Westlake Village is a small city, 8,029 people at the 2020 Census, and it sits right where Los Angeles County meets Ventura County. The city is entirely in Los Angeles County. Its two ZIP Codes are not. Both 91361 and 91362 run west into Thousand Oaks and unincorporated Ventura County, which means a "Westlake Village" address on a complaint can belong to either of two different superior courts.
That's the first thing we check on every Westlake Village request, and it's the first thing this page covers. After that come the Los Angeles courthouses that take the city's cases, the Ventura buildings that take cases from across the line, and the practical details of serving homes, offices and the city itself.
We serve summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document in Westlake Village and on both sides of the county line. Requests are handled from our Sacramento office, about 343 miles to the north.
Is the address in Los Angeles or Ventura County?
The Census Bureau's 2020 relationship files answer this at the ZIP Code level, and the numbers are lopsided.
| ZIP Code area | Land in Los Angeles County | Land in Ventura County | Places it overlaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91361 | about 17% | about 83% | Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Lake Sherwood, unincorporated land |
| 91362 | about 5% | about 95% | Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, a sliver of Oak Park |
Seen from the city's side, about 80% of Westlake Village's land is in 91361 and 20% in 91362. Seen from the ZIP Code's side, the city is a minority of both. Thousand Oaks alone covers about 94% of 91362's land.
The Los Angeles court knows this. Its Filing Court Locator labels 91361 as "Westlake Village (zip code is within Los Angeles & Ventura counties)" and 91362 as "Thousand Oaks" with the same warning. The locator can tell you where a Los Angeles case is filed, but it can't tell you whether the case belongs in Los Angeles at all. For that, check the parcel's county on the assessor's records, or ask the client which county sends the property tax bill. Then file in that county's court.
Los Angeles County cases: where each one is filed
For an address inside the city, or elsewhere on the Los Angeles side, the locator gave the same routing for both ZIP Codes in October 2026.
| Case type | Filing courthouse |
|---|---|
| Unlimited civil | Van Nuys Courthouse East, 6230 Sylmar Avenue, Van Nuys |
| Limited unlawful detainer | Van Nuys Courthouse East |
| Small claims | Van Nuys Courthouse East |
| Family law | Chatsworth Courthouse, 9425 Penfield Avenue, Chatsworth |
| Restraining orders | Chatsworth Courthouse |
| Limited civil collections | Chatsworth Courthouse |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles |
| Limited civil other than collections | Stanley Mosk Courthouse |
Local Rule 2.2 places Van Nuys Courthouse East in the Northwest District and Chatsworth in the North Valley District. So a Westlake Village civil suit and a Westlake Village divorce are handled in two different districts, at two different buildings.
Why divorce and custody go to Chatsworth
The split isn't an accident. Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(D) lists nine ZIP Codes, 91361 among them, and says family law matters from those areas that could be filed in the Central or Northwest District must instead be filed in Central or the North Valley District. Chatsworth is the North Valley courthouse the locator names, and it lists restraining orders there too.
At Chatsworth, the court's directory puts almost everything in Room 1200 on the first floor: civil, family law, restraining orders, collections, small claims and unlawful detainer. The family law clerk opens at 8:00 a.m., half an hour before the other windows. Jurors get free parking at the end of the Penfield Avenue cul-de-sac.
Restraining orders need personal delivery to the restrained person. If that person lives in Westlake Village but works in the San Fernando Valley, give us both addresses and the hours for each.
Civil, evictions and small claims at Van Nuys East
Van Nuys Courthouse East lists four divisions: civil, family law, small claims and unlawful detainer. Its directory places the Civil Unlimited clerk in Room 107 on the first floor, with clerk hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Courtrooms there are lettered, from A to Z with gaps, so check the department letter on the notice before a hearing.
Parking is in a paid structure at 6170 Sylmar Avenue, between Delano and Calvert Streets, one block east of Van Nuys Boulevard. The court says the structure closes at 7:00 p.m. and the ticket booth is at the top of the ramp on the fourth level.
A Westlake Village eviction is filed here and then served at the property. A tenant who's handed the summons has 10 court days to respond. Starting January 1, 2027, the AB 747 amendments say three personal delivery attempts on different days and at different times demonstrate the reasonable diligence needed before substituted service (CCP § 415.20(b)(2)), and posting an eviction summons is covered by CCP § 415.45. Our AB 747 guide walks through the new rules.
