Monterey County's court geography surprises people from out of the area. The county seat is Salinas, but nearly every non-criminal case is commenced and heard on the Peninsula, at the Monterey Courthouse. We serve papers anywhere in the county and file in person or electronically. Send up to 5 PDFs with a Service Request, email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com, or call 855-582-5776, Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Four courthouses, one civil hub
Monterey Courthouse, 1200 Aguajito Road, Monterey. Courtrooms 13 through 17. Under Local Rule 2.2, every civil proceeding starts here: civil cases of any amount, evictions, family law, child support, paternity, adoption, harassment and domestic violence cases, and small claims. Probate, guardianship and conservatorship also start here. The law library is on the second floor, and the Self-Help Center on the first floor is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Salinas Courthouse, 240 Church Street, Salinas. Courtrooms 1 through 11, listed for criminal, juvenile and mental health cases.
Marina Courthouse, 3180 Del Monte Boulevard, Marina. Courtrooms 20 and 21, for traffic, small claims trials and child support hearings.
King City Courthouse, 250 Franciscan Way, King City. Courtroom 18, open limited days for traffic filings, family filings, restraining requests, small claims filings, child support calendars and self-help.
For a Salinas landlord or a South County business, that means the civil case is filed on the Peninsula, about 15 miles straight-line from downtown Salinas, not at the county seat. For a Monterey party, the civil courthouse is close by but small claims trials happen in Marina.
Paper filings can start at any courthouse
Local Rule 19.12 is useful when the deadline is today and the case isn't one that must be e-filed. Papers can be delivered to the Salinas, Marina or Monterey courthouse. If they land at a location without jurisdiction, the clerk stamps them received and sends them by court courier, and they count as filed at the received time. King City takes filings in person on its open days.
The same rule warns that incomplete papers, or papers without the filing fee, are treated as not filed and sent back unprocessed. Check the packet before it goes out.
E-filing for nearly every case type
Local Rule 1.7 requires e-filing in all case types except appellate department cases. The court's e-filing page puts it more simply: attorneys must e-file, and self-represented litigants are encouraged to. The rule lists exceptions, such as originals and certain sealed lodgings.
One practical note: the court says Tyler Technologies can no longer submit e-filings to it. If your firm uses Tyler as its filing service provider, pick another from the court's list. General information, not legal advice. We file both ways through Monterey County court filing, and our California e-filing post covers how service providers work.
Papers to serve in Monterey County?
Small claims: filed in Monterey, tried in Marina
Small claims cases are filed at the Monterey Courthouse or by e-filing, and the court encourages e-filing. Trials are in Department 20 at the Marina Courthouse, Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The filing party can ask the processing clerk for the morning or the afternoon calendar.
Before trial, the court points parties to free mediation through the Mandell Gisnet Center in Seaside. Once the claim is filed, the defendant still has to be served before the trial date, and we can handle that and return the proof of service. Our proof of service guide explains what the form shows.
Self-help in three towns
The Monterey Self-Help Center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Salinas has hours on Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 118 West Gabilan Street, and King City on Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., each closed for lunch from noon to 12:30. Remote help is by email at selfhelpcenter@monterey.courts.ca.gov or (831) 647-5800, extension 3005.
From the Peninsula to the south county
Monterey County had 439,035 residents in the 2020 Census. Salinas is the largest city at 163,542, followed by Seaside (32,366) and Monterey (30,218). From our Sacramento office, Salinas is closest at about 133 miles straight-line and King City farthest among the cities at about 167.
The Salinas Valley runs south along U.S. 101 through Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City, with ranch roads and long distances between stops. Unincorporated communities like Prunedale, Castroville, Moss Landing and Carmel Valley use their own ZIP Codes but have no city government. Use the address as the person uses it.
Some Peninsula neighborhoods sit behind gates or on private roads, including the Del Monte Forest area around Pebble Beach. Give us the gate details and any building or unit number. The Big Sur coast is the hardest ground to cover, with homes far apart along Highway 1. Remote areas are subject to different timelines.
The county also has military installations, including the Presidio of Monterey and Fort Hunter Liggett in the south county. For anyone who lives or works on one, list their unit or workplace and any off-base address in the Letter of Instruction.
Before you send it
Include each address, the best times and a description. If the person has moved, skip tracing can look for a current address. For a company, check the agent for service of process on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online search and read serving corporations.
Get every update by email. The service changes in our AB 747 guide start January 1, 2027. Neighboring hubs: Santa Cruz County, San Benito County and San Luis Obispo County.