Kern County Small Claims Court Locations

Superior Court of California, County of Kern — Civil and Small Claims Division (Metropolitan Division/Justice Building)

• In person at the small claims courthouse that has venue for the case
• By mail (original plus one copy per defendant, plus a self-addressed stamped envelope)
• Electronically through a court-approved Electronic Filing Service Provider (self-represented litigants may e-file though not required)

Walk-in filing is available at 6 locations: Metropolitan Justice Building — 1215 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93301 (661-610-6000), Delano — 1122 Jefferson St, Delano, CA 93215 (661-610-7300), Lamont — 12022 Main St, Lamont, CA 93241 (661-610-7100), Mojave — 1773 State Highway 58 Business, Mojave, CA 93501 (661-610-7400), Ridgecrest — 132 E Coso Ave, Ridgecrest, CA 93555 (661-610-7450), Shafter — 325 Central Valley Hwy, Shafter, CA 93263 (661-610-7200).

Filing locations

6

Hours

Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Friday 8:00 a.m.-noon

Filing fee

$30–$75

File without going in

Yes, online

Every location that takes a small claims filing

Kern County accepts small claims filings at:

• Metropolitan Justice Building — 1215 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93301 (661-610-6000)
• Delano — 1122 Jefferson St, Delano, CA 93215 (661-610-7300)
• Lamont — 12022 Main St, Lamont, CA 93241 (661-610-7100)
• Mojave — 1773 State Highway 58 Business, Mojave, CA 93501 (661-610-7400)
• Ridgecrest — 132 E Coso Ave, Ridgecrest, CA 93555 (661-610-7450)
• Shafter — 325 Central Valley Hwy, Shafter, CA 93263 (661-610-7200)

Kern Superior Court files and hears small claims cases at six locations across the county: the Metropolitan Justice Building (Bakersfield), Delano, Lamont, Mojave, Ridgecrest, and Shafter (kern.courts.ca.gov/divisions/civil-and-small-claims lists all six as small claims filing/hearing locations, plus a Small Claims Night Court session at the Metropolitan Traffic Division, 3131 Arrow St, Bakersfield). Within-county venue is generally determined by where the defendant resides or the outlying area the branch court serves; the court's own page does not publish a zip-code-to-branch table, so confirm the correct branch with the Small Claims Advisor (661-610-6518) or Self-Help Center before filing.

Is Kern County the right court for your case?

Which court may hear a small claims case turns on where the dispute belongs, not on where it is convenient for you to go. It is normally:

• Where the defendant lives — or, for a business, where it has its place of business.
• Where the events you are suing about actually happened.
• Where a contract was to be performed, where the claim is about an agreement.

Kern Superior Court files and hears small claims cases at six locations across the county: the Metropolitan Justice Building (Bakersfield), Delano, Lamont, Mojave, Ridgecrest, and Shafter (kern.courts.ca.gov/divisions/civil-and-small-claims lists all six as small claims filing/hearing locations, plus a Small Claims Night Court session at the Metropolitan Traffic Division, 3131 Arrow St, Bakersfield). Within-county venue is generally determined by where the defendant resides or the outlying area the branch court serves; the court's own page does not publish a zip-code-to-branch table, so confirm the correct branch with the Small Claims Advisor (661-610-6518) or Self-Help Center before filing.

We cannot advise you which venue to choose. Where two courts would both be proper, either is a valid filing.

Going to Superior Court of California, County of Kern — Civil and Small Claims Division (Metropolitan Division/Justice Building) in person

If you are filing at the counter rather than by mail or online, this is the shape of the visit.

1. Go during filing hours, not court hours. The counter is open Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Friday 8:00 a.m.-noon. Clerks stop accepting new filings before closing, so arriving in the last half hour is how people end up coming back.
2. Bring the completed claim form and your copies. Bring a copy for the court, one for each defendant, and one for yourself.
3. Bring the fee, in a form this clerk takes. The filing fee is $30–$75. Superior Court of California, County of Kern — Civil and Small Claims Division (Metropolitan Division/Justice Building) accepts 3 forms of payment — cash is not always one of them, and cards are not always one either. Service is a further $15 per defendant.
4. Know the defendant's exact legal name and address. The clerk will not look it up for you, and a judgment against a trade name that is not the legal entity is difficult to collect on afterwards.
5. Leave with your court date. Kern County sets the first court date at filing, so you leave the counter knowing when to come back.

Court staff can explain procedure and check a form is complete. They cannot tell you what to write in your claim, or whether to bring it at all.

Ways to file without standing in line

Superior Court of California, County of Kern — Civil and Small Claims Division (Metropolitan Division/Justice Building) accepts a filing:

• In person at the small claims courthouse that has venue for the case
• By mail (original plus one copy per defendant, plus a self-addressed stamped envelope)
• Electronically through a court-approved Electronic Filing Service Provider (self-represented litigants may e-file though not required)

Free help at the courthouse

Kern County runs a self-help center for people filing without a lawyer. It can:

• Point you at the right form for your case type
• Check a form is complete before you hand it in
• The Kern Self-Help Center (1215 Truxtun Ave, 1st floor, Bakersfield; same hours as the court) provides assistance preparing small claims paperwork; a Small Claims Advisor is also available (661-610-6518) on a free, first-come basis, plus the Kern County Law Library (661-610-6325, kclawlib.org). Statewide small claims self-help guidance is at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/small-claims-california.

Court staff can explain procedure. They cannot tell you what to write in your claim, or whether you should file at all — that is the line they are not allowed to cross, and it is the part most people actually need.

Common questions

Where is small claims court in Kern County?

Superior Court of California, County of Kern — Civil and Small Claims Division (Metropolitan Division/Justice Building), 1215 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301.

What are the Kern County small claims court hours?

Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Friday 8:00 a.m.-noon. Confirm before travelling — court hours change around holidays.

Do I have to go to the courthouse to file in Kern County?

Not necessarily. Kern County accepts a filing in person at the small claims courthouse that has venue for the case; by mail (original plus one copy per defendant, plus a self-addressed stamped envelope); electronically through a court-approved electronic filing service provider (self-represented litigants may e-file though not required).

Which Kern County location do I file at?

Kern Superior Court files and hears small claims cases at six locations across the county: the Metropolitan Justice Building (Bakersfield), Delano, Lamont, Mojave, Ridgecrest, and Shafter (kern.courts.ca.gov/divisions/civil-and-small-claims lists all six as small claims filing/hearing locations, plus a Small Claims Night Court session at the Metropolitan Traffic Division, 3131 Arrow St, Bakersfield). Within-county venue is generally determined by where the defendant resides or the outlying area the branch court serves; the court's own page does not publish a zip-code-to-branch table, so confirm the correct branch with the Small Claims Advisor (661-610-6518) or Self-Help Center before filing.