Every case in Yolo County is filed in Woodland. That makes the city the place where Yolo litigation starts, even when the parties live in Davis, West Sacramento or the Delta. Valpro Attorney Services handles Woodland process serving and Yolo court filing from our Sacramento office, about 14 miles east. We serve summonses, subpoenas and every other legal document on Woodland residents and businesses.
Upload the documents on a Service Request or send them to Service@ValproAttorneyServices.com. For a filing or service that's due soon, call 855-582-5776, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
The courthouse on Main Street
The Superior Court of California, County of Yolo, works from a single courthouse at 1000 Main Street, Woodland, CA 95695. Civil, family law, probate, small claims, eviction, juvenile, criminal and traffic matters all go through it. From the city's Census center point it's about one mile in a straight line.
| Line | Number |
|---|---|
| Main line | (530) 406-6700 |
| Civil, probate, juvenile, small claims and family | (530) 406-6704 |
| Criminal | (530) 406-6705 |
| Payment center | (530) 406-6703 |
| Self-Help Center and Family Law Facilitator | (530) 406-6794 |
The phones and the filing windows keep the same hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Source: Yolo Superior Court location and contact page, checked October 2026.
Parking and drop-off at 1000 Main Street
If you or a runner is heading to the counter, the court's location page explains the curb. Loading and unloading zones are on Main Street in front of the courthouse. Twenty-minute parking zones are on 5th Street and 6th Street. Free public and ADA parking is in two lots, at 525 6th Street and 625 6th Street. Short zones suit a quick filing drop. A hearing or a long records request needs the lots.
We file at the counter for clients who want it. See Yolo County court filing for the filing side of a case.
Remote hearings under Yolo Local Rule 2.4
Yolo's Local Rule 2.4 says remote appearance is "authorized but not mandated" for all civil proceedings and all criminal proceedings, subject to the judge's power to require someone in person. Civil here follows rule 3.672(c)(1) of the California Rules of Court and includes petitions for domestic violence and gun violence restraining orders.
The details that matter for planning:
- Non-evidentiary hearings. Notice of intent to appear remotely may be given orally at the start of the hearing, and it may cover the rest of the case.
- Evidentiary hearings and bench trials. These are held remotely unless the court orders otherwise. An opposition to remote appearance follows California Rules of Court, rule 3.672(h)(3)(A).
- The judge decides. The presiding judge keeps final say over how people appear.
None of this changes service. A witness who will testify by video still has to be served with the subpoena, and the proof of service still has to be filed. Send the hearing date with any Woodland subpoena so the attempts are planned around it. Our post on serving a subpoena in California covers the forms.
Getting copies of a Woodland court file
The civil division page says most civil files are public, and anyone may view and copy them. There are three ways to get a copy:
- In person at the civil filing counter. For a case more than 10 years old, the court suggests calling the civil division first to make sure the file is available.
- Through a private agency working for you.
- By letter, with the case number if you have it, the party names, the document you want, and the copy and research fees. The court suggests a check payable to Yolo Superior Court marked "not to exceed" an amount in the memo line, plus a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Civil staff can answer questions by phone about a pending or recently closed civil case, except small claims and eviction cases. They can't give legal advice. Our document retrieval service handles the second option on that list.
Yolo also requires electronic filing and service in civil, probate and family law cases under Local Rule 7, with one exception that matters here: personal service when a statute or rule requires it. Summonses and other first papers still need a person at the door.
The court's e-filing page dates the requirement to August 17, 2020, for civil, family law and probate cases, and for later filings in criminal, juvenile and child support (DCSS) cases. Self-represented parties are exempt but strongly encouraged to use the court's File @ Home and eFile tools. Filers work through an electronic filing service provider, and the court notes that one registration carries over if you switch providers. Our post on California court e-filing has the general rules.
Two other civil details from the division page: tentative rulings are available by phone at (530) 406-6806 or on the court's tentative rulings calendar, and a Request to Waive Court Fees has to be filed with the first documents in a case. A judge reviews it, though a clerk may grant some requests.
Papers to serve in Woodland?
Family law papers from Woodland households
The Yolo court's family division hears dissolution, annulment and legal separation, parental rights, domestic violence prevention, custody and visitation, and child and spousal support. Its filing counter and phone are shared with civil, at (530) 406-6704.
