Lassen County is high desert and forest on the east side of the Sierra and Cascades, bordering Nevada. The 2020 Census counted 32,730 residents. Susanville, the county seat and only incorporated city, has 16,728. The rest of the county is unincorporated, spread from Westwood near Lake Almanor to Herlong and Doyle on the south end of US 395 and the Big Valley area around Bieber in the north.
From our Sacramento office, we handle Lassen County process serving, court filings and document retrieval. Attach your documents to a Service Request or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Why private service matters here
If you planned to hand a summons to the sheriff, Lassen County is the exception to check first. Its Sheriff mostly won't serve one.
The Lassen County Sheriff's Civil page lists the papers it will not serve unless the requester is in the Lassen County jail or has a certified fee waiver from the court. That list includes:
- summons and complaint, and summons and petition
- small claims claims and cross-complaints
- civil and juvenile subpoenas
- dissolution papers
- orders to show cause, judgments and default judgments
- wage garnishments, except for federal and U.S. Postal employees
The page says non-levy civil process can be served by anyone over 18 who isn't a party to the action, or by a registered process server.
What the Sheriff keeps are enforcement papers. Writs of possession for evictions, keeper's levies, personal property seizures and book levies are Sheriff-only. Sworn staff also serve restraining orders.
In practice, a Susanville landlord without a fee waiver would use a private server for the eviction summons, then the Sheriff for the lockout after judgment. Our guide on who can serve papers in California explains who qualifies, and the proof of service guide covers the form that comes back.
The Hall of Justice in Susanville
Lassen Superior Court has one courthouse, the Hall of Justice at 2610 Riverside Drive in Susanville. Civil, small claims, unlawful detainer, family, probate, juvenile, criminal and traffic cases all go there. The court lists building hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, and every division uses (530) 251-8205.
No e-filing, but direct fax
Lassen doesn't offer e-filing for civil cases. Local Rule 18.1 is a pilot that lets the Lassen County Department of Child Support Services deliver filings electronically, along with restraining order petitions and certain appellate filings under other rules. The rule says any electronic filing outside the pilot will be rejected.
Fax fills the gap. Local Rule 17.1 lets parties fax civil, probate and family law documents straight to the court:
- the first page must be Judicial Council form MC-005, with credit card details
- the court charges $1.00 per page on top of other fees
- a fax that finishes arriving by 4:00 p.m. on a court day is stamped that day
Paper filed in person at the Hall of Justice works too. Our Court Filings service files at the counter in Susanville, and Court Filings lists what to send. General information, not legal advice.
Distance and terrain
Lassen is a long drive from most of California. Susanville is about 134 miles straight-line from our office, and the county's towns are far apart:
Honey Lake Valley. Susanville, Johnstonville, Janesville and Standish sit near the lake on US 395 and State Route 36.
The south end. Milford, Herlong and Doyle are along US 395 toward Reno.
West side. Westwood and Clear Creek are near the Plumas County line, and State Route 44 runs west toward Redding.
The north. Bieber and Nubieber are in Big Valley, and Ravendale is on the long stretch of US 395 toward Alturas.
Remote areas are subject to different timelines. Winter storms can close or slow the passes, so we confirm timing for every Lassen County address once the request comes in.
Making a Lassen County job easier
Because the Sheriff won't take most first-service papers, the Letter of Instruction you send us carries the job. Add:
- the physical address, plus directions from US 395, Route 36 or Route 44
- the gate, driveway or property description for a ranch or forest parcel
- the person's employer and shift
- whether the person may be in custody, and where
- any other address in Plumas, Modoc or Washoe County, Nevada
If the address doesn't pan out, skip tracing can look for a newer one. Our post on how to serve a subpoena in California is useful too, since subpoenas are on the Sheriff's do-not-serve list.
Evictions, companies and the 2027 rules
After personal service of an unlawful detainer, the tenant has 10 court days to answer. For a company defendant, service generally goes to its agent for service of process; see serving corporations.
AB 747 applies from January 1, 2027. Three good-faith attempts on 3 different days at 3 different times show reasonable diligence before substituted service (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)), and the county clerk's register of process servers becomes public (Bus. & Prof. Code § 22355). The AB 747 guide has the details. General information, not legal advice.
Send Lassen County papers to Valpro Attorney Services
Start a Service Request, upload up to 5 PDFs, and pick Rush or Standard. Get the updates by email, or call 855-582-5776, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Bordering county hubs: Plumas County, Modoc County, Shasta County and Sierra County.