A Pico Rivera case can touch four courthouses before it's done. The civil complaint goes to Norwalk, the divorce to Whittier, the small claim to Bellflower and the estate to downtown Los Angeles. Next door, Montebello sends almost everything downtown. Knowing which building takes which paper is most of the work of filing a Pico Rivera matter, and it shapes how we plan service.
Pico Rivera had 62,088 residents at the 2020 Census, and the Census Bureau's estimate for July 2025 was 58,915. Nearly all of the city is in ZIP Code 90660, with small edges in 90601 and 90606.
We serve summonses, complaints, subpoenas, restraining orders, family law papers and eviction notices at Pico Rivera homes, apartments and businesses. Pico Rivera work is handled from our Sacramento office, about 371 miles away.
Four courthouses, one city
Los Angeles Superior Court assigns filing locations by case type and ZIP Code area. For Pico Rivera's 90660, and for the Pico Rivera rows under 90601 and 90606, the Filing Court Locator returned this in October 2026:
- Norwalk Courthouse, 12720 Norwalk Boulevard, Norwalk: unlimited civil, limited unlawful detainer and limited civil collections.
- Whittier Courthouse, 7339 South Painter Avenue, Whittier: family law and restraining orders.
- Bellflower Courthouse, 10025 East Flower Street, Bellflower: small claims.
- Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles: probate and limited civil cases that aren't collections.
Local Rule 2.2 groups Norwalk, Bellflower, Whittier and the Downey Courthouse in the Southeast District. Downey doesn't appear in Pico Rivera's routing at all, even though it's part of the same district. The three Southeast buildings Pico Rivera does use all list clerk hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, except Whittier's family law clerk, which opens at 8:00 a.m.
ZIP Code 90660 and the city's edges
The Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP-to-place file shows a close fit at the center and a loose one at the edges. Pico Rivera covers about 99% of the land in 90660, with the last 1% in Montebello. From the city's side, about 92% of Pico Rivera's land lies in 90660, about 5% in 90601 and about 1.4% in 90606.
Those small edges are where mistakes happen. 90601 is mostly Whittier and unincorporated land, and Pico Rivera holds only about 4% of it. 90606 is about two-thirds West Whittier-Los Nietos, an unincorporated community, plus pieces of Whittier, Santa Fe Springs and Pico Rivera. A Pico Rivera address in either ZIP Code should be checked against the locator with the community name, not the ZIP Code alone.
Same ZIP Code, different courthouse: 90601
The locator lists five communities under 90601, and they don't agree.
| 90601 community | Small claims | Limited eviction | Family law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pico Rivera, Whittier, Rose Hills | Bellflower | Norwalk | Whittier |
| Hacienda Heights | West Covina | West Covina | Whittier |
| City of Industry | West Covina | West Covina | Pomona Courthouse South |
So an eviction from a 90601 property labeled Pico Rivera is filed in Norwalk, but one from a 90601 property labeled Hacienda Heights is filed in West Covina. Local Rule 2.3(a)(2) makes the community part of the test: filers identify the city or community containing the venue location, then the postal ZIP Code, then the courthouse for that pair. Use the community name that appears on the lease or the contract.
90606 was simpler when we checked. Its Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, West Whittier-Los Nietos and Whittier rows all routed the same way as 90660.
Montebello, across the line, goes downtown
Pico Rivera's routing stops at the Montebello city line. For Montebello's ZIP Code 90640, the locator sent unlimited civil, family law, restraining orders, limited evictions and small claims all to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Only collections went to Norwalk.
That matters for cases with parties on both sides of the line. A contract dispute between a Pico Rivera business and a Montebello customer can have more than one proper venue, and the choice decides which building hears it. Settle the venue before the papers go out for service.
The Norwalk civil counter
Pico Rivera's civil suits and evictions are filed at the Norwalk Courthouse, which lists civil, criminal, mental health and unlawful detainer divisions. The court's civil e-filing FAQ says attorneys must e-file unless granted an exemption, while self-represented filers can still use the counter; our post on court e-filing explains the difference, and we handle either. The directory lists the Civil Clerk's Office in Room 101 on the first floor, with three separate phone lines: general civil at (562) 345-0899, limited civil collections at (562) 345-0898 and limited unlawful detainer at (562) 345-0897. Clerk hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Parking is in the City of Norwalk's fee structure off Civic Center Drive, east of the courthouse, entered from Avenida Manuel Salinas. The court warns that large vehicles may exceed the height limit and should ask the attendant for directions.
Every new civil complaint filed in Los Angeles County needs form LACIV 109, the Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location, and Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(E) requires a copy to be served with the summons and complaint. Upload it with the other PDFs. For an unlimited personal injury case, Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(A) requires filing in the district where the incident happened, which for an incident inside Pico Rivera means the Southeast District.
