Montclair sits at the western edge of San Bernardino County, and that edge is the first thing to get right on any Montclair case. Pomona and Claremont, both next door, are Los Angeles County cities with a different superior court, different local rules and different courthouses. A Montclair summons will name a San Bernardino County courthouse, and the proof of service has to go back to that court.
The service itself happens at the Montclair address. We handle Montclair requests from Sacramento, about 378 miles away, and log every attempt so you can see where the job stands.
Montclair's courthouses by case type
The San Bernardino Superior Court's Where Can I File page lists each courthouse with the communities it serves. Montclair appears in these entries. Miles are straight lines from the city's Census center point:
| Montclair matter | Courthouse | Miles |
|---|---|---|
| Civil, limited and unlimited | Civil Division of the Rancho Cucamonga District, 8303 Haven Avenue | 7.3 |
| Felony and misdemeanor | Rancho Cucamonga District, same building | 7.3 |
| Small claims | Fontana District, 17780 Arrow Boulevard | 16.2 |
| Limited landlord-tenant | Fontana District | 16.2 |
| Probate, guardianship, conservatorship | Fontana District | 16.2 |
| Family law, adoptions, domestic violence orders | Family Law Division, Historic Courthouse, 351 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino | 23.5 |
| Unlimited landlord-tenant, name changes | Civil Division, San Bernardino Justice Center, 247 West Third Street | 23.5 |
The clerk's offices in all of these buildings list hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except court holidays.
Why Haven Avenue and not Ontario or San Bernardino
Montclair is one of a short list of West Valley communities the court sends to the Haven Avenue civil division: Alta Loma, Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, unincorporated Mt. Baldy, parts of Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga and Upland. Ontario isn't on that list, even though it borders Montclair, and its general civil cases are handled in San Bernardino.
The Haven Avenue division takes limited and unlimited civil cases, labor board appeals, writs of mandate and Western Region environmental review cases. Its phone line is (909) 708-8678. The court's directions describe the entrance to the Law and Justice Center off Civic Center Drive, with public parking on the south, east and west sides of the courthouse. A drop box at the front entrance takes completed documents and checks or money orders, and anything left before 4:00 p.m. is marked received that day.
Attorneys must e-file general civil documents, including judgments, since September 2, 2025, according to the court's civil eFiling page. Self-represented parties may still file on paper or choose to e-file. Our San Bernardino County court filing page explains how we file at Haven Avenue and send the conformed papers to the server.
Two civil counters for Montclair cases
The court's page names Montclair in a second civil list too, for the San Bernardino Justice Center at 247 West Third Street. That list covers unlimited landlord-tenant cases, name changes, petitions for return of firearms and several protective orders, along with civil cases generally. So an eviction seeking more than $35,000 for a Montclair property points downtown to San Bernardino, while a routine limited eviction goes to Fontana.
The same page lists Montclair under the Fontana District for civil harassment, gun violence restraining orders, workplace violence and postsecondary school protective orders. With two buildings named for those orders, call the civil line at (909) 708-8678 before filing to confirm which counter will take your petition.
Small claims, evictions and probate in Fontana
The Fontana District at 17780 Arrow Boulevard handles Montclair's small claims, limited landlord-tenant cases and probate. The court's location page describes the building at the northeast corner of Arrow Highway and Alder Avenue and lists separate contacts:
- Small claims: (909) 350-9322, FontanaSmallClaims@sb-court.org.
- Landlord-tenant: (909) 350-9322, FontanaLLT@sb-court.org.
- Probate: (909) 521-3388.
The location page also offers an appointment link for small claims and landlord-tenant filings, and a front-entrance drop box. Probate matters for Montclair, along with guardianships and conservatorships, are filed at Fontana rather than in San Bernardino.
Montclair small claims
The court's small claims page sets the usual limit at $12,500 for an individual and $6,250 for a business or other entity. A plaintiff can't serve the claim personally, and a lawyer can't appear with a party at the hearing. Under CCP § 116.340, the defendant has to be served at least 15 days before the hearing if they live in San Bernardino County and at least 20 days before if they live elsewhere. A defendant who moved to Pomona or Claremont is outside the county, so the 20-day rule applies even though they live a few miles away. The server completes form SC-104.
Evictions for Montclair rentals
Limited landlord-tenant cases go to Fontana. The court's landlord-tenant eFiling page says voluntary e-filing began on October 2, 2023, for attorneys and self-represented litigants, with no mandatory date set, and that writs of execution and writs of possession can now be submitted through eFile.
