Mono County lies on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, along U.S. Highway 395 between Inyo County and the Nevada line. The 2020 Census counted 13,195 residents in the whole county. Its only incorporated community is the Town of Mammoth Lakes, with 7,191 residents, more than half the county's population. Bridgeport, the county seat, is unincorporated, as are June Lake, Lee Vining, Crowley Lake, Walker, Coleville, Benton and Chalfant.
Mammoth Lakes sits about 152 miles straight-line from our Sacramento office, across the crest of the range. We coordinate Mono County process serving and court filing from that office. Send the papers on a Service Request or email them to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
How Mono Superior Court splits its work
Local Rule 2.1 holds court sessions in two places, Bridgeport and Mammoth Lakes. Because the Bridgeport counter keeps short hours, check which location is open before sending a runner.
Mammoth Lakes Courthouse (South County Branch), 100 Thompsons Way. The clerk's office is open Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Phones are answered 9:00 a.m. to noon on weekdays. The court's small claims page sends in-person small claims filings here, and its probate page says guardianship and conservatorship petitions are filed in person with the civil clerk here. Mail for both branches goes to P.O. Box 1037, Mammoth Lakes.
Bridgeport Courthouse (North County Branch), 278 Main Street. The county seat's courthouse lists every case type, from civil and unlawful detainer to family, probate, juvenile and appeals, but it's open on Tuesdays only. Its location page gives 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Civil Division page shows a lunch break in the middle of the day, and an older closure notice gives different hours again. Call before a Bridgeport trip.
Civil law and motion is heard on Thursdays in Mammoth Lakes and on Tuesdays as needed in Bridgeport, under Rule 3.4. The court's e-filing FAQ puts the regular law and motion calendar at 9:30 a.m. on Thursdays. Ex partes, summary judgment motions and demurrers aren't set automatically; dates are reserved through the civil clerk.
Filing electronically in Mono County
E-filing started on February 10, 2025, for civil, family law, probate and small claims cases. Fax filing ended on March 14, 2025. Rule 5.2(D) says the court won't take email or fax filings in those four case types, so the choices are an approved provider, the counter, the drop box or the mail.
E-filing is optional. Rule 5.2(B) says in-person filings will continue to be accepted, while noting the court can make e-filing mandatory by a later order. The rest of the rule sets the details:
- PDFs must be text-searchable and include page numbers.
- Documents of 10 pages or more with multiple exhibits or sections need bookmarks.
- Summary judgment, summary adjudication and anti-SLAPP motions need a printed courtesy copy the same day, regardless of length.
- Original wills and codicils, 170.6 challenges, an ex parte filed with a new complaint and out-of-state commissions must be on paper.
The court's FAQ estimates 3 to 5 business days to process an e-filed document. That's a real factor in a county where the back-up option may be a Tuesday-only counter or a long drive to Mammoth.
Our Mono County court filing service can e-file or deliver paper. Our Court Filings page explains what to send, and the post on rush legal document service covers short deadlines. General information, not legal advice.
Papers to serve in Mono County?
Small claims rules worth knowing
Small claims can be filed in person in Mammoth Lakes, by mail, or electronically. For a claim sent by mail, the court asks for every page of the SC-100 with an original signature, a check or money order and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
The court can serve a small claims defendant by certified mail for $15 per defendant. Its page also states the timing: a defendant who lives in the county must be served at least 15 days before trial, and one who lives outside the county at least 20 days before. Substituted service or certified mail adds 10 days. For a defendant far up the 395 corridor, personal service needs that lead time.
Distances inside the county
Mono is long and thinly populated. Crowley Lake is south of Mammoth Lakes on Highway 395. North of town, the highway passes June Lake, Lee Vining at Mono Lake and Bridgeport, then Walker, Coleville and Topaz near the Nevada line. Benton and Chalfant sit in the far southeast, off U.S. Highway 6.
Trans-Sierra passes into Mono County, including Tioga Pass, close in winter. Remote areas are subject to different timelines. For any address outside Mammoth Lakes, we confirm timing with you before you choose Rush.
A Letter of Instruction for Mono County should include the physical address rather than a P.O. box, unit or condominium numbers, gate codes for private roads, and a workplace if you know it. If the address is old, skip tracing can look for a current one.
The Sheriff's Civil Unit
The court's site points requesters to the Mono County Sheriff's E-Services portal for service of papers and restraining orders. The Sheriff's own Civil Unit page has moved, so the rest of this comes from an archived copy dated June 12, 2026. That copy lists the Civil Unit at 49 Bryant Street in Bridgeport and requires form SER-001. It says most services take up to two weeks of due diligence attempts and that proofs are mailed, not emailed.
Private service is also allowed. Any adult who is at least 18 and not a party can serve a summons; see who can serve papers in California and the proof of service guide. Under AB 747, from January 1, 2027, three good-faith attempts on 3 different days at 3 different times show reasonable diligence for substituted service (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)), and clerks' registers of process servers become public (Bus. & Prof. Code § 22355). The AB 747 guide explains more. General information, not legal advice.
For a business, see serving corporations.
Sending a Mono County job
Start a Service Request, upload up to 5 PDFs, add a Letter of Instruction for each address, and choose Rush or Standard. Get each update by email. Call 855-582-5776, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Neighboring county hubs: Inyo County, Alpine County, Tuolumne County and Madera County.