Lost Hills is an unincorporated community in western Kern County. The Census Bureau treats it as a Census-designated place, with 2,370 residents at the 2020 Census on about 5.6 square miles of land, and it has no city hall: local government is the County of Kern. We deliver court papers to Lost Hills homes, rentals, businesses and outlying parcels, working from Sacramento, about 229 miles north.
Most Lost Hills cases are heard in Shafter, and the ZIP Code area around the town is far bigger than the town itself. Both facts shape how a service job here is planned.
The Shafter courthouse handles Lost Hills cases
Kern County Superior Court sets venue by ZIP Code under Local Rule 1.7.4, using the Appendix A table. Under ZIP 93249 the table names four places, Lost Hills, Kecks Corner, Semitropic and Spicer City, and assigns all of them to the Shafter Multi-Divisional Courthouse.
The building is at 325 Central Valley Highway, Shafter, CA 93263, phone (661) 610-7200. The court's location page gives hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Friday, and notes the court complex is on the west side of the street, with the parking lot entrance on the west. From the Census center point of Lost Hills, the map point on that page is about 24.3 miles away in a straight line.
The Shafter sheet in the venue table, marked changed effective January 1, 2025, lists what the building hears for its communities:
- Civil: civil harassment, limited civil, name changes, small claims and unlawful detainers
- Criminal: felonies and misdemeanors
- Family law: divorce, legal separation, annulment, domestic violence, paternity, custody petitions, and child, spousal and family support
- Traffic: infractions and juvenile traffic
The same sheet covers Wasco, Buttonwillow, Shafter itself and a string of smaller communities, so a Lost Hills tenant who moved to Wasco is still in the same courthouse.
When a Lost Hills case goes to Bakersfield
Local Rule 1.7.5 moves some matters to the Metropolitan Division whatever the ZIP Code. For a Lost Hills party, these are the ones that change the drive:
| Matter | Where it's filed | Straight-line distance from Lost Hills |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited civil, over $35,000 | Justice Building, 1215 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield | About 41.3 miles |
| Probate, guardianship, conservatorship | Juvenile Justice Center, 2100 College Ave, Bakersfield | About 43.4 miles |
| Adoption, abandonment and child support agency cases from the Shafter venue | Metropolitan Division family law (Rule 1.7.5(g)(3)) | About 41.3 miles |
There's one exception that helps rural owners. Under Rule 1.7.5(b), a quiet title action on property outside metropolitan Bakersfield may be filed in the branch that covers the property's ZIP Code, which for 93249 land is Shafter.
The venue table goes by community, not only ZIP Code
Neighboring places around Lost Hills don't all land in the same courthouse. The table lists some ZIP Codes more than once, with a different venue for each community name:
| ZIP Code | Community | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 93251 | Belridge, Missouri Triangle | Shafter |
| 93251 | McKittrick, Reward | Lamont |
| 93206 | Buttonwillow, Kilowatt | Shafter |
| 93280 | Wasco | Shafter |
| 93280 | Pond | Delano |
So a party on the McKittrick side files in Lamont, at 12022 Main Street, even though Belridge, in the same ZIP Code, goes to Shafter. Match both the community and the ZIP Code to the table before the papers are filed, because the courthouse on the summons tells the defendant where to respond.
Family law filings for a Lost Hills household
Kern's family venue rule has a form requirement that trips up first filings. Local Rule 1.7.5(g)(1) puts the first family law petition in the division that matches the petitioner's ZIP Code under the venue table, and the first pleading must come with a Family Law Case Certificate of Assignment, the court's form KRN SUP CRT FL-2427. For a Lost Hills petitioner, that's Shafter.
Two variations matter:
- Parentage. Rule 1.7.5(g)(6) sets venue for a Petition to Establish Parental Relationship by the minor child's ZIP Code, not the petitioner's.
- Domestic violence. A request under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act is exempt from the family venue rules under Rule 1.7.5(g)(5), though later family filings between the same people are not.
Once the petition is filed, we serve the respondent in Lost Hills or anywhere else in California. Our proof of service guide explains what the server signs.
Witnesses and criminal subpoenas from Lost Hills
Kern files criminal cases where the incident happened. Local Rule 1.7.5(d)(1) and (d)(2) have prosecutors file misdemeanor and felony complaints in the division that the venue table assigns to the place of the alleged crime, so an incident in Lost Hills is normally charged in Shafter. The rule lists exceptions that move a case to Bakersfield: charges under Penal Code sections 187 and 191.5 may go to the Metropolitan Division's felony department, and felony cases with four or more defendants must go there. Rule 1.7.5(d)(6) also sends every case arising from an incident at the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility to Shafter.
For a Lost Hills witness, that means a trial subpoena can name either building. Check the courthouse, department and date on the subpoena before sending it for service. Our post on serving a subpoena in California covers witness fees and timing.
