Family Law Court
Cases Involving Marriage and Children
Family Law Cases involve legal proceedings related to family and marriage issues, including:
- Child Support
- Custody and Visitation
- Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce)
- Dept. of Child Support services, Child Support Actions
- Domestic Violence (DV) Restraining Orders (RO) - Click on link for information on how to file DV Restraining Orders.
- Establish Parental Relationship (Paternity), Petitions for Custody and Support
- Legal Separation, Nullity
- And others
Fees
Current filing fees and fees assessed for Family Court Services mediation and investigation services can be found on the Schedule of Fees.
Forms
A listing of all state forms used in Family Law procedures can be found on the state Family Law website and a packet of frequently used forms are available at the Main Courthouse.
Please contact the Civil Division for filing questions at (559) 416-5525.
For Adoption, refer to this online guide.
Local Procedures and Notes
- Ex-parte hearings are heard in the assigned Department, Monday – Friday at 8:15 a.m. Documents along with the 24-hour Notice or Non-notice Declaration must be submitted to the courts no later than 10:00 a.m. the previous workday prior to the court date.
- All documents are to be filed two (2) days prior to the court date.
- The Record Search fee is $5.00 per name and takes about 5 days.
- Family law packets are available and can be obtained from the Main Courthouse Facility.
- Family Code Section 4320 factors are included here for your reference.