The town of Mendocino sits on the Mendocino County coast and counted 932 residents in the 2020 Census. It isn't a city. The Census Bureau lists it as a census designated place, so there's no city council, city clerk or city police, and every public office that matters to a case belongs to the county. We serve summonses, small claims, restraining order papers, subpoenas, probate notices and eviction papers in the town and the coastal communities around it.
Mendocino requests are handled from our Sacramento office, about 132.5 miles away in a straight line. Upload the papers on a Service Request, or email them to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
The court rule that names the town
Mendocino County's court routes new cases by address. Local Rule 1.6, in the rules that took effect July 1, 2026, assigns new civil, probate and family law cases by the physical address of the party who files first. The rule lists the coastal places by name: Fort Bragg, the Town of Mendocino, Comptche, Westport, Elk, Caspar, Point Arena, Gualala and "other coastal communities."
For a filer whose address is in town, here is where the rule sends the work:
| Case type filed by a Mendocino resident | Judge assigned |
|---|---|
| Limited civil, including most evictions | Ten Mile Branch, Fort Bragg |
| Domestic violence restraining orders | Ten Mile Branch, Fort Bragg |
| Civil harassment restraining orders | Ten Mile Branch, Fort Bragg |
| Unlimited civil | Ukiah courthouse |
| Probate | Ukiah courthouse |
| Family law other than domestic violence | Ukiah courthouse |
| LPS conservatorships, qui tam, CEQA, juvenile, child support agency cases | Ukiah only, filed and heard |
Rule 1.6(a) also says limited and unlimited civil, probate, family and criminal papers may be filed at either courthouse. So the counter you hand them to and the judge who hears the case can be different. Generally, once a case is assigned, it stays in that courthouse unless a judge approves a change. Source: Mendocino County Superior Court Local Rules, effective July 1, 2026.
When the person filing lives somewhere else
Some Mendocino cases start with a plaintiff who lives outside the county. For those, the rule switches to the other side: if the initial filing party's address is out of county, the court assigns the case by the respondent's or defendant's address.
That puts weight on getting the Mendocino address right in three places:
- The first pleading. The rule requires the filer's physical address, and a new case without it is rejected and returned for correction.
- The e-filing envelope. The defendant's address goes on the Party's Information tab, or in a comment to the court.
- Our Service Request. The address we attempt should match the one the court used, unless you tell us the person has moved.
The court's e-filing page lists the rejection reasons it sees most. Two of them line up exactly with this rule: "Incorrect court location selected" and "Party's address does not match the address on the initial petition." A five-minute check before you submit can save a day of resubmitting.
Eight miles to Fort Bragg, 33 to Ukiah
The Ten Mile Branch, at 700 South Franklin Street in Fort Bragg, is about 8.3 miles north of the town in a straight line. The main courthouse at 100 North State Street in Ukiah is about 33 miles inland. Both clerk's offices stop taking papers at 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding judicial holidays.
The difference is lunch. The Ten Mile clerk's office closes from noon to 1:00 p.m. During that hour, self-represented parties can leave civil, family law and probate pleadings in the branch drop box, and the clerk processes them as soon as the office reopens. In Ukiah, the drop box on the main floor takes self-represented filings all day, and papers stamped with its electronic time stamp by 5:00 p.m. are filed that day.
Coastal residents who need forms help don't have to drive inland every time. The court's Self Help Center runs drop-in help from the Ten Mile courthouse by Zoom on Mondays, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. In Ukiah, walk-in help is Monday through Thursday in Room 304. Sources: Mendocino County Superior Court location, self-help and local rules pages, checked October 2026.
What has to go inland
Some Mendocino matters can only start in Ukiah, whatever the address. Rule 1.6(a)(2) lists them:
- conservatorships under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act
- qui tam actions under the False Claims Act
- CEQA proceedings under the Public Resources Code
- juvenile justice and juvenile dependency matters
- cases filed by the Department of Child Support Services
In November 2025, after a judicial retirement, the court said in a press release that the Fort Bragg clerk's office stays open Monday through Friday to take filings in all matters, and that the new Ukiah courthouse under construction is designed for seven judicial officers, while the county's bench is authorized by statute to have eight judges. The court used that math to tell coastal residents the branch will not close when the new building opens. The same release said the Ten Mile court's unlimited civil and probate cases, and some family law matters, had been reassigned to Ukiah for the time being. Read the current local rules before relying on an older notice.
Papers to serve in Mendocino?
