Ventura County runs most of its non-criminal filing through a single building, which makes the paperwork side simpler than the map. We serve papers at any address in the county and file in Ventura or Oxnard, at the counter or by e-filing. 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.
One courthouse for most filings
The Hall of Justice at 800 South Victoria Avenue in Ventura is the filing point for civil, family law and small claims. The court's civil division page says all civil matters, limited and unlimited, are filed there, and general civil cases are heard there. Eviction (unlawful detainer) cases are limited civil cases, so they start at the same counter. Family law filing is in Room 210. The building is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on court days.
The drop box rule is worth knowing. Papers deposited before 4 p.m. on a court day are filed that day. Anything left after 4 p.m. is filed the next business day.
Two practical notes from the civil page. Motions, with their proof of service, must be served and filed at least 16 court days before the hearing. And civil courtrooms cap daily ex parte and law and motion hearings, so the court asks parties to call the Civil Unit at 805-289-8525 to reserve a date.
Oxnard for probate, juvenile and civil harassment
The Juvenile Justice Center, 4353 E. Vineyard Avenue in Oxnard, also serves as the probate courthouse. All probate matters are filed and heard there, usually in Courtroom J6, along with conservatorships, guardianships, adoptions and juvenile cases. Its clerk's office keeps 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours by phone and in person.
Civil harassment restraining requests are filed in Oxnard or electronically. Domestic violence and elder abuse requests are family law filings at the Hall of Justice. If you're sending us a restraining request to serve, include the hearing date and every page the court issued.
Small claims: filed in Ventura, heard east or west
Every Ventura County small claims case is filed at the Hall of Justice. The hearing location follows where the claim arose. Claims from the east-county ZIP Codes (91301, 91302, 91304, 91307, 91360, 91361, 91362, 91377, 93020, 93021 and 93062 through 93065, plus 93093) are heard at the East County Courthouse, 3855-F Alamo Street, Simi Valley. Everything else is heard at the Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard.
So a claim over a Thousand Oaks or Simi Valley dispute is filed in Ventura and heard in Simi Valley. A claim from Oxnard, Camarillo or Ventura itself is filed in Ventura and heard in Oxnard. The court lists its limits as $12,500 for an individual and $6,250 for a business or public entity, and says the District Attorney's Small Claims Advisor can be reached at (805) 654-5054.
Some of those east-county ZIP Codes also cover addresses on the Los Angeles County side of the line. Check that the street address itself is in Ventura County before you rely on the list.
Papers to serve in Ventura County?
E-filing rules by case type
Under the court's mandatory e-filing directive, AO 25.03, attorneys must e-file documents in unlimited civil, limited civil and probate cases, effective May 5, 2025. Small claims filers may e-file but don't have to. Family law has no e-filing yet; the court sends some family filings through drop box, mail or its eDelivery system instead. Self-represented parties are exempt from the mandate.
E-filings received any time on a court day count as filed that day if accepted. AO 25.03 lists the documents that can't be e-filed. General information, not legal advice. We file both ways through Ventura County court filing, and our post on California court e-filing covers how filing service providers work.
The Sheriff's Civil Unit
The Ventura County Sheriff's Civil Unit is in the Hall of Justice, Room 101, at (805) 654-2391. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and phone hours 8 a.m. to noon. Since January 1, 2026 it takes electronic service requests and online payment. When the office has to print papers submitted electronically, it charges $1.25 a page.
The sheriff's page notes that its deputies can't use stakeouts or database searches to find a civil defendant. Any adult who isn't a party may serve instead, and our guide on who can serve papers in California explains the rule.
From the Conejo Valley to the backcountry
Ventura County had 843,843 residents in the 2020 Census. Oxnard is the largest city, followed by Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Ventura. Our Sacramento office is about 314 to 338 miles away straight-line, and we take Service Requests for every part of the county.
Population sits along the coast and in the valleys along the 101 and 118. North of Ojai and Fillmore, the county turns to mountains and national forest with scattered ranches and canyon roads. Remote areas are subject to different timelines. Gate names, ranch names and directions from the nearest paved road matter more there than a ZIP Code.
Naval Base Ventura County sits at Point Mugu and Port Hueneme. For anyone who lives or works on base, add their unit, workplace and any off-base address to the Letter of Instruction.
Before you send it
List every address, the best times to find the person and a description. If the address is stale, skip tracing can look for a current one. To serve a company, start with its agent for service of process on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online search, then see serving corporations.
Get every update by email. The new contested-service rules in our AB 747 guide start January 1, 2027. Papers headed over the county line? See Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara County and Kern County.