Menlo Park is at the southern end of San Mateo County, next to Atherton and East Palo Alto. Its cases belong to the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, and almost everything a Menlo Park case needs is in one building in Redwood City. The catch is how that building's clerk's office works, and where eviction hearings actually happen.
We serve summonses, complaints, subpoenas, family law papers, eviction papers and other legal documents on people and businesses in Menlo Park. We can also file at the Hall of Justice, by e-filing or on paper where the rules require it.
Which San Mateo courthouse handles Menlo Park
The court's judicial district page lists Menlo Park, along with Atherton, East Palo Alto, Redwood City and San Mateo, under the Southern Branch: the Hall of Justice and Records at 400 County Center, Redwood City. From Menlo Park's Census center point it's about 4.5 miles in a straight line. The court lists that building as serving civil, criminal, family law, probate and small claims cases.
- Limited and unlimited civil: filed with the Civil Division's clerk's office at the Hall of Justice, 1st floor, Room A.
- Small claims: filed with the same clerk. Hearings take place at the Hall of Justice or at the Northern Branch in South San Francisco.
- Unlawful detainer: filed with the civil clerk, but pretrials and ex parte hearings run at the Central Branch, 800 North Humboldt Street, San Mateo, about 12 miles away.
- Family law and probate: the Hall of Justice.
The Central Branch has no clerk's office and no drop box, according to the court's office hours page. It's a hearing location only, so nothing gets filed there.
Filing at the Hall of Justice: appointments and the drop box
The biggest practical difference in San Mateo is that the counter isn't open for walk-ins. The court's office hours page lists the civil, family law, probate and small claims clerk at the Hall of Justice as open 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, by appointment. The criminal clerk keeps longer hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The court notes that the clerk's office still accepts emergency ex parte, domestic violence and temporary restraining order petitions.
For everything else on paper, there's the civil drop box outside Room A on the first floor. The court's rules for it are simple:
- Papers placed in the box before 4:00 p.m. are deemed filed that same court day.
- Papers placed after 4:00 p.m. are deemed filed the next court day.
- The box is emptied at 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. every court day.
So a filing that has to be in today needs to be in the box before 4:00, not 5:00. When we file for a Menlo Park case, we plan around that cutoff.
E-filing and the documents that still go on paper
Local rule 2.1.7 makes e-filing mandatory for everyone except self-represented litigants in limited, unlimited and complex civil cases, small claims and unlawful detainers, and the same requirement covers family law and probate. The court's civil page adds that, since August 11, 2025, paper civil judgment packets aren't accepted unless a self-represented party submits them.
Local rule 2.1.8 lists the exceptions that must be filed on paper. In every type of action, that includes:
- ex parte applications and other ex parte filings
- trial exhibits and administrative records
- writs and abstracts
- subpoenas, including subpoenas for out-of-state actions
- bonds and undertakings
- out-of-state commissions and judgments
Probate has its own paper list, including wills, codicils, letters and certified death certificates. So a Menlo Park case can need both an e-filing account and a run to Redwood City in the same week. A Service Request can combine the two.
Before filing anything new in an existing case, check what's already there. The civil division page points to the court's online Records Index for looking up case information, and copies of civil files can be requested through the court. We can pull those copies for you through document retrieval.
What goes out with a Menlo Park civil summons
San Mateo spells out the service packet in its local rules. Rule 3.804(a) says that at the same time the summons and complaint are served, the plaintiff must also serve every defendant with:
- the plaintiff's Civil Case Cover Sheet, where CRC rule 3.220 requires one
- the Notice of Assignment for All Purposes and Notice of Case Management Conference
- the court's ADR information package under CRC rule 3.221
- a blank Case Management Statement, form CM-110
Rule 3.804(b) then repeats the statewide deadline from CRC rule 3.110(b): the complaint must be served on every named defendant within 60 days after filing, and the proofs of service must be filed within those same 60 days. That's a tighter window than many people assume, and a defendant who is hard to find can use up most of it. Upload all four documents with the summons and complaint so the server delivers one full set, and send the request soon after filing.
Papers to serve in Menlo Park?
Evictions in Menlo Park
A Menlo Park unlawful detainer starts with the civil clerk in Redwood City or through e-filing, but its hearings move. The court's unlawful detainer page says pretrials are held at the Central Branch, 800 North Humboldt Street, San Mateo, and ex parte applications are heard there on Tuesdays and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. in Department 30, Courtroom H. The page says all parties must appear in person for those ex partes, except as California Rules of Court rule 3.1207 allows. Fees for those ex parte applications, and for applications to stay an eviction, are paid at the Civil Clerk's Office, Room A, in Redwood City, or by phone with a card.
