Truckee is an incorporated town in eastern Nevada County. The 2020 Census counted 16,729 residents, and the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025 is 17,278. We serve summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document there, on people at home and at work and on businesses.
Truckee requests are handled from our Sacramento office, about 86.5 miles west in a straight line. Upload the documents on a Service Request, or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. For a question before you send anything, call 855-582-5776.
One county, two branches
The Superior Court of California, County of Nevada, runs two branches. Local Rule 2.05 says five judges regularly sit in the Nevada City Branch and one judge regularly sits in the Truckee Branch, with a commissioner serving both. The rule then draws a line on the map:
- Truckee Branch. Any case venued in Nevada County that arises from an occurrence or residence in Truckee. "Truckee" in the rule means all of eastern Nevada County, east of the intersection of Interstate 80 and State Highway 20.
- Nevada City Branch. Every other case properly venued in the county.
- Citations. Nevada County citations written in the Interstate 80 corridor go to Truckee, and those written in the Highway 20 corridor go to Nevada City.
A judge may move cases to or from the Truckee Branch to meet the court's workload. When that happens, the clerk sends a minute order to everyone who has appeared. Source: Nevada County Superior Court Local Rules, updated July 1, 2026.
The courthouse at the Joseph Government Center
The Truckee Branch is in the Joseph Government Center at 10075 Levon Avenue. The court's local rules give the full address as Suite 107. Courthouse building hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, and the clerk's office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The court takes calls at (530) 362-4309 during clerk's office hours and takes questions online at any time.
Expect a metal detector and an X-ray for bags. The court's list of banned items includes pocket knives, scissors, box cutters, corkscrews, glass bottles, pepper spray and knitting needles. Source: Nevada County Superior Court locations and hours page, checked October 2026.
How the Truckee calendar runs
Several local rules treat the Truckee Branch differently from Nevada City, and they affect when papers need to be served and filed.
- One judge who stays put. Rule 2.08 says the county's judges rotate assignments, with the exception of the judge assigned to the Truckee Branch.
- Ex parte timing. Under Rule 2.09(A), civil and probate ex parte pleadings are filed by 4:00 p.m. the court day before the hearing. In the Truckee Branch, the party first calls the Truckee clerk's office to get a hearing time, then files.
- Case management conferences. Rule 4.00.8 says the case management conference calendar in Truckee is held remotely. A party who wants to appear in person gives the court and the other parties notice two court days ahead. Each party files and serves a case management statement at least 15 calendar days before the conference.
- Domestic violence requests. Under Rule 5.13.1, requests for temporary orders are generally reviewed on the papers, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m., by the judge assigned to Department A in Truckee or Department 3 in Nevada City.
For a restraining order, that review schedule is why we ask for the hearing date and the order as soon as they issue. The respondent has to be served before the hearing, and an order the person hasn't been served with is hard to enforce. Source: Nevada County Superior Court Local Rules, updated July 1, 2026.
Case types that leave Truckee
The Judicial Council's page for the planned new Nevada City courthouse describes the Truckee Courthouse as the court's one branch facility, serving the eastern part of the county with all case types except probate and juvenile dependency. The same page notes that Nevada County is split by the Sierra Nevada, which the Council says makes access to court services harder in winter months.
So two kinds of Truckee matters likely start 44 miles away, at the Nevada City Courthouse, 201 Church Street:
| Truckee matter | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Civil, small claims, evictions | Truckee Branch, under Rule 2.05(C) |
| Family law | Truckee Branch; the local rules assign Truckee family matters to the Truckee judge unless the commissioner hears them |
| Probate | Nevada City, per the Judicial Council description |
| Juvenile dependency | Nevada City, per the Judicial Council description |
Call the clerk before you send originals for a probate or dependency matter. Our Nevada City page covers that courthouse.
Papers to serve in Truckee?
The 96161 ZIP Code area crosses into Placer County
Check this before anything else on a Truckee request. The Census Bureau's 2020 relationship files show the 96161 ZIP Code area covering nearly all of the Town of Truckee: about 83.5 of the town's 83.7 square kilometers of land, with the small remainder not assigned to any ZIP Code area at all. They also show 96161 spilling across the county line: about 474 square kilometers of its land is in Nevada County and about 207 square kilometers is in Placer County. Kingvale, an unincorporated community that itself straddles the Nevada–Placer line, is partly inside 96161 as well.
