Whittier has a courthouse less than a mile from the city's center point, and most Whittier lawsuits never go there. The building on Painter Avenue is a family law court. Evictions, debt cases and suits over $35,000 are filed in Norwalk, small claims in Bellflower, and probate downtown. A second wrinkle: the 906 ZIP Codes reach well past the city line into unincorporated neighborhoods, and one of them routes some cases to West Covina.
We serve summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document across Whittier and the neighborhoods around it, and we file at whichever courthouse the case belongs in. Open a Service Request with the documents attached, or email Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com.
Whittier's filing courthouses by case type
We ran ZIP Codes 90601, 90602, 90603, 90605 and 90606 through the court's Filing Court Locator on October 29, 2026. Under the community name Whittier, all five returned this. Distances are straight-line from Whittier's Census center point.
| Case type | Courthouse | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Family law and restraining orders | Whittier Courthouse, 7339 South Painter Ave. | 0.9 mi |
| Unlawful detainer (limited) | Norwalk Courthouse, 12720 Norwalk Blvd. | 4.7 mi |
| Unlimited civil (over $35,000) | Norwalk Courthouse | 4.7 mi |
| Limited civil, collection | Norwalk Courthouse | 4.7 mi |
| Small claims | Bellflower Courthouse, 10025 East Flower St. | 8.2 mi |
| Limited civil, other | Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill St., Los Angeles | 14.3 mi |
| Probate | Stanley Mosk Courthouse | 14.3 mi |
Local Rule 2.2 lists four Southeast District buildings: Norwalk, Bellflower, Downey and Whittier. Whittier cases use three of them, and Downey doesn't come up. Each opens at 8:00 a.m., and its clerks take filings from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays that aren't court holidays.
Family law on Painter Avenue
The court's directory lists a single division at the Whittier Courthouse: Family Law. Everything in the building supports that work:
- Family Law Clerk's Office, 1st floor, Room 100.
- Family Court Services, 1st floor, Room 101, for mediation and evaluation.
- Family Law Facilitator and Self-Help Resource Center, 3rd floor, Room 300.
- Children's waiting room, 1st floor, Room 122.
The directory adds a timing note. A mediation appointment is given at the moment someone files a Request for Order, or a modification request, about child custody and visitation. If you're filing that request and want the papers served the same week, tell us the mediation date along with the hearing date.
A divorce petition served on a Whittier spouse is normally proved on Judicial Council form FL-115. A domestic violence restraining order needs personal delivery, proved on DV-200. For a restraining order, put the hearing date at the top of the Letter of Instruction, then a recent photo and the places the person goes on a normal weekday. Parking is in a paid structure across the street from the courthouse.
Evictions and larger suits go to Norwalk
Norwalk handles three kinds of Whittier civil work: limited unlawful detainers, unlimited civil cases and limited collection cases. The directory puts the Civil Clerk's Office on the first floor in Room 101 and lists unlawful detainer among the building's divisions. Paid parking is in the City of Norwalk structure east of the courthouse, entered from Avenida Manuel Salinas, and the directory warns that tall vehicles may not clear it.
For a Whittier landlord, the tenant's summons will name Norwalk. The answer window starts the moment service is complete. Under the Judicial Council's eviction guide, a tenant handed the papers has 10 court days to respond, with weekends and court holidays left out of the count. If the papers were left with another adult or posted, then mailed, the tenant has 10 calendar days plus 10 court days after the mailing.
Because the method moves the default date, tell us what the landlord's timeline looks like. A request for a Whittier eviction should carry each adult occupant's name as the summons spells it, the unit number, any gate or garage code, and the date and method of the earlier notice.
Small claims are heard in Bellflower
Whittier small claims are filed and tried at the Bellflower Courthouse, about 8 miles southwest. Its directory lists only two divisions, criminal and small claims, with the Small Claims Clerk's Office on the second floor. Visitors can park in the structure behind the library off Civic Center Drive or on nearby streets.
The service deadline counts backward from the trial date printed on page 1 of the claim. The Judicial Council's guide sets it at 15 days before trial, or 20 days if the person being served lives in a different county from the court. If the server has to fall back on substituted service, that needs to be finished 10 days earlier still. A Saturday, Sunday or court holiday deadline moves to the court day before.
The plaintiff can't hand over the claim. Any adult who isn't a party may, and the server signs form SC-104. Some courts will mail a claim by certified mail for a fee, though the Judicial Council's guide warns that this often fails when the defendant won't sign for it.
