Venice has a famous name and no city hall of its own. It's a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, and the Census Bureau's 2020 file matching ZIP Codes to places puts every acre of 90291 inside Los Angeles city limits. That matters for two reasons. City of Los Angeles housing rules govern Venice rentals, and the court sorts Venice cases by ZIP Code and community name, not by any Venice boundary.
We serve summonses, complaints, subpoenas, restraining orders, family law papers and eviction notices at Venice homes, apartments and businesses. Our court runners also file at the Santa Monica and Beverly Hills courthouses and downtown. Start a Service Request with the papers attached, or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Venice filing courthouses by case type
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles routes new cases through its Filing Court Locator. We entered 90291 in October 2026. The locator listed three community names for that ZIP Code, Venice, Los Angeles and Culver City, and gave the same courthouses for all three. Distances are straight-line from the USGS map point for Venice.
| Case type | Courthouse | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Limited unlawful detainer | Santa Monica Courthouse, 1725 Main Street | 2.2 mi |
| Restraining orders | Santa Monica Courthouse | 2.2 mi |
| Unlimited civil | Santa Monica Courthouse or Beverly Hills Courthouse, 9355 Burton Way | 2.2 or 6.7 mi |
| Small claims | Beverly Hills Courthouse | 6.7 mi |
| Family law | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles | 13.0 mi |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | 13.0 mi |
| Limited civil, not collections | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | 13.0 mi |
| Limited civil, collections | Chatsworth Courthouse, 9425 Penfield Ave. | 18.4 mi |
Local Rule 2.2 places Venice in the West District, which holds three buildings: Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and the Airport Courthouse on La Cienega. The Airport building's directory lists criminal matters only, so it won't appear on a civil summons for a Venice case.
Eviction notices and the Los Angeles Housing Department
A Venice eviction usually starts with a notice, and the City of Los Angeles adds a step that landlords in many other cities never face. The Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) says every notice to terminate tenancy for a unit covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance or the Just Cause Ordinance must be filed with LAHD within three business days after it's served on the tenant. The page cites Los Angeles Municipal Code sections 151.09.C.9 and 165.05.B.5.
The filing covers at-fault notices too, such as a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit. Landlords upload the notice online through a free Angeleno Account. Anyone who can't upload must mail a copy with LAHD's Eviction Notice Filing Cover Sheet. LAHD also warns that a tenant may raise the missing filing as an affirmative defense in the unlawful detainer case, and it offers a lookup showing whether a notice was filed.
No-fault terminations work differently. Owner move-ins, withdrawals from the rental market and similar reasons require a Declaration of Intent to Evict filed with LAHD, application fees and relocation payments to the tenant, before the notice itself is uploaded.
So when we serve a notice at a Venice unit, the service date starts that three-business-day clock. Our proof shows the exact date and time, which is what the landlord needs for the LAHD upload. If you want the notice served on a particular day so the upload lands before a weekend, say so in the Letter of Instruction.
Filing the unlawful detainer on Main Street
Once the notice period runs, the complaint goes to the Santa Monica Courthouse. The court directory lists the Civil Clerk's Office in Room 102 on the first floor, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on court days. Unlawful detainer cases are spread across several departments, lettered G, I, J, K, M, N and S, on the first and second floors.
If you're filing in person, the directory points to public parking beside the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, just south of the courthouse, with short-term meters on Main Street and Olympic Drive. The building opens at 8:00 a.m., half an hour before the clerk's windows, which gives a runner time to clear security and be first in line for a same-day filing that has to go out for service in the afternoon.
Two filing details are easy to miss:
- Limited eviction complaints are confidential at filing. The court's e-filing FAQ explains that a limited civil unlawful detainer complaint is automatically filed as a confidential document under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161.2. Don't expect to look the case up by name the next morning.
- Attorneys e-file. Litigants with lawyers must e-file in civil cases unless they hold an exemption order. Self-represented landlords may still file at the counter.
After the summons issues, send it to us with the complaint, the prejudgment claim of right to possession if you're using one, and a copy of the notice. Name every adult occupant you know of. The tenant's answer period depends on how the papers were served: 10 court days after personal delivery, or 10 calendar days plus 10 court days after the mailing that follows substituted service or posting.
Small claims at the Beverly Hills Courthouse
Venice small claims don't stay on the coast. The locator sends them to Beverly Hills, where the directory lists Department 304 on the third floor as the small claims courtroom and gives a small claims line of (310) 281-2496. Courthouse parking costs money, and metered spaces line the nearby streets.
