The courthouse on East Walnut Street carries more than Pasadena's own caseload. Los Angeles Superior Court's filing court locator sends Pasadena divorces, evictions and small claims there, and it sends the same three case types there from Glendale and Burbank as well. For a paralegal with a Pasadena defendant, that usually means one building for most of the case, with two exceptions worth knowing before the summons issues.
We deliver summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document anywhere in Pasadena, and we file Pasadena cases at the counter or by eFiling. It all runs from our one office in Sacramento, roughly 360 miles away in a straight line, so there's nothing to drop off. Start a Service Request or send the PDFs to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Where a Pasadena case is filed
On October 28, 2026, we ran every Pasadena ZIP Code through the court's Filing Court Locator, including the 91107 entry the court labels East Pasadena and Caltech's 91125. Every one returned the same routing.
| Kind of case | Filing courthouse |
|---|---|
| Family law | Pasadena Courthouse, 300 East Walnut St., Pasadena 91101 |
| Restraining orders | Pasadena Courthouse |
| Small claims | Pasadena Courthouse |
| Limited unlawful detainer (eviction) | Pasadena Courthouse |
| Unlimited civil (more than $35,000) | Alhambra Courthouse, 150 West Commonwealth, Alhambra 91801, or Pasadena Courthouse |
| Limited civil other than collection | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles 90012 |
| Limited civil collection | Chatsworth Courthouse, 9425 Penfield Ave., Chatsworth 91311 |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse |
Four of the eight lines point at Walnut Street, and a fifth may. The catches are the split for large civil cases and the long trip collection suits make.
Big civil cases: Alhambra or Walnut Street
For an unlimited civil complaint, the locator names two courthouses without ranking them. The court's Local Rules, Chapter 2, decide which district a case belongs in, and the locator is a guide to those rules rather than a ruling. When a Pasadena dispute could fit either district, read Chapter 2 or call the civil clerk before you file.
The Alhambra Courthouse at 150 West Commonwealth lists only civil and criminal divisions. Its civil clerk sits in Room 234 on the second floor, and the directory notes a pay lot on the building's south side.
Once a case is assigned, write the courthouse name on your Service Request. If we'll be filing later papers in the same case, that tells our runner which counter holds the file.
Lettered courtrooms on Walnut Street
The Pasadena Courthouse names its departments by letter. The court's directory lists Departments A through S there, with no I or Q and no numbered courtrooms at all. When you send us a hearing date, copy the department letter exactly as the notice prints it.
The same directory maps the first floor:
- Room 102: the Small Claims Clerk's Office and the Unlawful Detainer Hub share it.
- Room 100: the Family Law Clerk's Office and Family Court Services mediation.
- Room 106: the Criminal Clerk's Office.
The doors open at 8:00 a.m., and clerks work from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on court days.
Parking at 300 East Walnut
The court sends drivers to a pay structure at the southeast corner of Marengo Avenue and Walnut Street, with its entrance at 240 Ramona St. The ceiling clearance there is 6 feet 6 inches, and the court warns that large trucks or sport utility vehicles may not fit. Other paid lots are next to the courthouse.
A tall van or a lifted pickup should plan on one of those lots. Or skip the drive: send us the filing with the case number, and we file at the counter or by eFiling. Our Los Angeles County court filing page lists what to include, and our post on same-day court filing covers rush filings.
Collection suits go to Chatsworth
A limited civil case asks for $35,000 or less. When it's a debt collection, the locator sends a Pasadena defendant's case to the Chatsworth Courthouse at 9425 Penfield Ave., on the far side of the San Fernando Valley. Limited cases that aren't collections, and all probate matters, go to Stanley Mosk downtown.
None of that moves the service address. The debtor is still served in Pasadena, at home or at work. What does change is the summons, so check that the court address printed on it matches the building where the case was filed before the papers go out.
Papers to serve in Pasadena?
