Kings County is one of the smaller San Joaquin Valley counties by population: the 2020 Census counted 152,486 residents. Four cities hold most of them. Hanford, the county seat, has 57,990, Lemoore 27,038, Corcoran 22,339 and Avenal 13,696. The rest live in unincorporated communities such as Armona, Home Garden, Hardwick, Stratford and Kettleman City, and on farms in between.
We handle process serving, court filings and document retrieval across Kings County from our Sacramento office. Send the documents on a Service Request or email them to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
A single courthouse on Kings County Drive
The Kings County Superior Court lists one courthouse: 1640 Kings County Drive in Hanford, with Departments 1 through 10. Civil (limited and unlimited), unlawful detainer, small claims, family law, child support, probate, mental health, juvenile, criminal, traffic and appeals all come through that building. An eviction in Avenal and a probate petition from Lemoore end up in the same place.
The lobby is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. Parking is on the north and west sides of the building, reached from Kings County Drive or 12th Avenue, and the public enters through the south and west doors.
Because there's no second courthouse, the county's distance problem is a service problem, not a filing problem. Papers get filed in Hanford; Avenal, for example, is about 33 miles straight-line from Hanford.
Electronic filing since 2021
Since July 1, 2021, e-filing has been mandatory in every civil case type: unlimited, limited, small claims, probate and guardianship, family law, family support, adoption and mental health. Self-represented parties are exempt under California Rules of Court, rule 2.253(b)(2), and the court encourages them to e-file anyway.
There are carve-outs. In family law, the court doesn't take defaults, judgments, notices of judgment, surrogacy actions or termination of parental rights by e-filing. In probate, wills, codicils and bonds go in on paper. The court's approved provider list is on its online case filing page.
Our Court Filings service e-files for represented parties and delivers the paper-only documents to the Hanford counter. Include the case number and deadline with the PDFs. The Court Filings page has the full checklist. This is general information, not legal advice.
Lemoore, Corcoran and the west side
Kings County's four cities sit far apart on flat farmland, and each brings its own service realities.
Hanford and Armona. The county seat and its western neighbor. Residential streets, apartment complexes and newer subdivisions, mostly routine for a server.
Lemoore. About 8 miles west of Hanford. Naval Air Station Lemoore is west of the city, and an address on a military installation means controlled access. Tell us if the person lives or works on base, and pass along any access arrangements you know of.
Corcoran. Southeast of Hanford, near the old Tulare Lake bed. State prison facilities are located here, and serving a person in state custody follows the institution's own procedures. Call us before you send a request for someone who is incarcerated.
Avenal and Kettleman City. The southwest corner of the county, past I-5 near the Kettleman Hills. Avenal also has a state prison. These towns are the farthest from Hanford and from our office, and remote areas are subject to different timelines.
Making the first attempt count
Outside the four cities, many Kings County addresses are rural parcels on county roads. The more the server knows, the fewer trips it takes:
- the physical address and the closest cross road
- a description of the house, outbuildings or vehicles
- the employer and shift, especially for farm, dairy or processing work
- whether the person may be on base, in custody or working out of the county
- any second address, including one in Fresno or Tulare County
If the address on your paperwork is old, skip tracing can search for a newer one first. Our post on how to find a defendant in California covers the basics.
Servers, proofs and the 2027 rules
Any adult who is at least 18 and not a party to the case can serve a summons. Our guide on who can serve papers in California covers that rule and the registration requirement for paid servers. The proof of service guide explains what you file after service is done.
California's service rules change on January 1, 2027 under AB 747, including how attempts are documented. The AB 747 guide explains what changes. This is general information, not legal advice.
To serve a company with operations in Kings County, start with its agent for service of process. Our serving corporations page shows where to look it up.
How to send a Kings County request
Start a Service Request, attach up to 5 PDFs, add a Letter of Instruction for each address and choose Rush or Standard. Get every update by email. We pick up 855-582-5776 on weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Next door, see our hubs for Fresno County, Tulare County, Kern County and Monterey County.