On paper, the Santa Monica Courthouse looks like it takes everything. The court's directory lists civil, family law, small claims, traffic and unlawful detainer divisions at 1725 Main Street, with a small claims office in Room 224 and a family law clerk in Room 225. Yet when we ran Santa Monica's ZIP Codes through the court's filing court locator on October 28, 2026, small claims came back as Beverly Hills and family law as the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown.
The locator is the court's own tool for choosing where to file, so that's the answer we plan around, with a call to the clerk when a case is unusual. This page sets out where each kind of Santa Monica case goes, what the city adds for evictions, and what we need to serve the papers.
We serve summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document at Santa Monica homes, apartment buildings and businesses. We also file with Los Angeles Superior Court at the counter or by eFiling. The work is coordinated from our only office, in Sacramento. Start a Service Request or email the papers to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Santa Monica filing locations by case type
All five Santa Monica ZIP Codes returned the same list, and so did the part of 90402 the locator labels Los Angeles.
| Case | Filing courthouse |
|---|---|
| Limited unlawful detainer (eviction) | Santa Monica Courthouse, 1725 Main Street, Santa Monica 90401 |
| Restraining orders | Santa Monica Courthouse |
| Unlimited civil (over $35,000) | Beverly Hills Courthouse, 9355 Burton Way, Beverly Hills 90210, or Santa Monica Courthouse |
| Small claims | Beverly Hills Courthouse |
| Family law | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles 90012 |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse |
| Limited civil, not a collection | Stanley Mosk Courthouse |
| Limited civil, collection | Chatsworth Courthouse, 9425 Penfield Ave., Chatsworth 91311 |
So a Santa Monica matter can touch four buildings, and only evictions and restraining orders are sure to stay on Main Street.
When the directory and the locator disagree
The directory describes what offices a building has. The locator tells you where a given case from a given ZIP Code should be filed. For Santa Monica small claims and family law, those two answers point in different directions, and the court's pages don't say why. We won't guess at the reason.
In practice, three habits help. Read Chapter 2 of the court's Local Rules, which sets the criteria for assigning cases. Call the clerk if your facts are out of the ordinary. And before anything goes out for service, check that the court address printed on the claim, petition or summons matches the building where it was filed. Papers that name the wrong courthouse can send the other side to the wrong building.
Restraining orders on Main Street
Restraining orders are one of the two case types that stay in Santa Monica. The directory lists a Family Law/TROs office in Room 225 on the second floor, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
These papers have to reach the restrained person in hand. The Judicial Council proof forms make that plain: DV-200 for domestic violence cases and CH-200 for civil harassment are both titled Proof of Personal Service. To give the server a fair shot before the hearing, send a recent photo, the person's usual schedule, a workplace if you know it and the hearing date. If the person is hard to pin down, tell us early so there's time for more attempts.
Evictions in a rent-controlled city
Limited eviction cases from Santa Monica are filed at the Main Street courthouse. Before that, though, the city's own rules shape how the notice is handled.
Santa Monica's rent control law is part of the City Charter, Article XVIII. The city says a landlord can't terminate a tenancy in a rent-controlled unit unless one of the reasons in Charter Section 1806 applies. It also lists two deadlines that run from the date the notice is served:
- Rent Control Agency, within three days. Copies of eviction notices for controlled units must be filed with the agency, except notices based on non-payment of rent. The city says missing this step can be raised by the tenant as a defense in the unlawful detainer case.
- City Attorney's Office, within two days. Municipal Code Section 4.27.060 requires every eviction notice, of any type, to be sent there.
Both clocks start at service, so the date on the proof matters. Tell us on the Service Request that it's a Santa Monica notice, and the proof of service will give you the date, the time and the method. From January 1, 2027, the eviction complaint must also state the date, time and location of service of the termination notice (CCP § 1166(a)(5), as operative then). The city notes that its summary isn't legal advice, and the legal questions belong with your attorney.
Two choices for unlimited civil
For a civil case over $35,000, the locator lists both Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. The Beverly Hills Courthouse at 9355 Burton Way has civil, small claims and traffic divisions, with numbered departments such as 200 and 304. The Santa Monica building uses letters instead, running from A to T with several letters left out.