Pasadena rentals and Measure H
Pasadena adds its own eviction rules to state law. The city says voters approved Measure H, the Pasadena Fair and Equitable Housing Charter Amendment, in December 2022. Under it, nearly all rental units in the city, condos and single-family homes included, need one of the listed just cause reasons before a tenant can be told to leave.
There's also a step after the notice is served. The Rent Stabilization Department says landlords must upload every eviction notice served on tenants of covered units, citing City Charter Article XVIII, Section 1808(k). Its portal takes 3-day notices, no-fault termination notices and unlawful detainer papers, from the summons and complaint through the judgment.
When we serve a notice at a Pasadena rental, the proof of service records who served it, on what date and by what method. Keep it with the notice. Starting January 1, 2027, the eviction complaint itself must state the date, time and location of service of the termination notice (CCP § 1166(a)(5), as operative that day). Whether a reason qualifies as just cause is a question for you or your attorney. We handle the delivery and the proof.
The 91107 question
An envelope reading Pasadena 91107 may not be addressed to the city at all. The Census Bureau's ZIP-to-place file splits 91107 among the City of Pasadena, the East Pasadena and San Pasqual census designated places, a small piece of Altadena and some land in no named place. The Census Bureau defines census designated places as communities that aren't legally incorporated, so those addresses sit in county territory.
The court's locator lists East Pasadena as its own community under 91107 and gives it the same courthouses as the city. Two more Pasadena ZIP Codes reach past the city line: 91104 into Altadena and, by a narrow strip, 91105 into Los Angeles.
For service, none of this matters, because the server goes to the street address. It can matter for city rules. Measure H covers rentals inside Pasadena, so check which side of the line a unit sits on before relying on it.
Caltech and ZIP 91125
ZIP Code 91125 is the California Institute of Technology's ZIP Code. Caltech gives its main address as 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, and the Census file puts the entire ZIP area inside the city. The locator treats it like the rest of Pasadena.
Serving a person who works or studies on a campus takes more than the main address. Tell us the building, the office or lab number and the hours the person keeps there, and give a home address as a backup. Personal delivery means handing the papers to that individual, so knowing where they sit saves attempts. If papers are instead left at a workplace, substituted service needs a person apparently in charge there plus a copy mailed afterward (CCP § 415.20(b)).
Building a Pasadena Service Request
These details turn a first visit from a search into a delivery:
- Any hearing date and department letter, so we know the deadline.
- What kind of address it is: a house, an apartment or condo building, or a workplace. Add the unit, suite or gate code.
- When the person is likely there, at home or on site.
- A photo or description, plus a vehicle if you know it.
- A second address in case the first one doesn't pan out.
From January 1, 2027, the diligence needed before substituted service at a home or office is shown by tries at personal delivery on at least three occasions, on three different days at three different times (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). Our AB 747 guide explains the change. The proof of service guide shows what comes back to you, and the updates come to you by email. We make no guarantees for service.
If the person has moved on, skip tracing looks for a current address and sends it to you for approval. Our article on skip tracing for legal cases explains how the search works.
Businesses with a Pasadena address
A corporation or LLC is served through the agent for service of process it names with the Secretary of State (Corporations Code §§ 1502 and 17701.13). Look the entity up on bizfile Online and send us the agent's name and address as the record shows them. If the record names a commercial agent such as CSC or CT Corporation, the papers go to that agent's office, wherever it is, rather than to the Pasadena storefront.
When no agent can be found, CCP § 416.10 allows service on certain officers instead. Our serving corporations page walks through each route.
Near Pasadena
San Marino is about 3 miles away, South Pasadena 3.7 and Sierra Madre 5. Alhambra, home of the second unlimited civil courthouse, is 5.3 miles off, and La Cañada Flintridge is 4.9. Family, small claims and eviction cases from Glendale and Burbank also end up on Walnut Street. Every other city is on our Los Angeles County page.