Lake County is built around Clear Lake, with towns on every shore and the Mayacamas range to the south. The 2020 Census counted 68,163 residents. Clearlake is the largest city at 16,685, followed by Hidden Valley Lake (6,235) and Lakeport, the county seat (5,026). The rest live in unincorporated towns such as Kelseyville, Lucerne, Clearlake Oaks and Lower Lake.
We handle Lake County process serving, court filings and document retrieval from Sacramento. A Service Request is the fastest way to get papers to us; email to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com also works.
Two court locations, split by case type
Lake Superior Court doesn't divide the county by geography. It divides the work by case type between two buildings.
Lakeport Courthouse. The court's location page gives the address as 675 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport, CA 95453. It lists probate, guardianship, family law, eminent domain, real property, domestic violence, civil cases over and under $35,000, juvenile, mental health, felony criminal cases, appeals and habeas corpus.
Clearlake Branch. At 7000-A South Center Drive in Clearlake, the branch lists traffic and non-traffic infractions, small claims, civil limited unlawful detainers and Department of Child Support Services cases.
Both pages give counter and telephone access from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Local Rule 3.1 sets the same clerks' office hours.
One caution on the Lakeport address. The local rules effective January 1, 2026 still name 255 N. Forbes in Lakeport. The location page is the current listing, so we go by 675 Lakeport Blvd. and check it again before any filing run.
E-filing is allowed, not required
Local Rule 20.2, Permissive Electronic Filing, has been in place since January 1, 2024. It lets any party e-file in all civil cases, including limited cases and domestic violence restraining order petitions, in probate, conservatorship, guardianship and trust matters, and in family law. Filings go through an approved e-filing service provider from the court's list. The court can't take e-filings directly.
Paper is still accepted. The court's e-filing FAQ says you can file in person at the window. Our Court Filings service handles either route at either location, and the Court Filings page lists what to include. General information, not legal advice.
What the Sheriff's Civil Division won't do
The Lake County Sheriff's Civil Division is at 1431 Hoyt Ave in Lakeport, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Its page sets three limits worth knowing before you choose who serves:
- it does not provide rush service, and it suggests a process server when the timeframe is tight
- it does not answer service-status questions by phone
- fees are paid before service, whether or not service is completed
Proof of service is mailed after completion. Any adult who is at least 18 and not a party to the case can serve papers, and anyone paid to serve more than 10 papers a year must register with a county clerk. Our guide on who can serve papers in California explains the rules.
With a Service Request to Valpro Attorney Services, you can get each update by email.
Around the lake
South end, Highways 29 and 53. Clearlake, Lower Lake, Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown are the closest Lake County towns to our office.
North shore and Highway 20. Clearlake Oaks, Glenhaven, Lucerne and Nice line the north side of the lake. Upper Lake and Witter Springs are farther west.
West side. Lakeport, Kelseyville and Finley sit near the main courthouse. Cobb is up on the mountain to the south, on slower roads.
Straight-line distances from our office run from about 58 miles at Hidden Valley Lake to about 90 at Witter Springs.
Details that help in Lake County
A street address alone may not get a server to the right door at a lakeside home or a mobile home park. A Letter of Instruction should include:
- unit or space numbers for parks and multi-unit lots
- a gate code or a resident who can let the server in
- a description of the house, vehicle or boat dock if the address is unclear
- the person's work schedule or workplace, if known
- other addresses in Mendocino, Colusa, Napa or Sonoma County
If the address is out of date, skip tracing can search for a current one. Our post on skip tracing for legal cases explains what it uses.
Landlord and tenant cases
Limited eviction cases go to the Clearlake Branch. After personal service, the tenant has 10 court days to answer. For business tenants, service often goes to the registered agent rather than the storefront; see serving corporations.
AB 747 takes effect on January 1, 2027. Under it, three good-faith attempts on 3 different days at 3 different times show reasonable diligence before substituted service (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)), and each county clerk's register of process servers becomes public (Bus. & Prof. Code § 22355). Read the AB 747 guide and the proof of service guide. General information, not legal advice.
Send Lake County papers
Start a Service Request, add up to 5 PDFs and a Letter of Instruction, and choose Rush or Standard. Call 855-582-5776 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with questions.
Neighboring county hubs: Mendocino County, Colusa County, Napa County and Sonoma County.