La Mirada is a Los Angeles County city that shares a long edge with Orange County. Buena Park, La Habra and La Palma, three of its six closest neighbors, are across that line. For a process server, the edge matters less than you might think, because the city itself is entirely on the Los Angeles side. For the person filing the case, it matters a lot, because a handful of 90638 addresses are not.
This page covers both halves. First, which Los Angeles courthouse takes each kind of La Mirada case. Second, how to tell when an address that looks like La Mirada belongs to the Orange County court instead. After that come the practical notes: rentals, small claims, family cases, the Biola campus and serving the city government. La Mirada requests are handled from our Sacramento office, about 379 miles north.
La Mirada cases by courthouse
We ran both La Mirada ZIP Code areas through the court's filing court locator in October 2026. The locator lists one community, La Mirada, under 90638, and two under 90639: La Mirada and Biola University. All three rows return the same courthouses.
| La Mirada case | Filing courthouse | Straight line from central La Mirada |
|---|---|---|
| Limited unlawful detainer (eviction) | Norwalk Courthouse, 12720 Norwalk Boulevard | 3.8 mi |
| Unlimited civil (over $35,000) | Norwalk Courthouse | 3.8 mi |
| Limited civil collection | Norwalk Courthouse | 3.8 mi |
| Small claims | Bellflower Courthouse, 10025 East Flower Street | 6.5 mi |
| Family law and restraining orders | Whittier Courthouse, 7339 South Painter Avenue | 5.2 mi |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles | 17.2 mi |
| Limited civil that isn't a collection | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | 17.2 mi |
Norwalk, Bellflower and Whittier are all Southeast District courthouses under Local Rule 2.2, so most La Mirada cases stay within a few miles of the city. Only probate and the smaller non-collection civil cases go downtown.
The Census Bureau also places a sliver of La Mirada in 90604, a ZIP Code area that's mostly South Whittier and East Whittier. The locator's 90604 rows, including one it calls East La Mirada, return the same four buildings.
Los Angeles County or Orange County?
The Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP Code to county file gives a precise answer for La Mirada's two ZIP Code areas:
- 90639 is entirely in Los Angeles County, and entirely inside the city. It's the smaller of the two, about 0.36 square kilometers of land.
- 90638 is about 99.1% Los Angeles County by land area. The other 0.9%, roughly 185,000 square meters, is in Orange County.
The place file shows what that 0.9% touches. Inside 90638 it lists small pieces of Buena Park and Fullerton, plus land that isn't in any city. La Mirada itself covers nearly 99% of 90638's land.
So a 90638 address on a La Mirada street is a Los Angeles County address. A 90638 address with Buena Park or Fullerton on the deed, the tax bill or the lease may not be. The mailing city on an envelope doesn't settle it, because the Postal Service doesn't draw its ZIP Codes along county lines.
Before you file, check the parcel's county on the assessor's records for that county. If the result is Orange County, the Los Angeles locator is the wrong tool and the case belongs to the Orange County Superior Court.
When the case belongs in Orange County
The Orange County court assigns its cases by a Court Designation List, effective June 30, 2025. For Buena Park and Fullerton, the list sends:
- Limited civil, unlimited civil, small claims and unlawful detainer to the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive, Santa Ana, about 13.2 miles from central La Mirada.
- Family law to the Lamoreaux Justice Center, 341 The City Drive, Orange.
- Probate to the Costa Mesa Justice Complex, 3390 Harbor Boulevard, Costa Mesa.
The same list says civil and probate actions must be e-filed, and it sends domestic violence cases to Lamoreaux along with family law. Our La Habra page covers the Orange County side of this border in more detail, and the Orange County court filing page explains how we handle filings there.
The serving side doesn't change. Whether a defendant lives on a La Mirada cul-de-sac or a Buena Park street a block away, the papers are handed over the same way. What changes is the courthouse printed on the summons, so check that it matches the county before the server goes out.
La Mirada evictions at Norwalk
La Mirada landlord cases are filed at Norwalk, the closest of the four buildings. The court's directory puts the Civil Clerk's Office in Room 101 on the first floor, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on court days. It lists three numbers there: general civil at (562) 345-0899, limited collections at (562) 345-0898 and limited unlawful detainer at (562) 345-0897. Paid parking is in the City of Norwalk structure east of the courthouse, entered from Avenida Manuel Salinas.
After filing, the summons and complaint are served at the La Mirada unit. A tenant who is handed the papers has 10 court days to file an answer, according to the Judicial Council's self-help site. If the papers are left with another adult or posted, the clock is longer.
