Newark is a city of 47,529 people (2020 Census) in southern Alameda County, with an estimated 47,895 residents on July 1, 2025. We serve summonses, complaints, small claims, subpoenas, eviction notices and family law papers on Newark residents and on the businesses that operate there.
Our office is in Sacramento, 82 miles from Newark in a straight line, and it's the only one we have. The whole job runs online: you upload the documents, we assign the request, and you get status updates by email.
Newark and the 94560 ZIP Code
Newark has one Census ZIP Code area, 94560, and the 2020 relationship file shows every bit of the city's land falls inside it. The reverse isn't true. The ZIP area covers about 20 square miles of land, and roughly 6 of those, about 31 percent, are inside Fremont. Newark's own land area is about 14 square miles.
That overlap is why a 94560 address sometimes turns out to be a Fremont street. For court purposes it rarely matters, since Newark and Fremont are both in Alameda County and use the same courthouses. For the server, the street address and unit are what count. Census ZIP Code areas approximate postal ZIP Codes.
Which Alameda County courthouse a Newark case uses
Newark doesn't have a courthouse. The closest one, the Fremont Hall of Justice, is about 4.4 miles away, and the court lists it only for criminal and traffic cases in Departments 601 to 608. Here's where Newark matters go instead, with straight-line distances from central Newark:
- Civil complaints: file at the Hayward Hall of Justice, 24405 Amador Street (about 11 miles), or the René C. Davidson Courthouse, 1225 Fallon Street, Oakland (about 24 miles). Those are the two locations the court names for civil filings.
- Evictions: assigned to Department 511 in Hayward. Applications for a stay of eviction can be filed at Hayward or the Davidson courthouse, and the court decides them without a hearing.
- Small claims: file at Hayward, Oakland or online. Every hearing is in person at Hayward.
- Family law: all filings must be presented at Hayward. Domestic Violence Prevention Act protective order papers may also be filed at the Davidson courthouse.
- Probate, conservatorships and guardianships: Berkeley Courthouse only, 2120 Martin Luther King Jr. Way (about 28.5 miles).
For most people in Newark, that means Hayward. Its building is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The clerk takes in-person filings Monday through Thursday until 3:00 p.m. and Friday until 2:00 p.m., and the drop box covers the hour or two after that. The Self-Help Center is in Department 501 and answers by phone and LiveChat at (510) 272-1393.
Court facts checked October 2026 at alameda.courts.ca.gov.
Probate for a Newark estate goes to Berkeley
Probate is the one Newark matter that leaves the south county entirely. A Newark resident's estate, a conservatorship for a Newark parent or a guardianship for a Newark child is filed in Berkeley, at the far north end of the county. The probate page says documents may be filed only in the Berkeley Courthouse clerk's office, and no later than two court days before the hearing.
When people in a probate matter need to be personally served, send each name and address on one request with the hearing date, and we plan the attempts around that two-court-day filing cutoff. If you also need the petition filed, our Alameda County court filing page explains that part.
Papers to serve in Newark?
Newark evictions and Department 511
Unlawful detainer cases from Newark are assigned to one Hayward department, 511. The court's e-filing FAQ says attorney-represented parties have had to e-file in all civil case types since January 1, 2022, under Local Rule 3.27, and that includes unlawful detainers. A landlord without a lawyer can still file at the counter.
For service, an eviction moves fast and leaves little room for missed attempts. Tell us:
- every adult occupant named on the summons
- the unit number, building and any gate or parking access
- when tenants are usually home
- the property manager's contact for entry questions
From January 1, 2027, the diligence needed before an unlawful detainer summons can be posted is shown by attempts on at least 3 occasions, on 3 different days at 3 different times, with one at the home unless an exception applies (CCP § 415.45). Our AB 747 guide walks through it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Small claims for Newark residents
The court's small claims page sets the limit at $12,500 for a person and $6,250 for a business. A Newark filer has three ways in: the Hayward counter, the Davidson courthouse in Oakland, or e-filing. Self-represented people aren't required to e-file, but the court encourages it.
Whatever route you file by, the hearing happens in person in Hayward, in a morning or afternoon session. Photos, texts and other evidence can be submitted through the court's Digital Evidence Portal before trial. Once you have the filed claim, upload it with your Service Request and we serve the defendant.
What a Newark Service Request needs
A few lines of detail decide whether the first trip works:
- The documents. Up to 5 PDFs, as filed or ready for service.
- The party's full name, plus any other names used. For a business, the exact legal name from the Secretary of State.
- The address with unit number. Newark has many apartment and townhome communities where a building letter matters.
- Timing notes. Commute patterns, days off, a vehicle, the best hour to find someone home.
- Rush or Standard, and a Billing Reference if you track matters that way.
Every update comes by email, and the proof of service follows. Questions go to 855-582-5776 or Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Three counties within a few miles
Newark is close to two other counties. East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, about 6 miles away across the bay, are in San Mateo County. Alviso and Mountain View, about 6 and 8 miles away, are in Santa Clara County.
That puts Newark residents in cases filed in three different court systems. A Newark defendant can be served for a San Mateo or Santa Clara County lawsuit, and a Menlo Park or Mountain View defendant can be served for an Alameda County case. The papers state the court, and the filing goes back to that court. Only the service happens in Newark.
How do you serve a company in Newark?
Look up the entity on bizfile Online and send us the name and address of its agent for service of process. That's often an owner or officer for a small Newark business and a registered agent firm for a larger one. We serve whichever is listed. See serving corporations in California, or the pages on CSC Lawyers Incorporating Service and CT Corporation.
If the person has left Newark
When the attempts show a move, ask about skip tracing. We research a current address and send it to you, and the papers go back out only after you approve it. For copies from an older Alameda County case, use document retrieval.
Cities near Newark
Straight-line distances from central Newark:
- Fremont (5 miles) and Union City (6.9), in Alameda County
- East Palo Alto (6.1) and Menlo Park (6.6), in San Mateo County
- Alviso (6.2) and Mountain View (7.7), in Santa Clara County
Most Newark civil and family cases are heard in Hayward. The full county list is on our Alameda County page.
We make no guarantees for service.