The court's family division answers two questions we hear often. A proof of service is required, and the person who serves the papers must be over 18 and not a party to the case. Questions about support arrears, or a license suspended by the child support agency, go to Yolo County Child Support Services at (530) 661-2880, not the court. When the county is involved in a support case, papers for the court are still filed with the court, in person, by mail or by e-filing.
For self-represented parties, the Self-Help Center and Family Law Facilitator is on the courthouse's second floor. Walk-in help runs Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Phone help is Monday, Wednesday and Friday at (530) 406-6793, and live chat runs those same days. The services are free and the center may help both sides. Beyond family law, it helps with guardianships and conservatorships, small claims, evictions, civil harassment, elder abuse and workplace violence restraining orders, and name changes. Walk-in visitors sign in at the kiosk to the right of the entrance and should bring the case number and a blue or black pen. Voicemails are generally returned within 3 business days. For the right proof of service form, see our proof of service guide.
The Sheriff's civil unit, also in Woodland
The Yolo County Sheriff's Office is at 140 Tony Diaz Drive, Woodland, CA 95776, with lobby and civil counter hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Its civil page lists summonses and complaints, small claims papers, restraining orders, bench warrants and evictions among the process it serves. It also levies on wages, bank accounts, vehicles and other assets of a judgment debtor.
The Sheriff's requirements, from that page:
- A signed letter of instructions on form SER-001, plus SER-001A where it applies, and two identical copies of everything to be served.
- Lead time. Documents must reach the office at least 10 days before the last day for service.
- A physical address in Yolo County where the person can be served. The page says deputies can't use criminal investigative methods, such as stakeouts or database inquiries, in civil matters.
- Fees. $50 per named party for a summons and complaint, eviction included, and $50 for small claims papers. Service is often free for domestic violence restraining orders or under a court fee waiver.
A private server is worth considering when the deadline is less than 10 days out, when you only have a workplace or partial address, or when the person lives outside Yolo County. Either way, you get a proof of service back to file.
Claims against the City of Woodland or Yolo County
Woodland is both a city and the county seat, so papers here are often aimed at a public agency. For the city, claims are filed with the City Clerk at 300 First Street, Woodland, CA 95695. The city's page says a claim must be filed within 6 months of when the cause of action accrues, or within one year for real property. It must carry an original signature, and the city asks for estimates, receipts or photos with it. Claims then go to the city's claims administrator.
A claim against Yolo County or another agency follows that agency's own procedure. Check it before you send anything, and keep a dated copy of what was filed. Ask your attorney if a lawsuit has to follow the claim.
Woodland ZIP Codes and the farmland around them
Woodland's two ZIP Codes reach well past the city line. In the Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP Code area file:
| ZIP Code | Land inside Woodland | Total land in the ZIP Code | Also overlaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95695 | about 5.1 sq mi | about 135.3 sq mi | Knights Landing, Monument Hills, Yolo |
| 95776 | about 10.2 sq mi | about 78.0 sq mi | unincorporated county land |
A Woodland mailing address can be a house near downtown or a farm property miles out. For a rural one, give the road, the nearest cross road, a gate or driveway description, and any outbuilding where the person works. Note animals, locked gates and the hours someone is usually home. A workplace address in town is a useful second option.
Woodland small claims and evictions
Small claims cases are filed at the same Main Street courthouse. The court's page sets the limit at $12,500 for a natural person and $6,250 for a business or public entity, with a cap of two filings over $2,500 each per calendar year. The Small Claims Advisor, 530-207-4233, handles small claims questions only.
Eviction cases go through the same building. The court's eviction self-help page points tenants and landlords to Legal Services of Northern California and its own forms. Once a tenant is served, the answer period under the California Courts self-help guidance is 10 court days after personal service. After substituted service or posting, it's 10 calendar days plus 10 court days after the mailing. This is general information, not legal advice.
Places around Woodland
Nearby places we serve include Davis, Bryte, Broderick, Winters, Dixon and Rio Linda. See all of Yolo County, or Solano County to the southwest.
More for Woodland cases
- Serving a business: reaching a company's agent for service of process.
- Skip tracing: when the Woodland address no longer works.
- Who can serve papers in California: the rules for servers.
Start a Service Request or call 855-582-5776.