Sherman Oaks isn't a city, so there's no Sherman Oaks city hall, city attorney or city rent board. It's a community in the southern San Fernando Valley that sits inside the City of Los Angeles. It isn't a Census place either, so the Census Bureau publishes no population figure for it.
For a paralegal, that has two practical effects. Court routing follows Los Angeles County's ZIP Code system, which for Sherman Oaks mostly means Van Nuys. And housing rules follow the City of Los Angeles, including its notice-filing requirement for evictions.
We serve summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document at Sherman Oaks homes, apartment buildings and offices. Sherman Oaks requests are handled from our Sacramento office, about 352 miles north.
The ZIP Codes the court calls Sherman Oaks
The court's Filing Court Locator attaches the community name "Sherman Oaks" to four ZIP Codes: 91403, 91423, 91413 and 91495. Only the first two show up as ZIP Code areas in the Census Bureau's 2020 relationship file, and both lie entirely within the City of Los Angeles. The other two don't appear in that file at all, so don't expect a map boundary for them.
Under 91403 the locator shows two rows, "Sherman Oaks" and "Los Angeles". Under 91423 it shows four, because the court divides that ZIP Code at Fulton and Dixie Canyon Avenues. That line matters for one case type in particular, as the next sections explain.
Filing locations for 91403 and western 91423
For 91403, and for the part of 91423 west of Fulton and Dixie Canyon, the locator returned this list in October 2026.
| Case | Filing courthouse |
|---|---|
| Unlimited civil | Van Nuys Courthouse East, 6230 Sylmar Avenue, Van Nuys |
| Family law | Van Nuys Courthouse East |
| Restraining orders | Van Nuys Courthouse East |
| Limited unlawful detainer | Van Nuys Courthouse East |
| Small claims | Van Nuys Courthouse East |
| Limited civil collections | Chatsworth Courthouse, 9425 Penfield Avenue, Chatsworth |
| Limited civil, not collections | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse |
Local Rule 2.2 puts Van Nuys Courthouse East and Van Nuys Courthouse West in the Northwest District. The West building lists civil, criminal and traffic divisions, but the locator didn't route any new Sherman Oaks civil or family filings there.
East of Fulton and Dixie Canyon: the Burbank exception
East of the Fulton and Dixie Canyon line in 91423, the locator changes one entry. Unlimited civil goes to the Burbank Courthouse, 300 East Olive Avenue, Burbank, which Local Rule 2.2 assigns to the North Central District. Family law and restraining orders stay at Van Nuys East.
The eastern rows weren't fully consistent when we checked. The row labeled "Sherman Oaks" east of the line sent small claims and limited evictions to Van Nuys East. The row labeled "Los Angeles" east of the line sent small claims to the Pasadena Courthouse and listed no eviction court at all. On the west side, the "Sherman Oaks" row omitted an eviction entry while the "Los Angeles" row listed Van Nuys East. Gaps like these are worth a call to the clerk before you file a small claim or an eviction from 91423.
At Burbank, the directory places the Civil Clerk's Office in Room 225 on the second floor, phone (213) 633-6333, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Parking is in the structure behind the courthouse, with a three-hour limit.
How the court's three-step method applies here
Local Rule 2.3(a)(2) tells filers how to pick the courthouse for small claims, limited collections and limited evictions. First, find the city or community that contains the location setting venue. Second, find the postal ZIP Code the U.S. Postal Service assigns to that location. Third, look up the courthouse for that ZIP Code and community in the rule's appendices, which the locator reproduces.
In most of Sherman Oaks the first step doesn't change the answer, because both community names in 91403 lead to Van Nuys East. In eastern 91423 it does. A complaint describing the property as "Los Angeles" and one describing the same block as "Sherman Oaks" can point to different courthouses for small claims. Whoever prepares the papers should pick the community name deliberately and keep it consistent across the complaint, the cover sheet addendum and the summons.
Neighbors that route the same way
Many Sherman Oaks matters involve a second address nearby, such as a defendant's office or a witness's home. In October 2026, the locator sent unlimited civil, family law, restraining orders, limited evictions and small claims to Van Nuys Courthouse East for Encino and Sepulveda rows in 91436, for Van Nuys and Valley Glen rows in 91401, and for 91411. Collections from those ZIP Codes went to Chatsworth, as they do from Sherman Oaks.
Family law has one Valley wrinkle that doesn't reach Sherman Oaks. Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(D) moves family cases from nine western ZIP Codes, such as 91301, 91361 and 91367, to Central or the North Valley District. 91403 and 91423 aren't on that list, so Sherman Oaks family cases stay in Van Nuys.
