Modesto is the Stanislaus County seat, with 218,464 residents in the 2020 Census and a Census estimate of 219,652 for July 1, 2025. It lies about 72 miles straight-line south of our Sacramento office on W El Camino Ave. Valpro Attorney Services handles Modesto requests from that office: we serve summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document on people and businesses in the city, and we file with the Stanislaus County Superior Court at the counter or by eFiling.
Choose Rush or Standard on the Service Request. The turnaround for each level is shown on this page, and a hearing date in the next day or two is a Rush.
Stanislaus Superior Court splits Modesto's civil work
The thing that trips people up in Stanislaus County is where a case gets filed. A general civil lawsuit from Modesto is filed downtown. A small claims case or an eviction is not: those go to Turlock.
| Courthouse | Address | Work handled there | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Towers Courthouse | 801 10th Street, Modesto, CA 95354. Civil Clerk's Office on the 4th floor; Departments 21–24 | Civil, probate estates, trusts and conservatorships, civil harassment, name changes | 8:15 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Mon–Fri |
| Turlock Division, Department 19 | 300 Starr Ave, Turlock, CA 95380 | Small claims and unlawful detainer | 8:15 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Mon–Fri |
| Main Courthouse | 800 11th Street, Modesto, CA 95354 | Criminal and juvenile clerks; family law, DCSS and family court services clerk at the "I" Street entrance; Self-Help Center on the 2nd floor | 8:15 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Mon–Fri |
| Traffic Court, Department 20 | 2260 Floyd Avenue, Modesto, CA 95355 | Traffic, plus juvenile traffic | 8:15 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Mon–Fri |
| Juvenile, Department 18 | 2215 Blue Gum Avenue, Modesto, CA 95358 | Juvenile justice and dependency hearings | 8:15 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Mon–Fri |
Source: stanislaus.courts.ca.gov locations page and Civil Division page, checked October 2026. Since May 1, 2026, the juvenile clerk's office has been at 800 11th Street, though hearings stay on Blue Gum Avenue.
The two downtown buildings sit about a block apart, so a single run can cover a civil filing at City Towers and a family law filing at the Main Courthouse. Turlock is a separate trip, about 13 miles straight-line from central Modesto.
Filing at City Towers
The Civil Division sorts cases by amount. Limited civil covers a total amount in controversy of $35,000 or less, and unlimited civil covers anything above that. The amount drives the filing fee and the forms, so get it right on the cover sheet.
The counter on the 4th floor is open 8:15 a.m.–4:00 p.m. The phone line, (209) 530-3100, is answered from 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the division also takes email at Civil.Requests@stanct.org.
The drop box runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a cutoff that matters on a deadline day. Documents stamped up to and including 4:00 p.m. are filed as of that day. Anything stamped after 4:00 p.m. is file-marked the next day. Since August 17, 2026, the court has also required ex parte hearing requests to be emailed to crc_civil@stanct.org.
E-filing in Stanislaus County
Stanislaus Superior Court takes e-filings through approved electronic filing service providers, chosen from its e-filing portal. The page we read doesn't say whether e-filing is mandatory, so check the local rules for your case type.
It does list what the court won't accept electronically. In civil matters, that list includes:
- subpoenas and writs
- abstracts of judgment, bonds and certificates of facts
- exhibits and administrative records or other lodged documents
- the Notice of Jury Fees under California Rules of Court 3.250
- copy and search requests, and coordinated proceedings
Family law has its own list, including requests for orders with temporary orders or shortened time. The court also asks e-filers to type party names in all caps, skip document descriptions and leave "dba" off party names. Each document goes in as its own lead document, not as an attachment.
So a Modesto filing packet often splits: the pleadings go by eFiling and the writ or abstract goes to the counter. We handle both halves. See Stanislaus County court filing for details, or read our post on California court e-filing.
Papers to serve in Modesto?
Small claims and evictions in Turlock
The court's small claims page sets the limits at $12,500 for individuals and $6,250 for businesses. No one can file more than two claims over $2,500 in a calendar year. Parties can't be represented by an attorney at the hearing.
Businesses can file claims electronically, by mail or in person. A business bringing more than two claims at once to the window will be asked to leave them for later processing. Claims can be left with the clerk or in the lobby drop box, and copies can be picked up the next business day or mailed back with a self-addressed stamped envelope. The Turlock Division takes email at Turlock.Requests@stanct.org. Free mediation and a Small Claims Advisor are available in English and Spanish.
For a landlord in Modesto, the practical point is that the unlawful detainer gets filed in Turlock, not at City Towers. After it's filed, send us the summons and complaint, and we serve the tenant at the Modesto unit.
Getting a Modesto service started
- Open a Service Request and choose Process Service. Upload the papers, up to 5 PDFs.
- Name the party to be served. For a business, use the exact entity name and its agent for service of process from the Secretary of State's records. Our guide to serving corporations shows where to find the agent.
- List the addresses. Home, work and any second location, with apartment, space or suite numbers.
- Use the Letter of Instruction. Best days and hours, a description or photo, vehicles, gate codes.
- Pick Rush or Standard and add your Billing Reference.
Each request gets a confirmation email, and every update comes in that thread. Questions go to 855-582-5776 or Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com, Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. We make no guarantees for service, and if an address doesn't pan out, skip tracing can find a newer one.
Modesto ZIP Code areas
The Census Bureau's ZIP Code areas that overlap Modesto's city limits:
95350, 95351, 95354, 95355, 95356, 95358, and a small part of 95313.
Several of these extend past the city line into unincorporated county land or neighboring towns. A Modesto mailing address isn't proof the property is inside city limits, which matters for city-issued notices but not for which court hears the case. It's all Stanislaus County.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census, Vintage 2025 population estimates and the 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file. ZIP Code areas are Census approximations of postal ZIP Codes.
Ceres, Riverbank and the San Joaquin County line
Modesto's neighbors fall in two counties. Distances are straight-line between city centers.
- In Stanislaus County: Ceres (3.3 miles), Riverbank (6.9), Hughson (7.9) and Oakdale (12.1). Turlock, home of the small claims and UD court, is farther south.
- In San Joaquin County: Ripon (10) and Escalon (10.6). Cases there belong to San Joaquin Superior Court, whose main courthouse is in Stockton.
See every city in Stanislaus County.
Other work we handle in Modesto
- Court Filings: in-person filing and eFiling at Stanislaus Superior Court and other California courts.
- Document retrieval: copies from Modesto case files, delivered by messenger.
- Skip tracing: a current address for a party who has moved.
- Secretary of State filings: business filings and document requests at the Sacramento counter.