Papers to serve in Westlake Village?
Injury suits, cover sheets and probate on the LA side
Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(A) requires an unlimited personal injury action to be filed in the district where the incident arose, using the locator. For a crash or fall inside the city, both Westlake Village ZIP Codes point unlimited civil to Van Nuys Courthouse East. Run the exact incident location through the locator anyway, since a collision just west of the line is a Ventura County matter.
Every new Los Angeles civil filing needs form LACIV 109, the Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location, and a copy has to be served with the summons and complaint. Include it in the PDFs you upload.
Probate from Westlake Village goes downtown. At the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, the directory lists Probate Operations in Room 429 on the fourth floor and the probate filing line at (213) 830-0800.
Small claims deadlines across the county line
California sets the small claims service deadline by where the defendant lives. Under CCP § 116.340, a defendant in the county where the case is filed must be served at least 15 days before the hearing, and a defendant outside that county at least 20 days before. In Westlake Village that rule bites, because a defendant a few blocks west may live in Ventura County. A Los Angeles small claims case against someone in Thousand Oaks needs the longer window. Tell us the hearing date and the defendant's address so the first attempt goes out with time to spare.
Ventura County cases: the Hall of Justice and Simi Valley
When the address turns out to be in Ventura County, the case leaves the Los Angeles court system entirely. The Ventura court's Hall of Justice is at 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura 93009, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. Its civil division accepts filings at the counter, through drop boxes and by mail to PO Box 6489, Ventura 93006. Papers placed in the drop box before 4:00 p.m. on a court day are filed that day.
Small claims work differently on that side. The Ventura court lists 91361 and 91362 among the east county ZIP Codes whose claims are heard at the East County Courthouse, 3855-F Alamo Street, Simi Valley. Filing still happens only at the Hall of Justice. The court says the East County Division doesn't accept small claims filings.
One Ventura rule affects what we serve. The court's civil page says that under California Rules of Court, rule 3.221, the plaintiff in a general civil case must serve the court's ADR information package on each defendant with the complaint. Upload that packet with the summons and complaint so it goes out in the same set. For more on Ventura filings, see our Ventura County court filing page and the Ventura County process serving page.
What happens when the county is wrong
A process server delivers papers to a person, not to a county. If the summons is from the wrong court, we can still hand it over, and the proof of service will be accurate. The trouble shows up later, when the defendant challenges venue or the case has to be transferred, and every deadline moves.
Small claims show how blunt this can be. The Ventura court's small claims page warns that a claim filed in the wrong county will be dismissed, and it lists when Ventura is the proper place: the defendant lives or does business there, the damage or injury happened there, or the defendant made, signed, performed or broke a contract there. The page lists a few more grounds, but those three cover most disputes that start near the line. A Westlake Village shop suing a customer from Thousand Oaks may have a choice, and the choice should be made before anyone is served.
So the order of operations matters. Confirm the county, file in the right court, then send us the filed papers. If you're unsure, start a Service Request with the address and a note asking us to flag it. We'll tell you what the ZIP Code data shows. The legal decision is still yours or your attorney's.
Serving the City of Westlake Village
When the defendant is the city itself, CCP § 416.50 allows service on a public entity by delivering the summons and complaint to its clerk, secretary, president, presiding officer or another head of its governing body. City Hall is at 31200 Oak Crest Drive, Westlake Village 91361, and the city lists its main number as 818-706-1613.
Homes, offices and private streets
If the address is on a private or gated street, tell us how visitors normally get in: a guard house, a call box name, a gate code you're allowed to share, or a contact who will let the server through. For an office building, give the suite number and the company name as it appears in the lobby directory.
For a business defendant, look up its agent for service of process on bizfile Online and send the name and address as listed. Our serving corporations page covers what to do when there's no agent or the agent has resigned.
If the person has moved, skip tracing looks for a current address before the papers go back out. Get every update by email, and see the proof of service guide for what comes back. We make no guarantees for service.
Nearby cities
Agoura Hills is 3.2 miles away and Thousand Oaks, across the county line, 5.1. Malibu is 8.3 miles south and Calabasas 8.6 miles east. Simi Valley, home of the Ventura court's East County Courthouse, is 9.8 miles north. For the rest of the county, see the Los Angeles County page and our Los Angeles County court filing page.