San Diego Superior Court: Locations, Hearings, Filing and Court Services
The Superior Court of California, County of San Diego handles civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, traffic and other trial court matters. Use this guide to choose an official service, confirm your courthouse, prepare for a hearing and find filing, payment or assistance instructions.
Start here: The official San Diego Superior Court website provides current service links and court announcements. Follow the instructions on your notice, summons, citation or court order for the assigned location and deadline.
Independent guide. This website is not affiliated with the San Diego Superior Court. Submit filings, payments and service requests through official court channels. Procedures depend on the case type, assigned department and applicable court rules.
Choose the Service You Need
| Your task | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Find a case number or request court records | The Accessing Court Records page. |
| Attend a scheduled hearing | Your hearing notice and the hearing appearance instructions. |
| Find a courthouse or business office | The court locations directory. |
| Find forms or submit documents | The forms directory and the filing instructions for your case type. |
| Pay a fine or court-ordered fee | The Make a Payment page; select the appropriate case category. |
| Respond to a jury summons | The Jury Services page and your summons. |
| Get help with procedures or forms | The Self-Help Center. |
| Request a spoken-language interpreter | The Language Access page. |
| Request an ASL interpreter or another disability accommodation | The ADA and disability accommodations page. |
The online services directory also links to court calendars, tentative rulings, probate examiner notes, electronic filing and appointment services.
Confirm the Court Location and Department
For an existing case, check your latest hearing notice or court order for the assigned courthouse and department. See how to find your courthouse and courtroom for the details to check and what to do if the assignment is missing or unclear.
For a new matter, follow the filing and location instructions for your case type in the court’s division directory. The appropriate location may depend on jurisdiction, where the legal issue occurred and where the requested service is provided. Use the official Court Locations directory to review facilities and available services.
Find a Case or Obtain Court Records
Choose the record service for your task and case category.
| Service | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Court Index | Locate identifying information, including the case number and file location. |
| Register of Actions | Review recorded case events and available document options. |
| Copy request | Obtain a specific filing, order, judgment or other available record through the appropriate channel. |
Family Law uses a separate Register from Civil, Small Claims, Probate and Criminal cases. Some documents can be downloaded; others must be ordered for mailing or requested at a courthouse.
Confidential or sealed records have separate access requirements. A missing online result does not establish that no case exists, and an index entry does not guarantee that every document is available.
Use the official records access page to choose the correct system. Our court case search guide explains case identification and records requests, while our Register of Actions guide explains docket activity and document access.
Prepare for an In-Person or Remote Hearing
Use your latest hearing notice and any relevant court order to confirm the required appearance method. Follow the instructions for your case type and assigned department.
In-person appearances
The court’s general appearance instructions direct participants to arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled hearing and report to the assigned courtroom. Allow time for parking, security screening and finding the department.
- Bring your hearing notice and the documents required for the proceeding.
- Keep the case number and department information readily available.
- Review courthouse security restrictions before arriving.
- Follow any additional check-in instructions issued by the department.
Remote appearances
The official hearing appearance page provides instructions and current access links by hearing category. Whether you can participate remotely depends on the applicable instructions and court orders.
See whether you can attend your hearing remotely for guidance on confirming eligibility, finding the correct department link, preparing to join and handling connection problems.
Calendars, rulings and reservations
The court calendar, tentative rulings and probate examiner notes are separate tools. Check the correct case and department, and follow any response or appearance instructions. An online listing does not replace a court order or hearing notice.
For departments using the Motion Appearance Reservation System, a reservation is separate from filing the motion and completing required service. Use the assigned department’s current instructions.
Prepare Forms and Select the Filing Method
The official forms directory provides state and local forms. Confirm the form number, revision date and instructions before completing a saved or downloaded copy.
Read the entire packet. Depending on the document, you may need supporting materials, signatures, a fee or fee-waiver request, and service on another party.
Electronic filing
The court’s online services directory provides e-filing instructions for supported categories, including Civil, Probate, Family Law, Family Support and designated restraining order matters.
E-filing may be mandatory in some circumstances. Check the rules for your division and document, including any exemptions or documents requiring a different submission method.
- Confirm whether you are starting a new case or filing in an existing one.
- Use the correct case number, division and document category.
- Check required signatures, attachments and filing fees.
- Retain submission confirmations and review the court’s acceptance or rejection response.
Do not assume that uploading a document means it has been accepted for filing. Filing a document also does not automatically complete any separate service or hearing-reservation requirement.