E-filing a Mendocino case
Represented parties e-file. Local Rule 1.8 makes electronic filing mandatory for everyone except self-represented litigants in limited civil, unlawful detainer, unlimited civil, family law, probate, juvenile, mental health, appellate division and criminal actions. Filings go only through an electronic filing service provider; the court doesn't accept direct email or fax. Self-represented parties may e-file and are encouraged to.
The court wants searchable PDF files, with searchable PDF/A preferred. Proposed orders come back marked LODGED, and the filing party serves the other side. Because Mendocino case assignment runs on addresses, pick the court location in your provider's system carefully. Our Mendocino County court filing service covers e-filing and the paper-only items, and our post on California court e-filing explains how providers and acceptance work.
The 95460 ZIP Code area
One Census ZIP Code area, 95460, covers the whole Mendocino census designated place. It doesn't stop there. The Census 2020 relationship file shows 95460 also takes in part of Little River and part of Caspar, both unincorporated places of their own. Caspar is split three ways: most of it is in 95420, its own ZIP Code area, part is in 95460, and a small piece falls in 95437, the Fort Bragg ZIP Code area. Most of Little River is in 95456.
So an address that reads "Mendocino, CA 95460" might be in the town, on a road toward Little River or near Caspar. For court routing it rarely matters: Rule 1.6 names the Town of Mendocino and Caspar, and covers "other coastal communities" such as Little River without naming them. For service, it matters a lot. Tell us the road, the nearest cross street and any name on the gate or mailbox.
ZIP Code areas are Census approximations of postal ZIP Codes, not exact delivery boundaries. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file.
Post office boxes and physical addresses
A mailing address is not always a place to serve. Under CCP § 415.20 as AB 747 rewrites it, operative January 1, 2027, substituted service is made at a dwelling, usual place of abode, usual place of business, or a usual mailing address other than a U.S. Postal Service post office box. A P.O. box number by itself doesn't give us anywhere to attempt.
A private mailbox at a commercial mail receiving agency is treated differently: if that is the only address reasonably known, the new § 415.20(c) allows service on the first attempt by leaving the papers with the agency in the manner the Business and Professions Code describes. Send us what you have, and say which kind of box it is.
When the only address is a box, we can start with skip tracing to find a home or workplace. Our post on how to find a defendant in California covers what records help.
Getting a Mendocino service right the first time
Most of the planning for a Mendocino attempt happens before anyone drives to the coast, and it runs on the details you send:
- Attach the file-stamped papers. Include the summons, the complaint or petition, and any notice of hearing with the date.
- Describe the place. House color, a business name, which building on a shared lot, or a gate code.
- Give hours. If the person works in town, the shop's hours help us pick attempt times.
- Add a second address. A Fort Bragg workplace or an inland home gives us another place to try.
- State your deadline. A hearing at the Ten Mile Branch or in Ukiah sets the last day for service.
The town is a long way from Sacramento, and remote areas are subject to different timelines. Call 855-582-5776 before you choose Rush, and we'll tell you what to expect for the address. Get the updates by email.
Small claims from the coast
A small claims case can be filed with the clerk at either courthouse. The court's small claims page sets the limit at $12,500 for a plaintiff (CCP § 116.221) and allows only two cases above $2,500 a year. The hearing date is set at filing, and the plaintiff is responsible for getting the claim served with that date on it.
A small claims plaintiff can't serve the papers personally. Our guide to who can serve papers in California explains the options, and the proof of service guide covers the form that comes back to you. For anyone who can't make a daytime hearing, the court offers small claims night court on request at 5:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month, but only in Ukiah.
Evictions and the 2027 service changes
A Mendocino eviction is usually limited civil, which puts a coastal filer's case with the Ten Mile judge under Rule 1.6. The tenant has 10 court days to file an Answer after personal service, according to the California Courts self-help guide. If personal service fails, a landlord may ask the court for an order to post the summons under CCP § 415.45.
From January 1, 2027, AB 747 spells out what reasonable diligence looks like before substituted service: good-faith attempts at personal delivery on at least three occasions, on three different days, at three different times. We plan attempts that way now. Our AB 747 guide covers the rest of the changes. This is general information, not legal advice.
Around the town
Straight-line distances from Mendocino to the next communities up and down the coast:
- Little River, 3 miles, and Albion, 6.3
- Caspar, 3.6 miles
- Fort Bragg, 8.8 miles, home of the Ten Mile Branch
- Comptche, 11.3 miles inland
- Elk, 13.2 miles south
For an inland address, see our Ukiah page. Every community in the county is on the Mendocino County process server page.
We make no guarantees for service.