Kings County Small Claims Court

Court Information

Court name

Superior Court of California, County of Kings — Small Claims Division

Address

1640 Kings County Drive, Hanford, CA 93230

Phone

(559) 582-1010

Hours

Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:00pm

Official website

https://www.kings.courts.ca.gov/divisions/small-claims

Typical hearing wait

7 weeks

Filing Fees

Max claim: $12,500 · Required forms: SC-100, SC-104

Claim amount	Filing fee
$1 – $1,500	$30
$1,501 – $5,000	$50
$5,001 – $12,500	$75

Fee waiver available if you qualify (form FW-001).

How to File

File your small claims case at the Kings County Superior Court, 1640 Kings County Drive, Hanford, CA 93230 — the county's only small claims courthouse — or through the court's online case-filing portal. Bring a completed Plaintiff's Claim and Order to Go to Small Claims Court (Form SC-100) plus the filing fee, or a fee-waiver request (Form FW-001) if you cannot afford it; the original and at least 2 copies of every document are required. The county's Small Claims Advisor, located at 1400 West Lacy Blvd., Hanford, CA 93230 ((559) 852-4430), provides free help preparing your case.

Serving the Defendant

The defendant may be served by personal delivery, substituted service, or certified mail arranged through the court clerk (an extra $15 fee applies per defendant for certified mail). Service must be completed at least 15 days before the trial if the defendant lives in Kings County, or at least 20 days if they live outside the county, and the Proof of Service (Form SC-104) must be filed with the court at least 5 days before the hearing.

Allowed methods: Personal service, Substituted service, Certified mail
Deadline: Serve at least 15 days before the hearing date.

Hearing Tips

Arrive on time; the trial is informal, but you must bring witnesses, receipts, and any other documents needed to prove your case.
Show any photographs, diagrams, or documents to the other side before presenting them to the court.
If possible, observe another small claims proceeding in the same courtroom before your own hearing date to see how the process works.
If a witness will not come voluntarily, ask the court clerk to issue a subpoena (or a subpoena duces tecum to compel documents/records).
The court's telephonic "Court Call" program is limited to certain case-management, civil law-and-motion, probate, and family-law matters; it does not specifically list small claims, so confirm appearance options with the clerk before your hearing.

✓ Interpreters available ✓ Phone appearance allowed

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Read the full California Security Deposit Law guide →

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