San Diego is the second-largest city in California, with 1,386,932 people in the 2020 Census, spread from San Ysidro at the border to Rancho Bernardo in the north. We serve summonses, complaints, subpoenas, family law papers and notices at homes, apartments, offices and job sites across the city, and we file and pull records at the San Diego Superior Court.
Each request is handled from our office in Sacramento, which is about 469 miles from the center of San Diego in a straight line. You don't need to be local to start one. Fill in the Service Request form, attach up to 5 PDFs and tell us who to serve. Questions go to 855-582-5776 or Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Which San Diego courthouse takes my case?
The San Diego Superior Court has four divisions: Central, East County, North County and South County. Central covers almost all of the city, and it isn't one building. Civil work happens at the Hall of Justice, while family law, probate and criminal cases are at the Central Courthouse nearby on Union Street.
| Case type | Where city cases are filed | Rule or page |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited and limited civil | Hall of Justice, 330 West Broadway, Room 225 | Local rule 1.2.2(E) |
| Unlawful detainer (eviction) | Hall of Justice, Room 225, for every division | Local rule 2.4.2(A) |
| Small claims | Hall of Justice, Room 225, for every division | Local rule 2.4.4(A) |
| Family law | By ZIP Code: Central Courthouse, 1100 Union Street, or South County in Chula Vista | Zip Code List, ADM-254 |
| Probate | Filed at Central or North County; the case stays assigned to Central | Local rule 4.1.2(A) |
The Civil Business Office in Room 225 is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. The court says many business office phones are answered only from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., so a morning call gets further than an afternoon one.
Source: sdcourt.ca.gov civil, landlord-tenant, small claims and family pages and the Zip Code List (form ADM-254, revised January 2025), checked October 2026. Confirm on the court's site before a deadline.
San Diego ZIP Codes that file family law in Chula Vista
Two ZIP Codes inside the city limits belong to the South County Division: 92173 (San Ysidro) and 92154 (Otay Mesa). For a divorce, custody case, paternity case or domestic violence restraining order there, the court's family page sends filers to the Zip Code List, and that list sends these two ZIPs to the South County Regional Center at 500 Third Avenue, Chula Vista. The same applies to civil harassment and elder abuse restraining orders, which also follow the ZIP list.
Civil lawsuits, evictions and small claims from those ZIPs still go downtown. South County's own page says it no longer has a civil and small claims business office, and that other civil documents are filed at the Hall of Justice.
The north end of the city works the other way. Rancho Bernardo (92127, 92128), Rancho Peñasquitos (92129), Carmel Valley (92130) and Scripps Ranch (92131) are all assigned to Central, not to North County in Vista. Their papers are filed at 330 West Broadway or 1100 Union Street, about 12 to 21 miles from those neighborhoods in a straight line. Rancho Bernardo and Otay Mesa are about 30 miles apart, and both are inside the city.
What a San Diego civil complaint has to include when it's served
San Diego Superior Court requires attorneys to e-file. Under its General Order on electronic filing and local rule 2.1.4, every filing by an attorney for a represented party in a limited or unlimited civil case goes through an approved e-filing service provider, with exceptions the court lists on form CIV-409. Self-represented parties may still file on paper at Room 225.
That rule affects the service package. The court's e-filing page says the plaintiff, petitioner or cross-complainant must serve a copy of the General Order and form CIV-409 along with the complaint or other first papers. When you send a new San Diego civil case to us for service, include both documents in the PDFs so they go out with the summons.
The court also posted a notice that its Civil Division moved to a new case management system and has a significant backlog in all filing types. It asks filers not to call about a submission pending for less than a month. Build that into any deadline that depends on getting a conformed copy back.
We handle San Diego filings both ways, eFiling or a court runner at the Room 225 counter. See San Diego County court filing for the details, or read our post on California court e-filing.
Papers to serve in San Diego?
Serving someone who lives or works on a military base
Several of the city's ZIP Codes belong to military sites. The court's Zip Code List labels 92136 as the 32nd Street Naval Station, 92134 as the Naval Hospital and 92145 as the Miramar Air Station. A process server can't simply walk onto any of them.
Federal regulation 32 CFR § 720.20 covers service of process at Department of the Navy commands and installations. Its main points:
- Service isn't made within a command without the commanding officer's consent.
- For process from a California court, the command ordinarily shouldn't block service if it's done under reasonable command rules.
- The command usually designates a meeting place, such as the legal office, so service happens away from the workplace.
- Where the papers come from another state's court, the person may decline to accept them.
In practice, an off-base address is usually the faster route. In the Letter of Instruction, give the person's home address if you have it, plus their unit, rank or job title. If the only address is on base, say so, and we'll work through the installation's process. This is general information, not legal advice.
Campuses, downtown towers and the border
A few other San Diego addresses need extra detail before the first attempt:
- University campuses. The Zip Code List shows 92093 and 92092 for UC San Diego in La Jolla and 92182 for San Diego State. Give a building, department or office number, not only the campus address.
- Downtown offices. In 92101, the lobby desk often controls the elevators. Name the company and suite, and tell us whether the person works a regular schedule there.
- Gated communities and secured apartments. Put the gate code, call box name or leasing office hours in the Letter of Instruction.
- Addresses across the border. A home in Tijuana or anywhere else in Mexico is outside California. If that is the only address you have, raise it with the attorney before you send the request.
Evictions and small claims in San Diego
Landlords serve a lot of San Diego papers. The court's landlord-tenant page explains that the landlord can't hand the summons and complaint to the tenant personally: someone over 18 who isn't a party has to do it, and that person signs the proof of service. Every San Diego unlawful detainer, from any part of the county, is filed at the Hall of Justice, so the endorsed summons you send us will carry that court's stamp.
Small claims works the same way. The case is filed at Room 225, the defendant has to be served, and the proof of service goes back to the court before the hearing. The court's Small Claims Legal Advisory offers walk-in help at the Hall of Justice from Monday to Thursday, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., with sign-in by 10:10 a.m.
How do you serve a company in San Diego?
Most businesses are served through their agent for service of process. California corporations and LLCs must name one in their Secretary of State filings (Corporations Code §§ 1502 and 17701.13), so search the entity on bizfile Online before you send the papers. The agent is often a registered agent company at a different address from the office or lab you know, and serving the agent is usually quicker than finding the right officer at a Sorrento Valley or downtown front desk.
When the business has no agent on file, or the agent's address no longer works, our guide to serving a corporation in California explains the other options.
When the San Diego address doesn't work
If an attempt shows the person moved out, we'll email you what we found. Ask about skip tracing to look for a current address, then approve a new attempt. Our post on finding a defendant in California covers what helps before you get to that point.
Cities next to San Diego
The city borders several smaller cities we also serve: La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Santee, El Cajon and National City. East County cities like El Cajon and La Mesa file family law in El Cajon, and National City files in Chula Vista. All of them send civil, eviction and small claims cases to the Hall of Justice. For the rest of the county, see San Diego County process serving.