is the local government. Mentone and the unincorporated land are governed by the County of San Bernardino, so a code enforcement dispute or a claim against the local government there names the county, not the city.
For service, the street address controls. When an address could be on either side of a line, add the cross street or parcel number, and we serve it as written. Census ZIP Code areas approximate postal ZIP Codes.
Papers to serve in Highland?
Small claims for Highland disputes
Highland small claims cases are filed at the Fontana District. The court's small claims page sets the limits: an individual can claim up to $12,500, a business or other entity up to $6,250, and no one can file more than two claims for over $2,500 in a calendar year. Sole proprietors are treated as individuals.
The page also points filers to question 5 on the Plaintiff's Claim, form SC-100, to pick the courthouse. The most common grounds are where the defendant lives or does business, where an accident happened, and where a contract was made or broken. A Highland plaintiff suing a business that operates only in Barstow, for example, may belong in the Barstow District rather than Fontana, which hears small claims for Highland, San Bernardino, Ontario and the other valley communities on the court's list.
The same page covers service. The defendant can only be served inside California, with two exceptions for out-of-state drivers and property owners. The plaintiff can't serve the claim. A defendant who lives in San Bernardino County must be served at least 15 days before the trial, or 20 days if they live outside the county, and the court's page says all proofs of service should be filed 5 days before the hearing. The clerk can also mail the claim by certified mail for $15 per defendant, but service works only if the defendant signs and returns the green card. For a defendant who may not cooperate, personal service is the safer route. Send us the filed claim and the trial date, and the server completes Proof of Service form SC-104.
Family law at the Historic Courthouse
Divorce, custody, support, domestic violence restraining orders, adoptions, emancipations and freedom from custody petitions from Highland go to the Family Law Division at the Historic Courthouse, 351 North Arrowhead Avenue, which also holds the Child Support Division. Once the petition or request is filed, send it with the hearing date and any temporary orders, along with a photo and the respondent's work schedule if you have them. A domestic violence order has to be handed to the restrained person, and the server signs a proof of personal service.
Probate and elder abuse in Fontana
Highland probate, guardianship and conservatorship matters are filed and heard at the Fontana District, which also takes elder or dependent adult abuse restraining orders for Highland and CARE Act proceedings from every part of the county. When a petition needs notice to relatives, list every heir or interested person and their address; some may be in Mentone or Redlands even when the estate is in Highland.
Serving the City of Highland or a business
When the city is the party, CCP § 416.50 lets the summons be delivered to the clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body. The city's website lists City Hall at 27215 Base Line. A money claim against a public entity generally needs a written government claim first, under Government Code § 945.4.
For a Highland shop or office owned by a corporation or LLC, find the agent for service of process on bizfile Online and send us the agent's name and address. A small business may name its owner as agent; a chain may name a commercial agent such as CSC or CT Corporation. Our serving corporations page covers the rules, and skip tracing can find a defendant who has moved.
Attempts under the 2027 rule
From January 1, 2027, under AB 747, good-faith attempts at personal delivery on three different days at three different times show reasonable diligence before substituted service, where papers are left with another adult at the home or the person in charge at work and then mailed (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). Tell us when the person usually leaves and returns, and whether they work in Highland or commute out. Our AB 747 guide explains the change, and our proof of service guide shows what the server signs. We make no guarantees for service.
What a Highland Service Request needs
- Open a Service Request and attach up to 5 PDFs.
- Name each person or entity exactly as the papers do.
- Give every address with unit, gate and cross-street details.
- Choose Rush or Standard, and add a San Bernardino County court filing for San Bernardino or Fontana if you need one.
Get the updates by email, call 855-582-5776, or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Near Highland
Redlands is 4.2 miles away and Loma Linda 6.7. San Bernardino, home of the Justice Center and the Historic Courthouse, is 7.6 miles, Yucaipa 8.9 and Colton 10. Every city we serve in the county is on our San Bernardino County page.