There's a shortcut for some routine requests. Under local rule 3.1202(f), uncontested ex parte applications in eviction cases that need no notice or hearing can be e-filed instead. The court names fee waiver applications and applications to serve by posting as examples. Posting a summons is still not something a landlord can do on their own. CCP § 415.45 lets the court order posting, with a certified mailing, only after an affidavit shows the tenant couldn't be served another way with reasonable diligence.
The page also warns of delays between e-filing and documents reaching the court's electronic file. It asks parties to email reply briefs, oppositions and summary judgment motions in eviction cases to the court's law and motion address so they aren't missed.
Once served, the tenant's time to respond depends on the method. The California Courts self-help guide gives 10 court days after personal service, not counting weekends or court holidays. After substituted service, or posting and mailing, the tenant has 10 calendar days from the mailing plus 10 court days.
Small claims for Menlo Park
Small claims cases are filed with the clerk at the Hall of Justice, and hearings are held either there or at the Northern Branch in South San Francisco. The court's small claims page says hearings require an in-person appearance, with remote Zoom appearances available only for someone with a hardship who can't come in. There's also a small claims mediation program, and free advisor appointments are released each Tuesday morning.
If a small claims judgment is appealed, the court's page says the notice of appeal (form SC-140) is e-filed as a new case filing, not under the existing case number, and the appeal gets its own number. The person suing can't serve the claim. Send the hearing date with the request so the attempts are spaced out before it.
Family law and probate
Family law and probate cases from Menlo Park are filed at the Hall of Justice, by appointment at the counter or by e-filing for attorneys. The court's family law page says that when a domestic violence temporary restraining order goes to a hearing, the hearing may be remote or in person, and the moving party should bring a proposed order. The petitioner in a family case can't serve the other party. Another adult does, and the proof of service of summons is usually form FL-115.
San Mateo's family rules add a document of their own. Local rule 5.5 requires each party to file and serve a "Notice of ADR Options," local form FL-02, with a petition, response, request for order or other family law pleading that will lead to a hearing, unless one was filed in the past 180 days. A proof of service of that notice is filed too. Include it in the PDFs for a Menlo Park family case.
For probate, remember the paper list in local rule 2.1.8: original wills and codicils, letters, and certified death certificates go in on paper. We serve probate notices and citations on heirs at Menlo Park addresses and can deliver those paper filings in Redwood City.
Menlo Park addresses and the 94025 ZIP Code
Menlo Park has one Census ZIP Code area, 94025, and it isn't the same as the city. The Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file breaks its land down this way:
- about 77% inside Menlo Park
- about 6% in West Menlo Park, an unincorporated community
- about 5% in North Fair Oaks, also unincorporated
- about 13% in no city or community at all
The court doesn't care which part an address is in, since it's all San Mateo County. For the server it can matter. An address in the unincorporated areas may use the same street names and the same ZIP Code as the city, so a full street address, a cross street and the unit number prevent a wasted trip.
Serving people at Menlo Park offices and campuses
People can be served at work, but offices with lobby security, badge access or a receptionist can slow things down, and the person at the desk usually can't accept papers for someone else. Give us the building, the department or team, the person's role, their usual hours and a photo if you have one. A home address as a second option helps.
When the defendant is the company, skip the lobby. Look up the corporation or LLC's agent for service of process on bizfile Online and send us that name and address. Many companies use a commercial agent. Our pages on CSC Lawyers Incorporating Service and CT Corporation explain how those work, and serving corporations covers the general rules.
Sending a Menlo Park Service Request
Open a Service Request and upload up to 5 PDFs. Name the person or business exactly as the papers do and list every address, with unit numbers and building details. Choose Rush or Standard, and add any filing, including a paper filing for the Redwood City drop box. Get status updates by email.
The signed proof of service comes back to you once service is complete. Our proof of service guide explains what it says, and who can serve papers in California covers why a party can't serve their own case. For witness subpoenas, see our post on serving a subpoena in California. Questions go to 855-582-5776 or Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. We make no guarantees for service.
Near Menlo Park
East Palo Alto is about 1.2 miles away and Atherton 3.3. Redwood City, home of the Hall of Justice, is 4.4 miles north, and San Carlos 6.7. All of them file at the same Redwood City courthouse. For the rest of the county, see San Mateo County process servers and San Mateo County court filings.