From January 1, 2027, AB 747 changes how diligence is shown before substituted service. Under the new CCP § 415.20(b)(2), good-faith personal delivery attempts on at least three occasions, on three different days and at three different times, show reasonable diligence. Posting an eviction summons under a court order is governed by CCP § 415.45. The AB 747 guide explains both.
For a La Mirada rental, send us:
- Each tenant's full name as it appears on the summons.
- The unit letter or number, including any rear unit or converted garage.
- Gate codes or a note about a locked side yard, if the tenant only uses a side entrance.
- The Norwalk case number once it's assigned.
Papers to serve in La Mirada?
Small claims in Bellflower
A La Mirada small claims case is filed at Bellflower, about 6.5 miles southwest. The court's directory lists the small claims clerk on the second floor at (562) 345-3396, with parking in the structure behind the library off Civic Center Drive.
An individual can claim up to $12,500 in small claims. The person suing can't serve the claim themselves. CCP § 116.340 sets the deadline: at least 15 days before the hearing when the defendant lives in Los Angeles County, and at least 20 days when the defendant lives outside it. For an Orange County defendant sued in Bellflower, use the 20-day count. When we serve a small claims case, the server signs form SC-104, the proof of service, and you file it with the court.
Family law and restraining orders in Whittier
La Mirada divorces, custody cases and restraining orders go to Whittier, about 5.2 miles north. The family law clerk is in Room 100 on the first floor and opens at 8:00 a.m. The Family Law Facilitator and the Self-Help Resource Center share Room 300 on the third floor, (562) 968-2753. A paid parking structure is across the street.
Restraining order papers are normally handed to the restrained person directly. The proof is form DV-200 for domestic violence and CH-200 for civil harassment. A petitioner can't serve a family law summons personally, and the server proves it on form FL-115. Tell us the hearing date, since the court sets how many days before it the papers must be delivered.
Collection cases and the 2027 consumer debt rule
Limited collection cases from La Mirada, $35,000 or less, are filed at Norwalk, which the court runs as one of its two countywide collection hubs. Attorneys must e-file civil documents under Local Rule 3.4 unless the court exempts them, and self-represented parties are exempt from that requirement.
AB 747 adds a rule just for consumer debt cases. From 2027, in an action to collect consumer debt, at least one of the service attempts has to be made at the debtor's home when that address is known or can be found with reasonable effort. A second 2027 change helps with debtors who use a private mailbox. If the only address reasonably known is a box at a commercial mail receiving agency, the new § 415.20(c) allows service on the first attempt by leaving the papers with that agency in the way the Business and Professions Code describes. If all you have for a La Mirada debtor is a work address, ask us about skip tracing first. Our post on finding a defendant in California lists what to gather.
Serving someone at Biola University
Biola University's campus is at 13800 Biola Avenue, in ZIP Code 90639. The locator gives it a row of its own, but the courthouses don't change.
A campus isn't a public sidewalk. Residence halls and offices are private property, and a server can't walk into a dorm room. The best Biola requests include an off-campus home address if there is one, a class or work schedule, and a recent photo. If the papers name the university itself, serve its agent for service of process as listed on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online, not a department office. Our serving corporations page covers how to find that agent.
Suing or serving the City of La Mirada
La Mirada City Hall is at 13700 La Mirada Boulevard, 90638. When the city is a defendant, CCP § 416.50 says the summons goes to the clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body. In practice that usually means the City Clerk.
Most damage claims against a city also need a government claim first. Government Code § 945.4 bars a suit for money until a written claim has been presented and acted on or rejected, and § 911.2 gives six months for a claim involving injury, death or personal property. Ask the city clerk for the claim form before the deadline, and keep proof of when you delivered it.
Sending a La Mirada Service Request
- Upload up to 5 PDFs on the Service Request form.
- Confirm the county for any 90638 address near Buena Park or Fullerton.
- List every address for each person, with unit and gate notes.
- Pick Rush or Standard, and add a Norwalk, Bellflower or Whittier filing if you need one.
You can get each update by email. Email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com or call 855-582-5776 with questions. We make no guarantees for service.
Cities near La Mirada
Santa Fe Springs is 3.8 miles away, Norwalk 4.3 and Cerritos 4.2, all on the Los Angeles side. Buena Park and La Habra are in Orange County. Whittier is home to the family courthouse. The full list is on the Los Angeles County page, and filing details are on Los Angeles County court filing.