Find Procedural Help, Interpreters and Accommodations
Self-Help Center
The Self-Help Center connects people without a lawyer to information and assistance with court procedures and forms.
See where to get help with court forms for guidance on choosing a provider, preparing for assistance and understanding the scope of self-help services.
Spoken-language interpreters
The Language Access page explains interpreter requests for courtroom proceedings and qualifying court-operated programs.
Request an interpreter as far in advance as possible using ADM-348, Interpreter Request/Cancellation. A separate request is required for each proceeding or qualifying program.
The official instructions allow the form to be submitted at the court’s business office during normal business hours or mailed to the court location shown on your case paperwork. Notify the court promptly if an interpreter is no longer needed.
The court’s policy provides interpreters without charge under applicable law and available resources. For scheduling, cancellation or other language access questions, contact languageaccess@sdcourt.ca.gov.
ASL and disability accommodations
American Sign Language requests use the disability accommodation process rather than the spoken-language form. The official ADA accommodations page provides an online request option and ADM-410, Disability Accommodation Request.
The form may be submitted to the ADA Coordinator or the business office at the court location where the accommodation is needed. The ADA Coordinator’s email is ADA@sdcourt.ca.gov.
The court asks for a separate accommodation request for each case, submitted as far in advance as possible and at least five court days before the requested implementation date. Follow the page’s specific instructions for your proceeding.
Jurors should request disability accommodations through Jury Services at 619-844-2800.
Pay a Fine or Court-Ordered Fee
Use the official Make a Payment page and select the appropriate Criminal, Traffic/Minor Offense or Civil payment option.
Confirm the case or citation number, amount and deadline before submitting.
For Civil monthly payments, follow your Payment Notice and the official payment page for required information, deadlines and the consequences of missed payments.
This service is separate from paying a filing fee when submitting documents. For filing fees or a fee-waiver request, follow the filing instructions for your case category and submission method.
The court states that, effective July 1, 2026, its processing vendor may impose a 2.75% service fee for online payments using a credit card, check/debit card, prepaid card or mobile payment application. Review the charge displayed by the selected payment service.
Save the payment confirmation. If a transaction result is unclear, check its status or contact the appropriate office before submitting another payment.
Respond to a Jury Summons
Use your summons and the official Jury Services page to access juror services, reporting instructions and request options. The page also provides information about parking, pay, proof of service and accommodations.
For help with reporting and scheduling, see:
Follow the court’s instructions for checking the outcome of a postponement, excuse or transfer request.
San Diego uses the One Day or One Trial program. Follow your reporting instructions; if selected and sworn for a trial, service continues until that trial is completed.
Review the official security restrictions before visiting. Jurors must pass courthouse screening, and business casual clothing is recommended.
Jury scam warning: Jury Services does not call to demand payment for failing to appear. Do not send money to an unexpected caller threatening arrest. Verify jury matters through the official court service.
Court Locations, Contacts and Hours
Use the locations directory and contact directory to confirm the office handling your case.
| Location or service | Address | Telephone |
|---|---|---|
| Central Division — General Information | 1100 Union Street San Diego, CA 92101 |
619-844-2700 |
| Central Criminal Business Office | 1100 Union Street 1st and 2nd Floors San Diego, CA 92101 |
619-844-2400 |
| Central Older Records | 1100 Union Street 14th Floor San Diego, CA 92101 |
619-844-2400 |
| Central Civil Business Office — Hall of Justice | 330 W. Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 |
619-450-7275 |
| Central Family Law Business Office | 1100 Union Street San Diego, CA 92101 |
619-844-2777 |
| Central Probate | 1100 Union Street San Diego, CA 92101 |
619-844-2676 |
| Juvenile Court — General Information | 2851 Meadow Lark Drive San Diego, CA 92123 |
858-634-1600 |
| Kearny Mesa Traffic | 8950 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard San Diego, CA 92123 |
858-634-1800 |
| North County Division | 325 South Melrose Drive Vista, CA 92081 |
760-201-8600 |
| East County Division | 250 East Main Street El Cajon, CA 92020 |
619-456-4100 |
| South County Division | 500 Third Avenue Chula Vista, CA 91910 |
619-746-6200 |
Facility opening times, business counter hours and telephone hours are different. Check the official Hours & Holidays page for the relevant branch and department before visiting or calling.
For records inspection or copies, the Court Records Locations page provides business office locations and copy-request cutoffs.
Use the destination specified for the particular filing, payment or records request when mailing documents. A courthouse’s street address is not automatically the correct mailing destination for every service.