"Whittier" addresses outside the city
Whittier's ZIP Codes cover a much wider area than the city. The Census Bureau's 2020 file matching ZIP Code areas to places shows how much of each one lies inside Whittier, by land area:
| ZIP Code | Share in Whittier | Other places in it |
|---|---|---|
| 90601 | about 30% | about 51% unincorporated land, plus Avocado Heights, Industry, Rose Hills and Pico Rivera |
| 90602 | about 87% | about 13% unincorporated |
| 90603 | nearly all | a sliver of South Whittier |
| 90605 | about 61% | South Whittier, about 38%, and Santa Fe Springs |
| 90606 | about 25% | West Whittier-Los Nietos, about 66%, plus Santa Fe Springs and Pico Rivera |
For the server, the street address is what counts. For filing, the community name can change the answer. The locator lists Rose Hills, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs and West Whittier-Los Nietos under these ZIP Codes too, and for each of those it returned the same courthouses as Whittier. Two names under 90601 broke the pattern.
Papers to serve in Whittier?
Hacienda Heights and Industry under 90601
When we entered 90601, the locator returned separate rows for Hacienda Heights and City of Industry, and neither matched Whittier exactly:
- Hacienda Heights (90601): evictions and small claims go to the West Covina Courthouse, 1427 West Covina Parkway. Unlimited civil stays in Norwalk and family law in Whittier.
- City of Industry (90601): evictions and small claims also go to West Covina. Unlimited civil, family law and restraining orders go to Pomona Courthouse South, 400 Civic Center Plaza, Pomona.
Hacienda Heights entered under 90602 or 90605 gave the ordinary Whittier answer. So a landlord with a 90601 property should confirm the community name on the deed or tax bill before filing. Eviction cases move quickly, and a summons that names the wrong building is hard to fix after it's served.
Car crashes and other injury claims
Injury suits follow a stricter rule than most civil cases. Under Local Rule 2.3, an unlimited case for bodily injury, wrongful death or damage to personal property must be filed in the judicial district where the incident took place. A collision on Whittier Boulevard or a fall in a Whittier store is a Southeast District case, and the locator points it to Norwalk.
The rule names the case categories it covers, as they appear on form LACIV 109: motor vehicle cases, product liability, medical malpractice, premises liability and intentional bodily injury, among others. Defamation, civil rights claims and damage to real property aren't included, so those follow the ordinary optional-filing tests instead.
Every new civil filing carries that LACIV 109 addendum, signed by counsel or the self-represented plaintiff. The rule also requires a copy of the completed form to be served with the summons and complaint. When you send us a Whittier injury case for service, include the addendum in the packet so the defendant receives the full set.
Probate and smaller civil cases downtown
Two kinds of Whittier cases skip the Southeast District. Limited civil cases that aren't about collecting a debt go to Stanley Mosk in downtown Los Angeles, and so does probate. Local Rule 2.3 requires conservatorship, guardianship, probate and trust proceedings to be filed in the Central District. The only carve-out is for the North District, whose one courthouse is in Lancaster.
A probate notice is served on each heir or interested person wherever they live, and estates often have family spread across counties. List every person and address on one request, and we'll plan the attempts together.
Serving a Whittier business
A corporation, LLC or limited partnership has to register an agent for service of process with the Secretary of State. The Judicial Council's small claims guide explains how to find that agent through the state's business search, and that an officer of a corporation can be served if the agent can't be found. Send us the agent's name and address exactly as the state lists them.
For a sole owner or partnership, the guide points to fictitious business name records at the county clerk-recorder. Those show who actually owns a business that trades under a shop name. Our serving corporations guide covers registered agent companies, out-of-state entities and the other fallbacks.
What to send with a Whittier request
Each detail you add saves the server a guess. For a Whittier address, include:
- The full street address and community name, especially in 90601, 90605 and 90606.
- The unit, space or suite number, and any gate code or building letter.
- When the person is usually there, such as a work shift or school drop-off time.
- A second location, like a workplace or a relative's home nearby.
- A photo or description, and a vehicle and plate if you have them.
- The hearing date, so the attempts finish ahead of it.
If the address is old, skip tracing looks for a current one and sends it to you to approve. Each update comes to you by email. We make no guarantees for service.
Filing and serving Whittier cases together
Most Whittier cases begin with a filing at Norwalk, Whittier, Bellflower or Stanley Mosk, and we handle the counter trip or the eFiling, then send the papers out for service once the summons issues. Put both steps in the Letter of Instruction. Attorneys should expect to e-file: the court's civil e-filing FAQ says represented parties must file electronically in civil cases unless a judge has excused them, using forms EFS-007 and EFS-008. People representing themselves can still file at the counter. Our Los Angeles County court filing page covers each counter, and document retrieval pulls conformed copies and records. The proof of service guide explains what you'll get back, and our post on how to find a defendant in California covers what to check before you send a request.
Cities near Whittier
Santa Fe Springs is 3.3 miles from Whittier, La Habra Heights 4.1 and Pico Rivera 4.3. La Mirada is 4.5 miles away and La Habra, across the Orange County line, 4.8. Whittier evictions are filed in Norwalk. Every other city starts from our Los Angeles County page.