A "Truckee, CA 96161" mailing address is therefore not proof of Nevada County. For a Placer County address:
- The court is different. A case belongs to the Superior Court of California, County of Placer, not the Truckee Branch. Placer's location nearest Truckee is the Tahoe Courthouse at 2501 N. Lake Blvd. in Tahoe City, Department 14, phone (530) 584-3460.
- Filing works there. Placer's FAQ page says documents can be filed in the Tahoe clerk's office from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. A visitor may request up to 5 files a day and copy no more than 30 pages a day.
- Service doesn't change. We serve on both sides of the line. The county matters for venue and for the court the proof of service is filed in.
Check the assessor's record or the property tax bill if you're unsure. ZIP Code areas are Census approximations of postal ZIP Codes. Our Placer County page lists the Placer communities we serve.
E-filing a Truckee case
Represented parties in Nevada County have had to e-file since July 1, 2022, under Local Rule 1.06. Self-represented parties are exempt but encouraged to e-file. Filings come in through an approved electronic filing service provider, the court's portal, or a system integration; no direct email or fax.
A few details trip up Truckee filers in particular:
- Choose the right branch. Fax filings, where e-filing isn't required, go through a fax filing agency and must be filed only in the branch where the case is venued.
- Include an email address. Each pleading and form needs a current email for the attorney or self-represented party, plus a statement of intent to appear remotely or in person. Leaving them off can lead to rejection or a continuance.
- Remote hearing documents. A party granted a voluntary remote appearance must get every document, exhibits included, to the clerk's office by 3:00 p.m. two court days before the hearing, and serve it so the other side has it by then.
Criminal and juvenile filings use the court's portal, where e-filing is permissive. Our Nevada County court filing service handles e-filing and counter work, and how California court e-filing works explains providers.
Getting papers served in Truckee
Give the server what the map doesn't. A street address alone can leave open which building, which entrance or which road.
- Upload the endorsed papers. For a civil case, the summons and complaint with the court's stamp, plus any notice of hearing.
- Describe access. Gate codes, a long private road, a shared driveway, or a unit in a complex. If a private road isn't maintained in winter, say so.
- Say whose property it is. If the address is a vacation property and the person lives elsewhere most of the year, send the other address too.
- Note work hours. A job site, a business address or a shift schedule.
- Set the deadline. The hearing or response date tells us when service stops being useful.
Truckee sits far enough from Sacramento that our turnaround note applies: remote areas are subject to different timelines. Call before choosing Rush for an outlying address. Get every update by email.
Consumer debt and second homes after 2027
AB 747 rewrites CCP § 415.20 on January 1, 2027. Reasonable diligence before substituted service is shown by good-faith attempts on at least three occasions, on three different days, at three different times. In an action to collect consumer debt, at least one attempt is to be made at the person's dwelling place or usual place of abode, if it is known or could be found with reasonable effort.
For a Truckee address that is a second home, that may mean the primary residence needs an attempt too. If you don't know where that is, skip tracing can help. Read our AB 747 guide for the rest. This is general information, not legal advice.
Serving the Town of Truckee
A case against the town is a public entity case. CCP § 416.50 directs the summons to the clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or other head of the governing body. The Town of Truckee's website lists Town Hall at 10183 Truckee Airport Road, phone 530-582-7700. Put the office and title you want served in the Letter of Instruction.
Small claims and civil limits
The court's Civil Division page sets small claims at $12,500 or less, limited civil at $35,000 or less, and unlimited civil above that or for disputes that aren't about money. The Self-Help Center's Small Claims Advisor gives free help under CCP § 116.260, with walk-ins accepted, but can't represent anyone or prepare documents. Our guide to who can serve papers in California explains why a small claims plaintiff can't serve the claim personally.
Around Truckee
The nearby places on our list sit in four other counties as well as Nevada County. Straight-line distances:
- Loyalton, 22.7 miles, in Sierra County
- South Lake Tahoe, 30.6 miles, in El Dorado County
- Portola, 35.8 miles, in Plumas County
- Colfax, 44.3 miles, in Placer County
- Nevada City, 45.3 miles, and Grass Valley, 46.7, back in Nevada County
Every Nevada County community is on our Nevada County process server page.
We make no guarantees for service.