Lamont sits southeast of Bakersfield, next to Weedpatch and about 6 miles west of Arvin. We serve summonses, complaints, eviction papers, small claims, family law papers and subpoenas at Lamont homes, businesses and rural parcels, and we file Lamont cases with Kern County Superior Court.
Unlike most small Kern communities, Lamont has a courthouse of its own. That makes many filings local, but Kern decides venue by ZIP Code and community, so it pays to check where your particular case belongs.
A courthouse in town, on Main Street
Kern's Lamont courthouse is at 12022 Main Street, on the west side of the street just south of the post office complex, according to the court's location page. In a straight line it's about 1.4 miles from the Census center point of the Lamont CDP. The building is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The phone is (661) 610-7100.
The venue table in Appendix A to the court's local rules lists these case types at Lamont:
- civil harassment, limited civil, name changes, small claims and unlawful detainers
- felony and misdemeanor criminal cases
- traffic infractions and juvenile traffic
The Friday noon closing is the deadline people miss. A Friday filing has to be at the counter by midday, and the court's civil page asks anyone filing a new small claim to arrive at least 30 minutes before closing.
Who else files in Lamont
The Lamont building serves far more than Lamont. Its sheet in the venue table lists more than 30 communities, including:
- Next door: Weedpatch, Greenfield, Alameda and Lamont itself.
- To the east: Arvin and DiGiorgio, ZIP 93203.
- The West Side: Taft, Taft Heights, South Taft, Ford City, Maricopa, Fellows, McKittrick and Tupman.
- The mountains: Frazier Park, Lake of the Woods, Pine Mountain Club, Gorman and Lebec.
Taft, Maricopa and Frazier Park are each about 30 miles from the Lamont courthouse in a straight line. So a Lamont courtroom may be hearing a West Side eviction in the morning and a Weedpatch small claim after lunch, and a defendant served in Taft may be summoned to Main Street in Lamont.
Cases that go to Bakersfield instead
Kern's Local Rule 1.7.5 keeps several kinds of cases in the Metropolitan Division, whatever the ZIP Code:
| Lamont matter | Courthouse | Miles from central Lamont |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited civil, over $35,000 | Metropolitan Division Justice Building, 1215 Truxtun Ave. | 9.3 |
| Probate, guardianship, conservatorship, trusts | Juvenile Justice Center, 2100 College Ave. | 8.7 |
| Adoptions, abandonments, child support agency cases | Metropolitan Division Family Law | 9.3 |
Miles run from the Census internal point of the Lamont CDP to each courthouse address.
Rule 1.7.5(b) has one exception that matters to property owners: a quiet title action arising outside metropolitan Bakersfield can be filed at the branch that's the right venue for the property, which for a Lamont parcel means Main Street.
Probate hearings at the Juvenile Justice Center can be attended remotely. The court's probate page says to use the J1-Probate link under the Juvenile Justice Center on its remote hearings page and to join 30 minutes early.
One more detail: nearby Edison, ZIP 93220, is about 7.5 miles from the Lamont courthouse, but the venue table assigns it to the Metropolitan Division in Bakersfield, not to Lamont. Closeness on a map doesn't decide the court.
ZIP Code 93307 and the venue table
Lamont is split almost evenly between two Census ZIP Code areas. The Census Bureau's 2020 relationship file puts about 52% of the CDP's land in 93241 and about 48% in 93307. Each brings its own wrinkle:
- 93241 is small. Lamont and Weedpatch share it about half and half, and both are Lamont venue.
- 93307 is huge, about 141 square miles of land. It takes in part of the City of Bakersfield and more than a dozen Census-designated places, among them Greenfield, Fuller Acres and Edison, and roughly three quarters of its land is outside any city or CDP.
Kern's venue table handles 93307 community by community. It lists Weedpatch and Greenfield at Lamont and Bakersfield addresses at the Metropolitan Division, and it doesn't list Lamont under 93307 at all. A Lamont address with that ZIP is most likely Lamont venue, but the clerk can confirm before you file.
If a case lands in the wrong division, Local Rule 1.7.6 allows a motion to transfer it for good cause. A phone call first is easier. Census ZIP Code areas approximate postal ZIP Codes.
Family law: check before filing
The court's family law page lists Lamont among its six family law locations, at the same address and phone. The Lamont sheet in Appendix A, though, lists no family law case types, while the Delano, Mojave and Shafter sheets do. Local Rule 1.7.5(g)(1) says the first petition goes to the division the table assigns for the petitioner's ZIP Code, together with the court's venue declaration, form FL-2427. Under Rule 1.7.5(g)(3), adoptions, abandonments and child support agency matters with Lamont venue must be filed in the Metropolitan Division.
Before filing a Lamont divorce or custody petition, call the Lamont clerk or the family law line at the Justice Building, (661) 610-6400. Domestic violence restraining order requests are exempt from the venue rules. The family law page also lists Clinica Sierra Vista, 8787 Hall Road in Lamont, (661) 845-3731, among its local domestic violence resources.
