Spring Valley is an unincorporated community in San Diego County, a few miles from Lemon Grove, La Mesa and Bonita. The Census Bureau counted 30,998 residents in the Spring Valley Census-designated place in 2020. There's no city government; the County of San Diego is the local government.
Valpro Attorney Services serves eviction papers, summonses and complaints, small claims, family law petitions and subpoenas at Spring Valley homes, apartments and businesses. Spring Valley requests are handled from our Sacramento office, about 479 miles north in a straight line.
Spring Valley's courts, by case type
On the San Diego court's Zip Code List, form ADM-254 (revised January 2025), every Spring Valley ZIP Code is assigned to the East County Division: 91977 and 91978 for street addresses and 91976 and 91979 for post office boxes. East County's courthouse is in El Cajon, about 4.6 miles from the center of the Spring Valley CDP in a straight line. But the court's local rules send the most common civil cases from East County ZIP Codes downtown, to the Hall of Justice at 330 West Broadway, about 11.1 miles away:
- Unlawful detainers: Hall of Justice, Room 225, under Local Rule 2.4.2(A).
- Limited and unlimited civil, including collection suits: Hall of Justice, Room 225, under Local Rule 1.2.2(E).
- Small claims: Hall of Justice, by mail or the second-floor drop box, under Local Rule 2.4.4(A).
- Family law, civil harassment and elder abuse restraining orders: East County Regional Center, 250 East Main Street, El Cajon.
- Probate: Central Courthouse, 1100 Union Street, third floor.
Attorneys must e-file in limited, unlimited and complex civil cases under Local Rule 2.1.4, and self-represented parties are encouraged to. The court's e-filing FAQ says civil and eviction cases from East County ZIP Codes are e-filed through the Central branch, since the East branch accepts only gun violence restraining orders electronically. If a case lands in the wrong branch, the clerk processes it and transfers it, and a new case number and Notice of Case Assignment follow by mail. The FAQ also asks that party names be entered exactly as they appear on the complaint, which is the same name the server needs.
Spring Valley evictions at the Hall of Justice
The court's landlord and tenant locations page says every unlawful detainer is filed with the Civil Business Office at the Hall of Justice, Room 225, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, phone (619) 450-7275. Many of the court's business-office phones are answered only from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
The landlord FAQ lays out the filing. Notice comes first, and any notice must expire before the complaint is filed. The landlord files the summons, the complaint and the civil case cover sheet; the court keeps the original complaint, and a copy goes to each defendant with a copy of the summons. The landlord can't serve those papers personally; any adult who isn't a party can.
For a Spring Valley unit, send us the filed summons and complaint, the notice, the name of every adult occupant and the unit or space number. At a park or a complex, add the space or building number, any gate or office check-in, and where the tenant parks. A tenant who is handed the summons has 10 court days to file an answer, according to the state court self-help page, and more time when papers are left with another adult or posted.
San Diego's diligence rule before substituted service
When a Spring Valley tenant or defendant won't come to the door, substituted service means leaving the papers with an adult at the home or the person in charge at a business, then mailing a second copy. The court's landlord-tenant service page calls it a three-step process, and the first step is a declaration of due diligence showing the attempts at personal service, under CCP § 415.20 and Local Rule 2.1.5.
Local Rule 2.1.5 gives the court's example of reasonable diligence in detail:
| Attempt pattern | What the rule describes |
|---|---|
| Number and spread | At least three different days, at three different times of day |
| Not all mornings or all afternoons | The attempts can't all be a.m. or all p.m. |
| One off-hours try | At least one before 8 a.m. or after 5:30 p.m. |
| One daytime or weekend try | At least one between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., or any time on a Saturday or Sunday |
| Business addresses | All three may be made during that business's normal hours |
From January 1, 2027, state law adds its own version: under AB 747, good-faith attempts on at least three occasions, on three different days at three different times, show reasonable diligence for substituted service (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). The two line up closely, and San Diego's rule is the more specific about hours. Our AB 747 guide explains the state change. We make no guarantees for service.
Posting an eviction summons
If personal and substituted service both fail within a reasonable time, a landlord can ask for an order to post. The court's landlord-tenant service page says the plaintiff submits a declaration and an order, together with an original declaration of due diligence signed under penalty of perjury by the person who attempted service, under Local Rule 2.1.5. Once the judge signs, the summons and complaint are posted at the property and a copy is mailed to the tenant by certified mail.
