In Sonoma County the filing is centralized and the serving is spread out. One Santa Rosa courthouse takes nearly every non-criminal case, while the addresses run from suburban Petaluma to ridge roads above the Russian River and the Mendocino County line. We take both sides of that work. Upload up to 5 PDFs to a Service Request, email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com, or call 855-582-5776, Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Cleveland Avenue takes almost everything
The Civil and Family Law Courthouse at 3055 Cleveland Avenue, near Coddingtown off Highway 101 at the Guerneville Road/Steele Lane exit, is where civil, unlawful detainer, small claims, family and probate papers are filed. The clerk's offices are open 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the building until 5 p.m. The entrance is at the west end of the building, facing the parking lot.
The Hall of Justice at 625 Administration Drive handles criminal and traffic work and is the court's mailing address for probate. Juvenile delinquency is heard at the Juvenile Justice Center, 7425 Rancho Los Guilicos Road, Santa Rosa.
So for a case from Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg or Sonoma, the filing trip is the same: Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa.
Probate on Cleveland Avenue
Probate hearings for trusts, decedents' estates and conservatorships (other than limited and LPS conservatorships) are usually in Courtroom 23. Self-represented filers use the Probate Window across from Courtroom 18.
Ex parte practice has its own rules. Attorneys must e-file ex parte applications in conservatorship, estate and trust matters. A party without a lawyer can drop one off at the clerk's office, marked "Drop-Off Ex Parte" in the caption, and the court says to submit it before 10 a.m. Opposition papers are due by 10 a.m. on the day the application is presented. General information, not legal advice; check Local Rule 6.2 and the probate division page for your matter.
E-filing covers most case types
Under Local Rules 17.22 and following, represented parties have had to e-file in all civil, probate and family law matters, including child support cases, since January 1, 2023. From January 1, 2026, the rule reaches criminal and juvenile matters too, and it applies to every attorney who files, including consulting attorneys, mediators and document-preparer attorneys. Self-represented parties are exempt. Local Rule 17.23 lists exceptions.
Timing matters on deadline day. E-filings count until 11:59 p.m., unless the document needs same-day service, which moves the cutoff to 5 p.m. Put any hearing date in the filing description so the clerk can see it. We handle both e-filing and counter filing through Sonoma County court filing.
The Sheriff's Civil Bureau
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Civil Bureau serves process and executes levies. Its phone is (707) 565-2751, with office hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a document window until 4:30 p.m. It asks for the Judicial Council form SER-001 with most service requests, and since January 1, 2026 it charges $1.25 a page to print papers that were submitted electronically.
The bureau's page says plainly that it offers no rush service and works through papers first come, first served. If a hearing date is close, a private process server is the other route. Any adult who isn't a party to the case can serve; our guide on who can serve papers in California covers the rule.
Coast, river and valley addresses
Sonoma County had 488,863 residents in the 2020 Census, and Santa Rosa alone had 178,127. The U.S. 101 corridor from Petaluma through Rohnert Park, Cotati, Santa Rosa and Windsor holds most of them. From our Sacramento office, the town of Sonoma is the closest point at about 57 miles straight-line, and Sea Ranch is the farthest at about 106.
The rest of the county is where attempts take planning:
- Russian River: Guerneville, Monte Rio, Rio Nido, Villa Grande, Forestville and Duncans Mills include homes on narrow roads and steep private drives.
- North coast: Jenner, Cazadero, Stewarts Point, Annapolis and Sea Ranch are a long drive on Highway 1 or mountain roads. Remote areas are subject to different timelines.
- Sonoma Valley: Boyes Hot Springs, El Verano, Eldridge, Glen Ellen, Kenwood and Vineburg are unincorporated, with winery and ranch addresses mixed in.
- West county: Sebastopol, Graton, Occidental, Bodega and Valley Ford include farm parcels where the house sits far from the road.
Many of these are Census-designated places or unincorporated communities with no city hall. Use the mailing address and ZIP the person uses, and add a description, the gate or driveway, and any vehicle you know of.
Sending the request
List every address, including any second home or workplace, and the best time to find the person. When an address is stale, skip tracing can look for a current one. For a business, look up the agent for service of process on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online search, then see serving corporations.
Each request gets a confirmation email, and every update comes in that thread. After service you receive a proof of service ready to file. The AB 747 changes taking effect January 1, 2027 make a detailed proof more important. For neighboring counties, see Marin County, Napa County and Mendocino County.