Kern accepts family law and probate papers by fax only through a fax filing agency (Local Rule 1.9). Attorneys must e-file in family, civil, probate and eviction cases under Local Rule 1.10, while self-represented parties may file on paper.
Papers to serve in Lamont?
Lamont evictions
A Lamont landlord files the unlawful detainer at the Lamont courthouse, or e-files it there. Kern's eviction rules add a few local steps:
- Attach the paperwork (Rule 3.15.1(b)). A residential complaint must include any written lease or rental agreement, with amendments, unless one of the listed exceptions applies.
- Watch the dismissal date (Rule 3.15.1(c)). The clerk sets an order to show cause re dismissal no more than 90 days after filing. It comes off calendar once there's a judgment, a dismissal, a settlement notice or an amendment converting the case to an ordinary civil action.
- Plan for immediate possession costs (Rule 3.15.1(d)). If the landlord seeks immediate possession, the minimum undertaking is ten times the monthly rent or $2,500, whichever is greater.
Then the tenant has to be served. Under the state court self-help page, a tenant handed the papers has 10 court days to answer, not counting weekends or court holidays. If the papers were left with another adult or posted, and then mailed, the deadline is 10 calendar days plus 10 court days after the mailing.
The court's civil FAQ mentions a Landlord Tenant Assistance Center, sharing the 3rd floor of 1415 Truxtun Avenue in Bakersfield with the Law Library. Send us the summons, complaint and notice, the names of all adult occupants, and the unit or space number.
Small claims at the Lamont counter
An individual can claim up to $12,500 in Kern small claims, according to the court's civil page, and only two claims over $2,500 per calendar year. A Lamont claim can be filed three ways:
- In person at the Lamont courthouse, at least 30 minutes before closing.
- By mail, with the original claim, a copy for each defendant and for you, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
- By e-filing through an approved electronic filing service provider.
When returning completed forms, the court wants the original plus a copy for every party and either a return envelope or a note asking for will-call pickup. It says it won't phone you when they're ready.
The plaintiff can't serve the claim personally. A process server, the sheriff or another adult who isn't a party can. Kern's local rules dismiss a small claims case without prejudice if no proof of service is on file at least three calendar days before the hearing (Rule 2.3).
For help, the court's Small Claims Advisor is free at (661) 610-6518. Kern also runs a community mediation program through the BBB Mediation Center of Kern County, (661) 616-5252, with bilingual English and Spanish mediators, before or after a case is filed.
Hearing day on Main Street
Kern's civil FAQ gives a few tips that apply at every courthouse, Lamont included. Arrive at least 15 minutes before the hearing to allow time for parking and security. Find your courtroom on the docket monitor in the lobby, where names appear in alphabetical order; confidential matters aren't shown, so go to the clerk's window if your name is missing.
At the counter itself, Local Rule 1.19, in effect since July 1, 2026, bars using a phone or other device to talk, take photos or record at any walk-up window. If you need a disability accommodation, the rule points to Judicial Council form MC-410, available at the clerk's office.
Bring your witnesses and exhibits, and a copy of the filed proof of service. If the other side wasn't served in time, the hearing may not go forward.
Copies and conformed papers from a Kern file
Two local rules affect anyone filing on paper in Lamont:
- One conformed copy (Rule 1.7.7). The court conforms only one copy of each original. To get it back by mail, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
- Copy fees (Rule 1.8.1). The court charges $20 per file for off-site file retrieval and $14.50 per quarter hour for photocopies made from paper files and for searches.
Copies of filed documents are ordered through the document request link on the civil and family law pages. If you'd rather have certified copies pulled and sent to you, our document retrieval service handles that.
An unincorporated community
Because Lamont has no city government, claims against local government run against Kern County or a special district. A summons on a public entity goes to its clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body (CCP § 416.50). Confirm the entity's exact legal name and the right recipient, and send both with the papers. A government claim normally comes first, and your attorney handles that timing.
Businesses in Lamont are served through their agent for service of process, which our serving corporations page explains how to find.
Sending Lamont papers
Open a Service Request, attach up to 5 PDFs, and give each person's name as the caption shows it, every address with unit or space number, and a Letter of Instruction with work hours and a vehicle description. For a rural parcel, add a map pin and gate details. If the person has moved, skip tracing can look for a current address. Get each update by email, and see our proof of service guide for what comes back to you. For filings, our Kern County court filing service covers the Lamont counter and the Bakersfield courthouses. We make no guarantees for service. Call 855-582-5776 or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Near Lamont
Arvin is about 6 miles east and Edison about 7 miles north. Bakersfield, home of the probate and unlimited civil courthouses, is about 9 miles northwest. Caliente and Keene are farther east, 16 to 17 miles away. Every place we serve in the county is on our Kern County page.