Valpro Attorney Services serves summonses, complaints, subpoenas, eviction papers, family law papers and small claims in St. Helena, in the upper Napa Valley. St. Helena is an incorporated city: the 2020 Census counted 5,430 residents on about 5 square miles of land. Some older listings spell it "Saint Helena." It's the same city.
St. Helena requests are handled from our Sacramento office, about 53 miles east in a straight line. You send the papers online and get status updates by email.
The city and the 94574 ZIP Code area
The St. Helena mailing area is much larger than the city. The Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file splits ZIP Code area 94574, about 124 square miles of land, like this:
| Part of ZIP Code area 94574 | Share of the land |
|---|---|
| St. Helena city | About 4% |
| Deer Park CDP | About 4% |
| Rutherford CDP | Less than 0.1% |
| Outside any city or Census-designated place | About 92% |
All of the city lies inside 94574. So does most of Deer Park, an unincorporated community about 1.5 miles from the city center. Nine out of ten acres with a St. Helena ZIP Code are outside any city or CDP, which means vineyard, hillside and rural residential land governed by the county.
The county line runs through the edge of this area too. According to the Census ZCTA to county file, about 98.7% of 94574's land is in Napa County and about 1.3% is in Sonoma County, on the side toward Kenwood. ZIP Code areas only approximate postal ZIP Codes, but if an address sits on the Sonoma side, the county is Sonoma. That matters for venue and for small claims timing, covered below.
Every St. Helena civil case goes to downtown Napa
There's no courthouse in St. Helena. Napa Superior Court handles civil filings at the Civil Division counter in the Historic Courthouse, 825 Brown Street, Napa, about 17.9 miles south of central St. Helena in a straight line. That one counter takes:
- General civil, limited and unlimited
- Unlawful detainer
- Small claims
- Family law
- Probate, guardianship and conservatorship
Criminal and traffic matters are filed at the Criminal Courthouse, 1111 Third Street. The court lists counter hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, through the noon hour. Our Napa County court filing service can take a St. Helena filing to the counter or file it electronically.
What a new civil complaint carries
Napa's Local Rule 6.6.1 sets the package for the first service in a civil case. When the complaint is filed, the clerk gives the plaintiff two documents for service:
- A Notice of Case Management Conference, with the courtroom, date and time. Under the rule, the conference is set within 180 days of filing. Local Rule 6.1 adds that it's noticed no sooner than 120 days after the original complaint.
- An ADR Information Sheet. It isn't required on a defendant in a civil action brought by the District Attorney or the Attorney General in the name of the People.
Both go out with the summons and complaint "promptly after the pleading is filed," and the proof of service is filed with the court within 10 days of that service. A cross-complainant who adds new parties serves both documents on them along with the cross-complaint.
Rule 6.1 also asks each party to file a Case Management Statement (form CM-110) at least 15 days before each conference. A party who misses it may find the case called at the end of the law and motion calendar.
For a St. Helena defendant, send the summons, the complaint, the case management notice and the ADR sheet together. The 10-day window for the proof of service starts when service is complete, so we file or return the proof promptly.
Family law in Napa: what gets served and when
Napa runs a case management program for dissolution, nullity, legal separation and parentage cases under Local Rule 7.4. When a petition is filed, the clerk gives the petitioner two copies of the Notice of Family Law Case Management, with the conference date and the dates for required filings.
The petitioner then serves the other party with:
- The summons and petition
- The completed Declaration Under Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, if there are children
- The Notice of Family Law Case Management
The first family law case management conference is set at least a year after the petition is filed. Appearance is mandatory, and the case can be dismissed if both parties fail to appear. Represented parties file and serve a Family Law Case Management Conference Report at least five calendar days before it.
For family law motions, Local Rule 7.3 asks that proof of timely service be filed no later than two calendar days before the hearing, and that parties keep a file-stamped copy in case the original hasn't reached the file. Napa's general Rule 3.2 is blunter: with no proof of service filed by the hearing, the matter may come off calendar.
Papers to serve in St. Helena?