After the summons is served in person, the tenant has 10 court days to respond, according to the California Courts Self-Help Guide. From January 1, 2027, a court can order an eviction summons posted under CCP § 415.45 on a showing of reasonable diligence, and three good-faith attempts on three different days at three different times show it. Unless the property is commercial, one attempt has to be at the tenant's home when it's known. Our AB 747 guide covers the changes. For a Montclair unit, send:
- Every tenant named on the summons, spelled as filed.
- The unit number and entrance, and whether the server should start at a manager's office.
- Gate or access instructions for complexes with controlled entry.
- The Fontana or San Bernardino case number.
Papers to serve in Montclair?
Family law in San Bernardino
Montclair divorce, custody, adoption and domestic violence restraining order cases are filed at the Family Law Division in the Historic Courthouse, 351 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, about 23.5 miles east. In a public notice released October 26, 2026, the court said the Family Law Clerk's Office is moving to the Historic Courthouse Annex effective November 9, 2026. Check the notice before a counter visit after that date.
A family law summons is usually proved on FL-115, and the petitioner can't serve it personally. A domestic violence order goes to the restrained person in hand, proved on DV-200. Tell us the person's work schedule and any second address, plus anything the server should know for safety.
Child support, juvenile and criminal matters
A few Montclair case types have their own addresses:
- Child support: government child support filings for the valley, Montclair included, go to the Child Support Division at the Historic Courthouse, 351 North Arrowhead Avenue.
- Juvenile delinquency: filed at 900 East Gilbert Street, San Bernardino, which the court's page lists for Montclair and the rest of the West Valley.
- Juvenile dependency: every city in the county uses 860 East Gilbert Street.
- Felony and misdemeanor cases: heard in the Rancho Cucamonga District at 8303 Haven Avenue, the same building as the civil division.
A subpoena in a Montclair criminal case will usually name the Haven Avenue building. Send us the subpoena with the appearance date, the witness's home and work addresses, and any hours the witness keeps.
When the papers can be left with someone else
Personal delivery comes first. When the server can't find the person after reasonable diligence, CCP § 415.20(b) allows substituted service: the papers are left with a competent adult household member, or with the person apparently in charge at the business, who is told what they are, and a copy is mailed to the same address. The version that takes effect January 1, 2027 lets that mailing go first-class, Priority Mail with tracking, or certified with a return receipt, and service is complete 10 days later.
For a Montclair household, the details that make substituted service possible are simple ones: who else lives at the address, which door the household uses, and what time someone is usually home. If the person works in Ontario, Upland or across the line in Pomona, a business address gives the server a second place to try.
The 91762 sliver
The Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA to place file puts about 95% of Montclair's land in 91763, and Montclair makes up about 99.5% of that ZIP Code area. The other 5% or so of the city sits in 91762, a ZIP Code area that is almost entirely Ontario.
That edge matters for civil filings. A property inside Montclair with a 91762 address still belongs on the Haven Avenue list, but one just across the line in Ontario files general civil cases in San Bernardino. For small claims and limited evictions, both cities use Fontana, so the difference is smaller. The court's Haven Avenue page reminds filers to use the correct venue and ZIP Code when filing or mailing documents.
Across the county line
Montclair's nearest neighbors in Los Angeles County are Pomona, 3.7 miles away, Claremont, 3.8 miles, and La Verne, 5.3 miles. A case about a property or event on that side of the line belongs to the Los Angeles Superior Court, which assigns courthouses by ZIP Code and case type. A Montclair case doesn't move when the defendant lives there. The papers are served in Pomona or Claremont, and the proof comes back to the San Bernardino court.
Serving the City of Montclair
Montclair City Hall is at 5111 Benito Street, and the city's general line is (909) 626-8571. The city lists hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, closed Friday through Sunday. Under CCP § 416.50, a city is served through its clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body. Name the office in the Letter of Instruction, along with any hearing or response deadline.
Businesses and people who have moved
For a corporation or LLC with a Montclair storefront or office, serve the agent for service of process listed on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online search. Our serving corporations page covers what to do when the agent can't be found. If the person has left the Montclair address, skip tracing looks for a current one, and our post on how to find a defendant in California lists what to collect first.
Sending a Montclair request
Attach up to 5 PDFs to a Service Request, choose Rush or Standard, and give every address with its ZIP Code and unit. Tell us which courthouse issued the case, Haven Avenue, Fontana or San Bernardino. Get status updates by email, or call 855-582-5776. We make no guarantees for service.
Near Montclair
Upland is 3.8 miles away, La Verne 5.3 and Ontario 5.8, with San Dimas 6.8 miles away. We also serve Rancho Cucamonga, and every place we serve in the county is on our San Bernardino County page.