Imperial County fills the southeast corner of California. Mexico lies along its southern edge, the Colorado River and Arizona to the east, and the Salton Sea at its northwest corner. The 2020 Census counted 179,702 residents, and most live in the irrigated Imperial Valley between the sea and the border.
Seven cities hold the bulk of that population. El Centro, the county seat, had 44,322 residents in 2020. Calexico had 38,633, Brawley 26,416 and Imperial 20,263. Calipatria, Holtville and Westmorland are smaller. Valpro Attorney Services handles Imperial County process serving and court filing from our Sacramento office, so the documents come to us on a Service Request or by email to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Where Imperial County cases are filed
The court has three locations, and only one of them takes most civil work.
El Centro Courthouse, 939 West Main Street. Local Rule 2.7 divides the county into El Centro (Main), El Centro (Wake) and Winterhaven venues. Every unlimited civil, family law, probate and appeal paper must be filed in the Main clerk's office. Limited civil papers may be filed there too, and all limited civil matters are heard there. The Civil and Probate Division pages both place those offices in this building, and the Access Center for family law help is at the same address. Clerk's offices are open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The court also runs a live chat with clerks during those hours.
El Centro Criminal Courthouse, 650 Wake Avenue. Criminal departments 10 through 13 sit here. It doesn't take civil filings.
Winterhaven Court, 2124 Winterhaven Drive. This is the far-east branch, across the river from Yuma, Arizona. It hears infractions and, at designated times, small claims before a referee. Small claims may be filed here or in El Centro. It's open only Tuesday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and it closes from 11:00 a.m. to noon.
Older directories still show a Brawley courthouse at 220 Main Street and a Valley Plaza infractions court. Neither appears on the court's site or in its local rules. A case from the north end of the valley goes to El Centro.
Filing electronically, and what still goes on paper
Imperial made e-filing mandatory on January 1, 2022. Local Rule 2.18 covers civil unlimited, civil limited, probate, family law, family support, small claims and adoptions, for initial and subsequent filings. Self-represented parties are exempt. Juvenile and criminal papers go through the court's separate eDelivery system, and traffic matters can't be filed online.
The rule also sets the file format. Documents must be PDFs, text-searchable, and bookmarked when they run more than 15 pages or carry multiple exhibits. Rule 2.20 adds that each document goes in as its own file; one PDF that bundles several documents will be rejected.
For papers that are filed at the counter, Rule 2.9 has the court conform two copies at no charge. Include a stamped return envelope or a messenger slip if the copies should come back to you.
Our Imperial County court filing service handles both routes. Send the case number, case type and deadline, and see the Court Filings page for what else to include. General information, not legal advice.
Papers to serve in Imperial County?
From the border to the Salton Sea
El Centro and Imperial sit in the middle of the valley, with Heber just to the south. Calexico is on the international border, and Holtville lies to the east. Brawley, Westmorland and Calipatria are at the north end, closer to the sea.
Past the farmland, addresses spread out fast. Niland, Bombay Beach and Salton City are on opposite shores of the Salton Sea. Ocotillo is in the desert west of the valley near the San Diego County line, and Winterhaven is at the far eastern edge of the county on the Colorado River. Remote areas are subject to different timelines. For a desert or lakeshore address, we confirm timing with you before you pick Rush.
The border itself matters too. A party to an Imperial County case may live in Mexicali, and a person served in Mexico is outside California's personal-service steps. Service there falls under international rules, including the Hague Service Convention, which Mexico has joined. Tell us early if a party may be across the border. General information, not legal advice.
The Sheriff's Civil Division
The Imperial County Sheriff's Office Civil Division serves civil process, enforces writs and handles evictions from 328 Applestill Road in El Centro. Its office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Until its planned online portal opens, requests are taken in person or by mail at P.O. Box 1040, El Centro, CA 92244. It asks for exact change and the original documents plus 2 copies per service.
The Sheriff's page notes that its deputies can't use DMV or criminal databases to find someone for civil service. When an Imperial County address is stale, our skip tracing service looks for a newer one, and our post on how to find a defendant in California explains the usual sources.
Rules that travel with every service
Any adult who is at least 18 and not a party may serve a summons. Our guide on who can serve papers in California covers when a paid server must register, and the proof of service guide explains what gets filed afterward.
From January 1, 2027, AB 747 changes substituted service. Three good-faith attempts at personal delivery on 3 different days at 3 different times show reasonable diligence under CCP § 415.20(b)(2), and county clerks' registers of process servers become public under Bus. & Prof. Code § 22355. The AB 747 guide has the details. General information, not legal advice.
For a business, service usually goes to the agent for service of process listed with the Secretary of State. See serving corporations.
Sending Imperial County work
Start a Service Request, upload up to 5 PDFs, and write a Letter of Instruction with the physical address, a workplace, and gate or ranch-road notes. Get status updates by email. Our phones are answered at 855-582-5776, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Imperial borders only two California counties. See the hubs for San Diego County and Riverside County.