Tulare County Small Claims Court

Court Information

Court name

Tulare County Superior Court — Small Claims Division (Visalia County Civic Center)

Address

221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 201, Visalia, CA 93291

Phone

(559) 730-5000

Hours

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

Official website

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

Typical hearing wait

8 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 Plaintiff's Claim and Order to Defendant (form SC-100) and pay the filing fee at the Tulare County Superior Court's Small Claims Division, Visalia County Civic Center (221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 201, Visalia, CA 93291) — this is the county's only small-claims hearing location; the Porterville branch handles other civil filings but not small-claims hearings. If you cannot afford the fee, ask the clerk about a fee waiver (form FW-001). Claims cannot exceed $12,500, and you may not file more than two claims over $2,500 in a calendar year.

Serving the Defendant

You cannot serve the papers yourself — have the defendant served by the sheriff/marshal, a registered process server, any adult who is not a party to the case, or by certified mail through the court clerk (for a fee). Service must be completed at least 15 days before the hearing if the defendant lives in Tulare County, or 20 days before the hearing if they live elsewhere in California, and the proof of service must be filed with the court before the hearing.

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

Hearing Tips

Try to resolve the dispute directly with the other party before the hearing — the court's own checklist expects this to have been attempted first.
Organize your evidence and line up your witnesses in advance; the judge may rule at the hearing or mail the decision later.
You may consult a lawyer beforehand, but you cannot have one represent you at the small claims hearing itself.
This court does not hold remote hearings for small claims (or traffic) cases — both parties must appear in person at the courthouse.
Free interpreters are provided for small claims cases, but civil interpreter requests are filled in a statutory priority order and small claims is the lowest civil priority — file a Request for Interpreter (form INT-300) with the civil clerk's office as early as possible.

✓ Interpreters available

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