The service deadline counts backward from the hearing date on page 1 of the claim. Personal service has to be done at least 15 days before the hearing when the defendant lives in Los Angeles County, and at least 20 days before when the defendant lives in another county. If substituted service turns out to be necessary, it has to be completed 10 days ahead of that personal-service deadline. The person who filed the claim can't deliver it, so the server signs the proof of service on form SC-104.
Papers to serve in Venice?
Restraining orders at Santa Monica, divorces downtown
Restraining orders for Venice parties are handled at the Santa Monica Courthouse. The directory points to Room 225 on the second floor for family law and temporary restraining orders, with counter hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Once a judge signs a temporary order, the restrained person has to be served before the hearing date printed on it, so send the order as soon as you have it.
Divorce, custody and support petitions go a different direction. The locator assigns 90291 family law to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown. Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(B) does allow a family law case to be filed in the Central District or in a district where one of the parties lives, and the Santa Monica directory lists its own family law departments. Whichever building the petition names, the summons is served the same way and is usually proved on form FL-115.
Larger civil suits: Santa Monica or Beverly Hills
For an unlimited civil case, the locator lists both West District courthouses. Which one fits depends on the type of case.
- Personal injury is mandatory. Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(A) requires an unlimited case for bodily injury, wrongful death or damage to personal property to be filed in the district where the incident happened. A bicycle crash on a Venice street is a West District case.
- Other civil cases are optional. A contract dispute, a real property case or a non-injury tort may be filed in the Central District or in the West District, using the tests in Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(B).
- Some cases always go downtown. Class actions and asbestos cases must be filed in the Central District.
The Santa Monica directory shows two departments, G and K, with personal injury in their assignments. Beverly Hills lists two general civil departments, 205 and 207. Every new complaint carries form LACIV 109, the Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location, and a copy must be served with the summons.
Probate and smaller money cases
Venice probate matters, from a decedent's estate to a guardianship, are filed at Stanley Mosk. Local Rule 2.3 keeps probate in the Central District, with a narrow option for people who live in the North District around Lancaster.
A limited civil case asks for $35,000 or less. If it's a debt collection case, the locator sends 90291 to the Chatsworth Courthouse in the San Fernando Valley, more than 18 miles away. Any other limited case, such as a small contract dispute, is filed downtown at Stanley Mosk.
For any of these, attorneys e-file. The court's FAQ says an e-filing received before midnight counts as filed that business day if accepted. A few papers can't be e-filed at all, including bonds and undertakings and any ex parte application filed along with a new complaint. We take those to the counter.
Serving at Venice addresses
Venice addresses come in many shapes, and the right detail in the Letter of Instruction decides whether the first attempt works.
- Unit letters and rear units. If the lot has a front house and a back unit, or a courtyard of numbered units, give the exact letter or number.
- Gates and call boxes. A code or a building manager's name saves a wasted trip.
- Work schedules. Restaurant, retail and studio workers often keep late or weekend hours. Tell us the shift if you know it.
- A second address. A workplace in Santa Monica or Marina del Rey gives the server another place to try.
- Vehicles. A plate number and description help confirm the person is home.
- The hearing date. We plan the attempts so service is finished well before it.
From January 1, 2027, under AB 747, reasonable diligence before substituted service is shown by attempting personal delivery on at least three occasions, on three different days, at three different times (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)). Our AB 747 guide covers what changes. We make no guarantees for service.
Businesses with a Venice storefront
A café, a gallery or a shop on a Venice street may trade under one name and be owned by a company with another. The Judicial Council's guide on finding a business explains that corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships must register an agent for service of process with the Secretary of State. Copy the agent's name and address exactly from the business search. For a sole owner using a trade name, check the fictitious business name filings first.
Our serving corporations page explains the options, including corporate agents such as CSC and CT Corporation. If the person or business has moved, skip tracing looks for a current address, and you approve it before the papers go back out.
From upload to proof
Send the papers on a Service Request, choose Rush or Standard, and get every update by email. When service is complete, the proof comes back to you to file. Our proof of service guide explains which form fits which case, and who can serve papers in California covers the rules on servers. For court copies, our document retrieval team pulls records, and our Los Angeles County court filing page covers counters across the county.
Near Venice
Marina del Rey, the unincorporated harbor area, is about a mile away. Santa Monica is 2.6 miles north and Culver City 3.8 miles east. The rest of the city is covered from our Los Angeles page, and the wider county from Los Angeles County.