Tulare County Small Claims Court Locations

Superior Court of California, County of Tulare — Small Claims

• In person at the Visalia (221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 201) or Porterville (300 E. Olive Ave.) courthouse
• By mail to the filing location

Walk-in filing is available at 2 locations: 221 S. Mooney Boulevard, Room 201, Visalia, CA 93291 (559-730-5000), South County Justice Center, 300 E. Olive Avenue, Porterville, CA 93257 (559-782-3700).

Filing locations

2

Hours

Confirm current clerk’s office hours with the filing location before you go.

Filing fee

$30–$75

File without going in

Yes, by mail

Every location that takes a small claims filing

Tulare County accepts small claims filings at:

• 221 S. Mooney Boulevard, Room 201, Visalia, CA 93291 (559-730-5000)
• South County Justice Center, 300 E. Olive Avenue, Porterville, CA 93257 (559-782-3700)

In Tulare County file where the defendant lives or where the injury or transaction occurred (CCP §116.370). Small claims are filed at the Visalia or Porterville courthouses.

Is Tulare 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.

In Tulare County file where the defendant lives or where the injury or transaction occurred (CCP §116.370). Small claims are filed at the Visalia or Porterville courthouses.

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 Tulare — Small Claims 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 Confirm current clerk’s office hours with the filing location before you go.. 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 Tulare — Small Claims accepts 2 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. Tulare 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 Tulare — Small Claims accepts a filing:

• In person at the Visalia (221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 201) or Porterville (300 E. Olive Ave.) courthouse
• By mail to the filing location

Free help at the courthouse

Tulare 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
• Tulare County Superior Court files small claims at the Visalia (221 S. Mooney Blvd.) or Porterville (South County Justice Center) courthouses; the Self-Help Resource Center assists at 559-737-5500. Statewide guidance is at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov.

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 Tulare County?

Superior Court of California, County of Tulare — Small Claims, 221 S. Mooney Boulevard, Room 201, Visalia, CA 93291.

What are the Tulare County small claims court hours?

Confirm current clerk’s office hours with the filing location before you go.. Confirm before travelling — court hours change around holidays.

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

Not necessarily. Tulare County accepts a filing in person at the visalia (221 s. mooney blvd., room 201) or porterville (300 e. olive ave.) courthouse; by mail to the filing location.

Which Tulare County location do I file at?

In Tulare County file where the defendant lives or where the injury or transaction occurred (CCP §116.370). Small claims are filed at the Visalia or Porterville courthouses.