Signal Hill is a small city, 2.2 square miles by its own count, with Long Beach wrapped around it. Every ZIP Code area that touches Signal Hill is otherwise Long Beach, according to the Census Bureau's place file, and the city lists its location as next to the Long Beach airport and three miles north of the Port of Long Beach. For a process server, that means a Signal Hill job often starts with a Long Beach address on the paperwork.
It also means a simple court picture. Almost everything from Signal Hill is filed at one building in downtown Long Beach. This page lays out that routing, the exceptions, the ZIP Code overlaps and what helps when serving homes, businesses and the city itself. Signal Hill requests are handled from our Sacramento office, about 380 miles north.
One courthouse for most Signal Hill cases
The court's filing court locator has one row for 90755, labeled Signal Hill. In October 2026 it returned:
| Signal Hill case | Filing courthouse | Straight line from central Signal Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited civil (over $35,000) | Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, 275 Magnolia Avenue, Long Beach | 2.8 mi |
| Limited unlawful detainer (eviction) | Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse | 2.8 mi |
| Small claims | Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse | 2.8 mi |
| Family law and restraining orders | Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse | 2.8 mi |
| Limited civil collection | Norwalk Courthouse, 12720 Norwalk Boulevard | 9.5 mi |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles | 17.9 mi |
| Limited civil that isn't a collection | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | 17.9 mi |
Local Rule 2.2 places the Deukmejian Courthouse in the South District, along with the Catalina Courthouse in Avalon. Signal Hill is a South District city, which sets it apart from neighbors to the north and east. Lakewood, about 4 miles away, sends its evictions to Norwalk and its small claims to Bellflower. Signal Hill's go to Long Beach.
Signal Hill's ZIP Codes and the Long Beach line
The Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP Code to place file shows how Signal Hill and its ZIP Codes overlap:
| ZIP Code area | Signal Hill's share of the ZIP Code land | Rest of the ZIP Code |
|---|---|---|
| 90755 | about 96.8% | Long Beach |
| 90806 | about 1.7% | Long Beach |
| 90804 | under 0.2% | Long Beach |
Seen from the city's side, about 96% of Signal Hill's land is in 90755 and most of the rest in 90806. A small part of 90755, about 3.2% of its land, is in Long Beach, so a 90755 address isn't automatically Signal Hill either.
The locator handles this gracefully. Under 90804 it lists Long Beach, Rose Park and Signal Hill; under 90806 it lists Long Beach, Signal Hill and Wrigley. All of those rows return the same South District courthouses as 90755. So for filing, the Signal Hill and Long Beach question doesn't matter.
It matters for three other things:
- Suing a city. The City of Signal Hill and the City of Long Beach are separate governments with separate clerks and claim procedures.
- Local permits and business licenses. A dispute over a Signal Hill business license is a Signal Hill matter, even when the postal address says Long Beach.
- The proof of service. The server records the address as it appears on the papers. If the client knows the property is in Signal Hill, put that on the request.
Industrial and commercial addresses
The city's community profile breaks Signal Hill's land use down this way: industrial 39%, residential 35%, commercial 21%, public and institutional 3%, open space 2%. With industrial and commercial uses on about 60% of the land, many Signal Hill addresses are business sites rather than homes.
Business addresses need different information:
- The registered entity name, from the Secretary of State's bizfile Online, not the sign on the building.
- The agent for service of process and that agent's address, which may be far from Signal Hill.
- Site access notes for yards, gated lots and buildings with a security desk. If a guard has to call someone, give us a contact name.
- Hours of operation, so the server doesn't arrive at a closed business.
A corporation or LLC is normally served through its agent. If that agent is a commercial service, see our pages on CSC and CT Corporation, and the general guide to serving corporations.
At the Deukmejian Courthouse
The court's directory puts the civil, small claims and unlawful detainer clerks together in Room 1401 on the first floor, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on court days, with two phone lines, (562) 256-2315 and (562) 256-2316. The family law clerk is down the hall in Room 1201 and opens at 8:00 a.m. Family Court Services and the Family Law Facilitator are on the third floor in Room 3001. Paid public parking is in the structure at 101 South Magnolia Avenue. The building itself opens at 8:00 a.m., half an hour before most clerk windows.