Papers to serve in Pico Rivera?
Family law at the Whittier Courthouse
The Whittier Courthouse lists a single division: family law. Its directory puts the Family Law Clerk's Office in Room 100 on the first floor, opening at 8:00 a.m., and the Family Law Facilitator and Self-Help Resource Center in Room 300 on the third floor, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Family Court Services, for mediation and evaluation, is in Room 101.
The directory adds a scheduling detail. Mediation appointments are given at the time a Request for Order about child custody and visitation is filed. That means the request, the hearing notice and the mediation date often go out together, and the other parent needs all of them. Send the full set.
Restraining orders from Pico Rivera are also filed in Whittier, and the papers must be handed to the restrained person. A photo, a vehicle, a work address and the hours the person keeps are the details that help most. Parking at Whittier is in a fee structure across the street from the courthouse, and the Sheriff's Office is in Room 124 on the first floor.
Small claims in Bellflower
The Bellflower Courthouse lists two divisions, criminal and small claims. Its Small Claims Clerk's Office is on the second floor, phone (562) 345-3396, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Parking is in the structure behind the library off Civic Center Drive, or on nearby streets.
Timing depends on where the defendant lives. CCP § 116.340 requires service at least 15 days before the hearing on a defendant inside Los Angeles County and at least 20 days before on one who lives in another county. A Pico Rivera business suing a customer who has moved to Orange County needs the longer window, so put the hearing date on the Service Request.
The person who filed the claim can't serve it. Any adult who isn't part of the case can, and so can we. The server signs form SC-104, which is filed before the hearing. Our guide to who can serve papers in California explains the rules.
Collections, probate and the downtown cases
Norwalk also takes Pico Rivera's limited civil collection cases, the debt cases defined in California Rules of Court rule 3.740. Its civil counter keeps a separate collections line, listed above, so a creditor's paralegal can reach the right desk directly.
Two kinds of Pico Rivera cases skip the Southeast District entirely. Limited civil cases that aren't collections are filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, under Local Rule 2.3(a)(2)(B). Probate, conservatorship, guardianship and trust matters go there too, because Local Rule 2.3 sends them to the Central District, with exceptions only for the North District. The Stanley Mosk directory lists Probate Operations in Room 429 on the fourth floor.
Witnesses for a Norwalk or Whittier hearing
When a Pico Rivera case needs a witness who won't come voluntarily, the subpoena to appear is handed to the witness in person. Send the witness's home and work addresses, the hearing date, the courthouse and department, and anything you know about the witness's schedule. A records subpoena to a Pico Rivera business has extra notice steps when consumer records are involved. Our post on how to serve a subpoena in California explains both.
Evictions and the county's unincorporated pockets
A Pico Rivera eviction is filed in Norwalk and served at the property. The California courts' self-help guide gives a tenant 10 court days to answer when the papers are handed over. Starting January 1, 2027, AB 747 amends CCP § 415.20(b)(2) so that personal delivery attempts on three different days at three different times show the reasonable diligence needed before substituted service, and CCP § 415.45 governs posting an eviction summons. Our AB 747 guide explains the changes.
The neighboring unincorporated areas follow County housing rules that don't apply inside the city. Los Angeles County's Department of Consumer and Business Affairs says its rent stabilization and tenant protection program covers rental units in unincorporated Los Angeles County, and that from April 16, 2026, a non-payment termination there can proceed only when unpaid rent exceeds two months of Fair Market Rent. A 90606 unit in West Whittier-Los Nietos falls under that program. A unit inside Pico Rivera doesn't fall under the County ordinance. Your attorney decides which rules govern a given notice.
Serving the City of Pico Rivera
When the city is the defendant, CCP § 416.50 allows service on a public entity by delivering the summons and complaint to its clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or another head of its governing body. Pico Rivera City Hall is at 6615 Passons Boulevard, Pico Rivera 90660, phone (562) 942-2000. The city lists its hours as Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so plan service on the city for one of those four days.
Businesses and defendants who have moved
For a company with a Pico Rivera address, look up its agent for service of process on bizfile Online and send us the listing. If the agent is a commercial service like CT Corporation, the papers go to that agent's office. See serving corporations for the alternatives.
When someone has moved, skip tracing looks for a current address and reports back first. Every update comes by email, and the proof of service guide describes what you'll get back. We make no guarantees for service. For filing help, see our Los Angeles County court filing page.
Cities next to Pico Rivera
Montebello is 2.2 miles away and Commerce 3.5. Bell Gardens is 4.1 miles west, Santa Fe Springs 4.2 miles south, and Whittier and Downey 4.3 miles each. For the rest of the county, see Los Angeles County. Start a Service Request when the papers are ready.