Parking differs too. At Santa Monica, the court points to public parking beside the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, south of the courthouse, plus short-term meters on Main Street and Olympic Drive. Beverly Hills charges for its courthouse parking, and metered spaces line the nearby streets.
Attorneys in Los Angeles civil cases must e-file unless they've been granted an exemption, according to the court's civil e-filing FAQ. We handle both kinds of filing. Our Los Angeles County court filing page has the details, and our post on court e-filing explains how it fits into a case.
Papers to serve in Santa Monica?
Finding your way around 1725 Main Street
The court's directory places the offices you're most likely to need:
| Office | Where |
|---|---|
| Civil Clerk's Office | Room 102, first floor |
| Sheriff's Office | Room 114, first floor |
| Small Claims | Room 224, second floor |
| Family Law/TROs | Room 225, second floor |
| Jury Assembly Room | third floor |
The building opens at 8:00 a.m. and the Clerk's Office at 8:30 a.m., and both close at 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, except court holidays. The main entrance, with an access ramp, is on the west side. Beyond the Civic Auditorium lot, the directory's accessibility list also names a public parking structure behind the courthouse, on its east side.
Eviction hearings aren't confined to one courtroom. Seven of the lettered departments list unlawful detainer among their case types, and Department M lists nothing else. Read the department on the notice before you plan a filing or a court date around it.
New civil complaints from Santa Monica
Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(E) requires every new civil filing to include form LACIV 109, the Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location, and a copy of it has to be served with the summons and complaint. Upload it with the rest of the PDFs so it isn't left out of the package.
The same rule is strict about injury suits. An unlimited personal injury action, such as a car crash on a Santa Monica street or a fall inside a Santa Monica store, must be filed in the judicial district where the incident arose. Rule 2.2 groups the Santa Monica and Beverly Hills courthouses in the West District.
Small claims in Beverly Hills
A Santa Monica small claims case is filed and heard at the Beverly Hills Courthouse, about 7 miles east. The defendant has to be served at least 15 days before the hearing when they live in Los Angeles County, and at least 20 days before when they live elsewhere (CCP § 116.340). The server then fills out form SC-104.
The person suing can't serve the claim. Any other adult who isn't part of the case can, and so can we.
Family law at Stanley Mosk
Santa Monica divorce, custody and support filings go downtown. At the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, the directory places the family law clerk, the filing window and family law self-help in Room 426 on the fourth floor. A family law summons is usually proved on form FL-115.
Stanley Mosk's directory shows each department with its former number alongside the current one. When a notice gives a department number you can't match, look for it in both columns.
Serving at Santa Monica addresses
When the address is in an apartment or condo building, expect a locked lobby, a call box or a gated garage, and plan around them. These details make a first visit count:
- The unit number and the building entrance, since a corner building may have doors on two streets.
- The name on the call box, if it's different from the person's legal name.
- The hours the person is home or at work, and the workplace address.
- A description or photo, and a vehicle if you know one.
The city line runs through some ZIP Codes. In the Census Bureau's ZIP-to-place file, about a quarter of the 90402 land area lies inside the City of Los Angeles, and 90403 and 90405 each include a sliver of it. Service isn't affected, because the server goes to the street address. Santa Monica's rent control rules, though, apply only to units inside Santa Monica.
From January 1, 2027, the diligence needed before leaving papers with someone else at a home or office is shown by attempting 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 details, and the proof of service guide covers what you get back. We make no guarantees for service.
Businesses, agents and moved defendants
To serve a Santa Monica corporation or LLC, find its agent for service of process on bizfile Online and send us the name and address as listed (Corporations Code §§ 1502 and 17701.13). A commercial agent such as CSC or CT Corporation is served at its own office. If no agent can be found, CCP § 416.10 permits service on certain officers. See serving corporations.
When the person has moved, skip tracing searches for a current address and sends it to you first. Our post on skip tracing for legal cases explains the process, and every update comes by email.
Around Santa Monica
Venice is 2.6 miles away and Marina del Rey 3.6. Culver City is 5.8 miles off, Beverly Hills, where Santa Monica small claims are heard, 7.2, and El Segundo 8.1. For the city next door, see Los Angeles, and for the rest of the county, the Los Angeles County page.