The page adds a detail that matters at some Spring Valley properties. If the order will be posted on a garage or a boat, the declaration must say whether the defendant lives there. If not, the mailing goes to the defendant's last known home or business address. Posting itself is governed by CCP § 415.45.
Papers to serve in Spring Valley?
Unknown occupants and defaults
When adults live in a rental under names the landlord doesn't know, the court's landlord FAQ says the court doesn't require a default against every unknown occupant, but including unknowns in the judgment needs a proof of service showing they were served under CCP § 415.46. Ask for that when you open the request, and include the prejudgment claim forms with the papers.
If no defendant answers in time, the FAQ lists what goes in for a default: the original and one copy of the Request for Entry of Default (CIV-100), the original and one copy of the Judgment, Unlawful Detainer (UD-110), and the original and three copies of the Writ of Execution (EJ-130). The writ then goes to the Sheriff's Department with the sheriff's instructions and fee, or the clerk can forward it.
Eviction hearings may be in person or remote. The court's eviction hearings page says in-person parties should arrive at least 30 minutes early and report to the assigned courtroom, and that virtual hearing links can change, so check the page on the hearing date.
Small claims for Spring Valley disputes
Every small claims case in San Diego County, including Spring Valley's, is filed at the Hall of Justice, Room 225, by mail or at the second-floor drop box. The court's small claims FAQ sets the rules that shape service:
- Limits. $12,500 for an individual or sole proprietor; $6,250 for a corporation, partnership or other entity.
- Fictitious names. A business plaintiff using a fictitious business name lists its statement number and expiration date, and can't file without a valid statement.
- Exact legal name. For a corporate defendant, check the Secretary of State's bizfile Online for the exact name and agent for service of process; otherwise the judgment may be hard to enforce.
- Government defendants. A formal claim to the agency, generally within six months, and a denial come before the court case.
- No self-service. The plaintiff can't serve the claim personally.
Send us the filed claim and the trial date, and we serve the Spring Valley defendant. Our proof of service guide shows what the server's form contains.
Spring Valley ZIP Code areas share land with La Presa and Jamul
Spring Valley's two ZIP Code areas take in more than the Spring Valley CDP. In the Census Bureau's 2020 relationship file:
- 91977 covers about 10 square miles of land, all of it inside a Census place. La Presa CDP, with 35,033 residents in 2020, holds about 54%. The Spring Valley CDP holds about 34%, and Casa de Oro-Mount Helix CDP, with 19,576, about 12%.
- 91978 covers about 12 square miles. The Spring Valley CDP has about 31% of its land and the Jamul CDP about 11%; about 59% lies outside any city or CDP.
- The Spring Valley CDP's own land splits almost evenly between 91977 and 91978, with small pieces in 91941 and 91945, ZIP Codes the court's list labels La Mesa and Lemon Grove.
So a "Spring Valley, CA 91977" address is more likely, by land, to sit in La Presa than in the Spring Valley CDP. None of these places is a city, and all of them use the same East County routing and the same County government. Census ZIP Code areas approximate postal ZIP Codes.
Family law and protection orders from Spring Valley
Divorce, custody, support and domestic violence cases from Spring Valley are filed at the East County Regional Center in El Cajon, which also takes civil harassment and elder or dependent adult abuse restraining orders. The court's East County page says all other civil documents go to the Civil Business Office at the Hall of Justice. After a petition or request is filed, send it with the hearing date and any temporary orders.
Serving a Spring Valley business
For a corporation or LLC with a Spring Valley storefront, look up the agent for service of process on bizfile Online and send us the name and address. A local business may name its owner; a chain may name a commercial agent such as CSC or CT Corporation. Our serving corporations page covers the rules, and skip tracing can look for a defendant who has moved.
Sending Spring Valley papers
- Open a Service Request and attach up to 5 PDFs.
- Name each person or entity as the papers do, and list every address.
- Add unit, space, gate and parking details.
- Choose Rush or Standard, and add a San Diego County court filing if papers also need to reach the Hall of Justice.
Get every update by email, call 855-582-5776, or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Near Spring Valley
Lemon Grove is 3.4 miles away and La Mesa 3.8. Bonita is 4.3 miles, El Cajon, home of the East County courthouse, 5 miles and Jamul 6.2. Every place we serve in the county is on our San Diego County page.