Represented parties must e-file civil documents under Local Rule 3.4 unless the court grants an exemption. Self-represented parties are exempt and may file at the counter. Our Los Angeles County court filing page explains how we can file and then serve on one request.
Papers to serve in Signal Hill?
Signal Hill evictions
Signal Hill evictions are filed at 275 Magnolia and served at the property. A tenant who is personally handed the summons has 10 court days to answer, according to the Judicial Council's self-help site. If the papers were left with someone else and mailed, the tenant gets 10 calendar days plus 10 court days, counted from the mailing.
Starting January 1, 2027, AB 747 amends CCP § 415.20(b) so that reasonable diligence is shown by good-faith attempts at personal delivery on at least three occasions, on three different days, at three different times. Posting an eviction summons with a court's permission is covered by CCP § 415.45. The AB 747 guide has the details.
For a Signal Hill rental, include the unit number, the names of all adult occupants on the summons, any building entry code and the filed case number.
Unlimited civil and injury cases
Under Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(A), an unlimited personal injury case must be filed in the district where the incident arose. A crash on a Signal Hill street or an injury at a Signal Hill business is a South District case under the locator, so it goes to the Deukmejian Courthouse. Many other unlimited civil and family cases may instead be filed in the Central District at Stanley Mosk, under Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(B).
Every new civil filing also needs form LACIV 109, the Statement of Location, and the rule says a copy is served with the summons and complaint. Upload it with the rest of the papers.
Small claims from Signal Hill
A Signal Hill small claims case is filed in the same first-floor clerk's office as civil and eviction cases, Room 1401 at 275 Magnolia. Individuals can ask for up to $12,500. The plaintiff can't deliver the claim personally; another adult who isn't a party, such as a process server, has to do it.
Count the deadline from the hearing date printed on the claim. Under CCP § 116.340, a defendant who lives in Los Angeles County must be served at least 15 days before the hearing, and one who lives elsewhere at least 20 days. Signal Hill businesses sued in small claims are served through the agent for service of process on their Secretary of State record. After service, the server completes form SC-104, and you file it with the clerk before the hearing.
If the defendant can't be found, ask the clerk about continuing the hearing rather than letting the date pass. A new date gives the server more time for attempts.
Family law and restraining orders
Signal Hill divorces, custody cases and restraining orders all go to Long Beach. The petitioner can't serve the papers personally, so a non-party adult does. For a summons and petition, the proof is form FL-115. For a restraining order, it's DV-200 or CH-200, and the papers must reach the restrained person before the hearing. A photo, a vehicle description and a work schedule help most. Local Rule 2.3 lets a civil harassment petition be filed where one of the parties lives, or in any district needed to keep the requesting party safe, so a Signal Hill petitioner can usually file at 275 Magnolia.
Collections and probate away from Long Beach
Two Signal Hill case types leave the South District. Limited collection cases go to Norwalk, about 9.5 miles northeast, where the Civil Clerk's Office in Room 101 has a separate collections line, (562) 345-0898. Probate and limited civil cases that aren't collections or evictions go downtown to Stanley Mosk, about 18 miles away.
From 2027, a consumer debt case brings one more rule: at least one service attempt has to be made at the debtor's home when that address is known or can reasonably be found. If you only have an old address, skip tracing can look for a current one.
Serving the City of Signal Hill
Signal Hill City Hall is at 2175 Cherry Avenue, and the city lists its phone as (562) 989-7300. When the city is a defendant, CCP § 416.50 directs the summons to the clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body, which in practice usually means the City Clerk.
Before most money claims can become a lawsuit, the Government Claims Act requires a written claim to the city. Government Code § 945.4 bars the suit until the claim is acted on or rejected, and § 911.2 allows six months for injury and personal property claims. Keep a copy of the claim and the date it was delivered.
Sending a Signal Hill Service Request
Upload up to 5 PDFs on the Service Request form, give every address with unit and access notes, and choose Rush or Standard. Add a filing at 275 Magnolia if you need one, and get every update by email. You can also email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com or call 855-582-5776. We make no guarantees for service.
Cities near Signal Hill
Long Beach is 1.6 miles from central Signal Hill. Lakewood is 4.1 miles away, Carson 5.2 and Bellflower 6.3. Hawaiian Gardens is 5.8 miles off. Every city we serve is on the Los Angeles County page.