Remote appearances at Shafter
A Lost Hills party or attorney doesn't always have to make the drive. Kern Local Rule 3.2.1(a) allows remote appearances by audio or video through CourtCall at civil proceedings other than evidentiary hearings and trials, including conferences and law and motion, without advance notice. The judge keeps discretion to require an in-person appearance, and evidentiary hearings and trials follow CCP § 367.75 and Rules of Court rule 3.672. The local rule is set to run until January 1, 2027.
The court's remote hearing page adds practical steps. Join 30 minutes before the start time so the clerk can check you in. In Civil Division L, exhibits may be sent electronically three court days before each hearing, marked with the case number and no more than 15 pages.
Papers to serve in Lost Hills?
Small claims rules that catch Lost Hills parties
A Lost Hills small claims case is heard in Shafter. The court's civil page puts the individual limit at $12,500, and it lets a claim be filed in person at the courthouse where it will be heard, by mail, or through an electronic filing service provider. Kern's small claims local rules are short, but several of them end cases:
- Plaintiff absent (Rule 2.6.2). A plaintiff who misses trial has the case dismissed, and a second failure to appear may lead to dismissal with prejudice.
- Exhibits (Rule 2.6.1). Bring a copy of each document for the judge and one for every party.
- Default set aside (Rule 2.7.2). A defendant who missed trial and lost by default has 30 days from entry of the judgment to present a motion to set it aside, with forms and fees.
The court's Small Claims Advisor, who explains the basic steps at no charge, takes calls at (661) 610-6518. Before trial, the claim still has to be served on each defendant, so send us the filed claim and the hearing date early.
Filing without a lawyer from Lost Hills
People handling their own case have a few court resources, all in Bakersfield or by phone. The Self-Help Center is at 1215 Truxtun Avenue, first floor, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until noon on Friday. Its page lists help with guardianship petitions, divorce and parentage petitions, custody and support requests, default divorces and small claims. It also warns that staff may help the other side too, and that conversations with them aren't privileged.
For civil harassment and how to start or answer a civil case, the page refers people to the Kern County Law Library at (661) 610-6325. Landlords and tenants can reach the Landlord/Tenant Assistance Center at (661) 610-6299 or LTAC@kern.courts.ca.gov.
E-filing is optional for self-represented parties. The court's e-filing page makes it mandatory only for represented parties in civil, family law, probate and eviction cases. Domestic violence and gun violence restraining order requests can be submitted through the court's public portal. The page lists family filings it won't take electronically: abandonments, adoptions, terminations of parental rights and surrogacy actions. Our guide on who can serve papers in California explains why a party can't serve their own case.
Evictions in Lost Hills
A Lost Hills unlawful detainer is filed at the Shafter courthouse. After service, the tenant's response time depends on the method, according to the state court self-help page. Papers handed over in person give 10 court days. Papers left with another adult or posted, then mailed, give 10 calendar days after the mailing plus 10 court days. Safe at Home participants get 15 court days.
Posting needs a court order under CCP § 415.45. Starting January 1, 2027, AB 747 adds that reasonable diligence before substituted service is shown by attempting personal delivery on at least three occasions, on three different days at three different times (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)); our AB 747 guide walks through it. A writ of possession is enforced by the Sheriff's Civil Division at 5251 Office Park Dr, Building 300, Bakersfield, (661) 635-1300, which the court's civil page lists.
For service, include the summons, complaint, the notice that ended the tenancy, the unit or space number and every adult occupant's name.
The 93249 ZIP Code area
The ZIP Code area named for Lost Hills reaches far past the community. In the Census Bureau's 2020 relationship file, 93249 has about 203 square miles of land. Only about 2.7% of it is inside the Lost Hills Census-designated place. The other 97.3% is outside any city or Census-designated place.
That means a "Lost Hills, CA 93249" address can be a house on a town street or a parcel many miles out on a county road. Remote areas are subject to different timelines. For an outlying address, give us:
- The full address and the assessor's parcel number if the parcel has no posted number
- A map pin on the gate or driveway
- The nearest cross roads
- Which building the person lives or works in, if a parcel has several
- Work hours, since an early or late attempt may find someone a midday visit misses
Census ZIP Code areas approximate postal ZIP Codes, so treat these shares as a guide.
Serving a business near Lost Hills
Find the company's agent for service of process on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online and send us what it lists. A local business may list its owner, while a large operator often uses a commercial agent such as CSC or CT Corporation, whose offices we can serve. Our serving corporations page covers the options, and skip tracing can look for a party who has left the area.
Sending Lost Hills papers
- Start a Service Request with up to 5 PDFs attached.
- Write every party's name as it appears in the caption.
- Add each address with the parcel and cross road details above.
- Select Rush or Standard. If papers also need to reach the Shafter or Bakersfield counter, add a Kern County court filing.
Get every update by email, call 855-582-5776, or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. We make no guarantees for service.
Near Lost Hills
Wasco is 17.7 miles away and Buttonwillow 20.4. McKittrick is 23.3 miles, Delano 25 and Shafter 28.8. For every place we serve in the county, see Kern County.