The world of California courts is constantly shifting, now more than ever before. In an effort to highlight significant updates, One Legal will be compiling the biggest changes in court operations and messaging from the past week to help us all keep up.
For a full list of all 58 California courts and more information about their known status, visit our California courts updates page on the Support Center.
Please note: All resources shared by One Legal are intended as high-level summaries only. For a full picture of each court’s response to the challenges of COVID-19, please visit the individual court website.
Service of process
You can continue to request service of process through One Legal and our network of process servers continue to make attempts throughout the U.S.
California’s shelter-in-place order specifically exempts “Professional services, such as legal or accounting services, when necessary to assist in compliance with legally mandated activities and critical sector services,” which includes process serving.
Court updates this week
As courts work hard to determine a way to bring the full justice system back online, here are the courts that have updated their messaging in a significant way, shared plans to increase access, or established new protocols for filing and beyond.
Read updates from the week of May 29>>
Read updates from the week of May 22>>
Read updates from the week of May 15>>
Read updates from the week of May 8>>
Alameda County
A June 1st press release announced the issuance of an Emergency Order extending the authority of the Court to take certain actions. These included:
- June 1-June 27, 2020, inclusive, are deemed holidays for the purposes of computing time and for filing papers
- Time periods in which criminal trials must be held are extended
- Time periods related to hearings in juvenile dependency and family law case types are also extended
Alpine County
A public notice announced changes to court hearings effective June 22, 2020, including the end of remote sessions and guidelines for people visiting the courthouse.
Colusa County
Limited operations resumed on June 1, 2020 with adjustments to calendars and operations laid out in their notice.
Kern County
The Court has announced new Local Rules that will go into effect July 1, 2020. These include mandatory eFiling for Family Law case types, the process of appointing subordinate judicial officers and temporary judges, and more.
Kings County
One Legal will enable eFiling into Kings County Superior Court on June 8, 2020.
Lake County
In a public notice, the Court announces the expansion of services and establishes expectations for hearings and trials in the coming weeks.
Madera County
The Court released plans for reintroducing services in the coming weeks, including dates available to calendar for each division.
Merced County
Effective June 1, Merced increased access to courthouse operations with guidelines in place for people entering the court facilities.
Napa County
All court operations resumed as of Monday, June 1, 2020. The Court posted recommendations and service changes and encouraged the use of the drop box to file documents in its release.
Nevada County
As of June 1, the Court entered Phase 2 of its reopening and shared the steps being taken to ensure public health and safety.
Orange County
Due to possible demonstrations and road closures, the Court has announced that it will be closed on Friday, June 5th, with plans to reopen on June 8.
Placer County
In a June 1 Emergency Order, the Court allowed any judge of the Court to extend the statutory deadlines provided in certain sections of the penal code where it would have otherwise expired between June 1 and June 12.
Riverside County
Effective June 1, the Court will continue to manage essential functions and resume processing all civil documents, except Small Claims and Unlawful Detainers. Documents received and not filed, from March 17 through May 29, 2020 will be filed as of June 1, 2020. Guidelines for telephonic appearances and in-person proceedings were also established.
Sacramento County
In an emergency amendment to rule 9 of California Rule of Court, Sacramento County announced that the statutes of limitations and repose for civil causes of action that exceed 180 days are tolled from April 6, 2020 to October 1, 2020. Statutes of limitations of 180 days or less are tolled from April 6, 2020 to August 3, 2020.
San Bernadino County
Beginning May 29, the Court began to gradually reopen with modified service hours. Information on what this means for each courthouse is laid out on their general information page.
San Diego County
June 1 – Due to civil unrest, the Court deemed June 1, 2020 a holiday for purposes of computing time for filing papers. Read the General Order>>
June 2 – The Court extended the time to enroll in and/or submit proof of completion of court-ordered programs for Criminal and Traffic matters. Read the General Order>>
June 3 – The Court extended the time to pay court-ordered fines and fees to the Court or to court collections for all Criminal and Traffic matters. Read the General Order>>
Santa Clara County
In a June 2nd General Order, the Court declared June 1 to be a holiday for the purposes of computing time. The periods for computing time for unlawful detainer papers, Welfare and Institutions Codes, and criminal trials was extended.
Sierra County
In a June 3rd General Order, the Court extended court holidays through June 27, allowed sessions to be held anywhere in the county, allowed for transfer of pending civil cases to adjacent courts, and extended statutory deadlines where they would otherwise expire.
Sonoma County
As of June 1, the Court announced an increase in court services and operations, including welcoming people back to the courthouse while observing CDC health guidelines.
Stanislaus County
The Court announced a limitation of persons entering the courthouse and established guidelines for those coming to court facilities. The public notice also provided contact information for the clerk’s offices.
Tehama County
The Court announced limited operations and courthouse access would continue through July 2, 2020 and shared information on limited court calendars.
Tulare County
The Court began lifting restrictions on courthouse access on June 4. Remote appearances and drop box filing are recommended.
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