Ex parte and shortened time
Napa's local rules put fixed morning times on urgent requests, and those times drive how fast papers must reach a St. Helena party.
| Matter | Napa rule | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Civil ex parte | Rule 2.5(A) | Appointment by calling the clerk by 10:00 a.m. the court day before; heard at 11:30 a.m.; check in by 10:30 a.m. |
| Family law, juvenile and guardianship ex parte | Rule 2.5(B) | Filed at the civil counter by 10:00 a.m., with no drop box filing allowed; notice to the other side by 10:00 a.m. the court day before, unless the application's nature prevents it |
| Matters on shortened time | Rule 3.6 | Last paper filed by 9:00 a.m. two court days before the hearing, unless the court orders otherwise |
When a judge grants an order shortening time, the papers usually have to be served by a set date and time. Send us the signed order the same day, with that deadline, and choose Rush.
Tentative rulings on Napa motions
Napa posts tentative rulings in civil law and motion and probate matters under Local Rule 2.9, no later than 3:00 p.m. on the court day before the hearing, on the court's website or by phone. A party who wants oral argument has to notify the court and every other party by 4:00 p.m. that day. The notice to the court includes the case name and number, the matter, who is asking, and when and how the other parties were told.
The rule also requires a specific paragraph, in bold and placed where it's easy to see, on every noticed motion or petition. The court revised that language effective January 1, 2026. If you're serving a St. Helena party with a motion drafted from an older template, check that paragraph before the papers go out.
Guardianships with a two-day service step
Probate guardianships in Napa have a service deadline that's easy to miss. Local Rule 9.4 says every petition to appoint a guardian of a minor comes with a proposed order for investigation on the court's mandatory local form. Once a judicial officer signs that order, a copy must be served on Child Welfare Services within two court days.
The usual notices to relatives and the minor's parents are separate, and they follow the Probate Code. If any of those people live in or around St. Helena, send their addresses with the petition and the hearing date.
Serving the City of St. Helena
When the city government is a party, Code of Civil Procedure section 416.50 applies: a public entity is served by delivering the summons and complaint to its clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of its governing body.
The City Clerk works out of City Hall, 1088 College Avenue, St. Helena, CA 94574. The clerk's page lists hours of Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. A Service Request for the city should leave time to reach that office during those hours.
Evictions and small claims
Evictions. A St. Helena unlawful detainer is filed at the Historic Courthouse in Napa. After personal service, the tenant has 10 court days to file an Answer, according to the Judicial Council's self-help guide. Send every adult occupant's name and the unit, cottage or building they live in.
Small claims. The limit for an individual plaintiff is $12,500, according to the Judicial Council's eligibility page. The claim must be served at least 15 days before the hearing, or 20 days if the defendant is served in a different county. That second deadline is where the Sonoma slice of 94574 matters: a defendant living on the Sonoma side of the line is served in another county.
Wineries and other St. Helena businesses
A winery or other business organized as a corporation or LLC is usually served through the agent for service of process listed on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online, and that agent may be a commercial registered agent outside the valley rather than anyone at the property. Send us the bizfile listing with the papers. Our serving corporations page covers the options, including the CSC and CT Corporation agent pages.
When an individual works at a winery, tasting room or hotel, a workplace attempt is possible, but tell us the person's role and shift if you know it.
What helps on a St. Helena Service Request
- The street address, with any unit or building number.
- Gate or entry details for a vineyard or hillside property.
- A description or photo of the person.
- A second address, such as a workplace in Napa, Calistoga or Yountville.
AB 747 takes effect on January 1, 2027. From then, three good-faith attempts at personal delivery on 3 different days at 3 different times show reasonable diligence for substituted service (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). Our AB 747 guide explains it, and our proof of service guide covers the form we return. If the person has moved, skip tracing can look for a current address.
Sending St. Helena papers
- Open a Service Request and upload up to 5 PDFs.
- Include the case management notice and ADR sheet with a new civil case, or the family law notice with a petition.
- Give the hearing date and any service deadline in an order.
- Choose Rush or Standard, and tell us if we're also filing in Napa.
Call 855-582-5776 or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com with questions. We make no guarantees for service.
Near St. Helena
Straight-line distances from central St. Helena:
- Deer Park (1.5 miles) and Rutherford (4.3)
- Angwin (4.6) and Oakville (6.1)
- Pope Valley (7.4) and Kenwood (7.7), across the line in Sonoma County
- Napa, home of the courthouse
The rest of the county is on our Napa County page.