Papers to serve in Sherman Oaks?
Inside Van Nuys Courthouse East
Most Sherman Oaks filings end up in one building on Sylmar Avenue. The directory lists four divisions there: civil, family law, small claims and unlawful detainer.
- Civil Unlimited clerk: Room 107, first floor, (818) 901-4600.
- Family Law Clerk's Office: also Room 107, phone (213) 633-6363, opening at 8:00 a.m.
- Family Law Facilitator: Room 350, third floor, (818) 901-4650.
- Family Court Services mediation: Room 213, second floor.
- Small claims and unlawful detainer: the main number, (818) 901-4600.
Clerk hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on court days. The 18 courtrooms carry letters rather than numbers. Paid parking is a block east of Van Nuys Boulevard at 6170 Sylmar Avenue, and the court notes the structure shuts at 7:00 p.m.
Los Angeles rules for Sherman Oaks evictions
Because Sherman Oaks is inside the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Housing Department's rules apply to its rentals. LAHD's page on the Just Cause Ordinance sets out three that touch service directly:
- Notices go to LAHD. For properties covered by the city's rent stabilization or just cause rules, every eviction notice issued to a tenant must be filed with LAHD within three business days of service on the tenant.
- A right-to-counsel notice goes with it. Since August 20, 2025, landlords have had to provide a Notice of Right to Counsel to the tenant whenever an eviction notice is served, and to post it in a common area of the building.
- Non-payment has a floor. Since March 27, 2023, a covered tenant who falls behind can't be evicted unless the amount owed is higher than the Fair Market Rent for the unit's bedroom size.
The three-day filing clock runs from service, so the proof of service needs an exact date. Tell us on the Service Request that the property is in Los Angeles, and include the right-to-counsel notice in the PDFs if it's going out with the eviction notice. Whether a given unit is covered is your attorney's call.
Once the case is filed at Van Nuys East, the summons and complaint are served at the unit. The California courts' self-help guide gives a tenant 10 court days to answer when the papers are handed over. From January 1, 2027, CCP § 415.20(b)(2) as amended by AB 747 treats personal delivery attempts on three different days at three different times as evidence of reasonable diligence before substituted service, and CCP § 415.45 covers posting an eviction summons. See our AB 747 guide.
Restraining orders and family papers
A Sherman Oaks restraining order is filed at Van Nuys East, and the order and hearing papers must be handed to the restrained person. Send a photo, a vehicle description if you have one, the person's hours, and a work address. If the person lives in a building with a call box or a gated garage, tell us how a visitor normally gets in.
Divorce and custody cases are filed in the same building. Probate is the exception: estates, conservatorships and guardianships go to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown, where the directory lists Probate Operations in Room 429 on the fourth floor. A family law summons is commonly proved on form FL-115, and our proof of service guide explains the forms.
Small claims and injury cases
Most Sherman Oaks small claims are filed and heard at Van Nuys East. Under CCP § 116.340, the defendant has to be served at least 15 days before the hearing if they live in Los Angeles County, or at least 20 days before if they live elsewhere. The plaintiff can't serve the claim; anyone else over 18 who isn't in the case can, and the server signs form SC-104.
For an unlimited personal injury case, Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(A) requires filing in the district where the incident arose. Because the 91423 line puts some unlimited civil cases in Burbank, check the exact incident location in the locator rather than the plaintiff's or defendant's home address. Every new civil filing also needs form LACIV 109, and a copy is served with the summons and complaint.
Witnesses and records subpoenas
A witness who lives or works in Sherman Oaks can be subpoenaed for a hearing at Van Nuys, Burbank, downtown or anywhere else in the state. A subpoena to appear is personally delivered to the witness, so we need a current address, the times the witness is usually there, and the hearing date and department. A records subpoena to a business has its own notice steps for the consumer whose records are sought. Our post on how to serve a subpoena in California walks through both kinds.
Offices, condos and moved defendants
For an office suite or a condominium, give the suite or unit number, the name on the call box or lobby directory, and the hours the person is usually in. For a company, find the agent for service of process on bizfile Online, and see our serving corporations page if the agent is a commercial service such as CSC.
When the defendant has moved, skip tracing looks for a current address first. You can get each update by email. We make no guarantees for service. For court filing help, see our Los Angeles County court filing page.
Nearby places
Beverly Hills is 5.6 miles from Sherman Oaks, West Hollywood 6.2 and Burbank 7.5. San Fernando is 9.5 miles north. Sherman Oaks is part of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County page covers the rest of the county. Start a Service Request when the papers are ready.