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Small Claims | Superior Court of California | County of Tulare
This means that you have asked the defendant to pay, and the defendant has refused. If your claim is for possession of property, you must ask the defendant to give you the property.
Unless you fall within two technical exceptions, you must be the original owner of the claim. This means that if the claim is assigned, the buyer cannot sue in the small claims court. You must also appear at the small claims hearing yourself unless you filed the claim for a corporation or other entity that is not a natural person.
If a corporation files a claim, an employee, officer, or director must act on its behalf. If the claim is filed on behalf of an association or other entity that is not a natural person, a regularly employed person of the entity must act on its behalf.
Small Claims Court Checklists
For the Plaintiff:
Contact the other party to discuss the problem and try to resolve it.
Familiarize yourself with small claims court procedures. Determine the exact amount in dispute.
File a claim form (Plaintiff's Claim and Order to Defendant), and pay the filing fee; or, if you are a business, file a Fictitious Business Name Declaration, if appropriate.
Arrange for service of process on each defendant. (Make sure the Proof of Service form is returned to court before the hearing, and make sure minimum days of notice is met.)
Prepare for the hearing. (Organize your thoughts, collect evidence, talk to witnesses.)
Keep communication open. Try to resolve the dispute with the other party before the hearing.
Attend the hearing and present your case.
Note: You may download forms from the California Courts web site.
For the Defendant:
Contact the plaintiff and try to resolve the dispute
Familiarize yourself with small claims court procedures
If you have a claim against the plaintiff, consider resolving it at the same hearing.
Prepare for the hearing. (Organize your thoughts, collect evidence, talk to witnesses.)
Keep communication open. Try to resolve the dispute with the other party before the hearing.
If you owe money, try to pay it or work out a payment plan.
Child support | California Courts | Self Help Guide
If you need an order and don't already have one
What you need to file and the steps you need to take depend on whether you already have a family law case in California (like a divorce or parentage case) involving the child. If you don't, you need to start one. If you do already have a case, you can file papers in that case asking a judge to decide support or to make an agreement between you and the other parent an order.
The steps you take and the forms you need will also be different if you want the Local Child Support Agency (LCSA) to be part of your case, or if they already are. The LCSA, sometimes called the Department of Child Support, helps to make sure that children get enough support. 
Find out what forms to file
If you have an order and need to change it
You can ask the judge to change support if things changed since the last order, like:

You are now making less money 

The other parent is now making more money 

You are now spending more time with your children 

If you and the other parent don't agree about the change, you can file a Request for Order (form FL-300) to ask to change the order. If you and the other parent agree on the change, you can turn in a written agreement for the judge to sign.
If you have an LCSA child support case (a government child support case), there are different instructions to ask to change the order.  They will also need to approve any agreement to change support.
How do I know if the LCSA is part of my case? Learn more 

How you get help or change your child support order is different if the local child support agency (LCSA) is involved in your case.
The LCSA will be part of your case if one of the parents:
Is getting money from the government for your children, or
Asks for their help                                                   
One way to tell if the LCSA is involved in your case is if the County is listed as one of the parties. For example County of San Diego v. John Doe
Child Custody / Visitation: Sacramento Superior Court

open a family law case, and, if parentage has not been legally established, must
 	first establish legal parentage of the child or children. This is done by filing
 	a 
 	parentage case under the Uniform Parentage Act (UPA). The family court cannot
 	make custody and visitation orders until a family law case has been filed.

Custody / Visitation Orders without Filing for Dissolution, Legal Separation,
 or Parentage

 The Petition for Custody and Support of the Minor Children is used in 
 limited circumstances. You may only use this method of obtaining custody and 
 support orders if there is no other case that has been filed anytime, anywhere 
 regarding the children of this relationship. You may file this petition if you 
 are married to the other parent and do not wish to file for a divorce, legal 
 separation, or nullity, or you are not married to the other parent and you and 
 the other parent have signed a Voluntary Declaration of Paternity regarding each 
 child. Be aware that if you are married to the other parent and later decide 
 that you would like a divorce, legal separation, or annulment, you will have to 
 file a new case and pay another filing fee. 

 	The forms used to start a case are in the following packet:


	Starting a Custody and Support Case for Minor Children (Step 1) 

	Proof of Service of Summons (Step 2)

	Documents to Serve with a Custody and Support Summons and Petition


 	You may also use this program to complete and print your court forms for filing:
 	Guide and File - external link

	If you were served with a Custody and Support Petition, you must file a Response
	within 30 days or risk the other party taking your default. If the other party
	takes your default, you may not be allowed to file documents or attend hearings
	in your case.


	How to Serve and File a Response

Parenting Plans by Agreement

	If both parents are in agreement on a parenting plan, you may be able to obtain a
	court order without attending a hearing. You must have an open case for custody in the
	Sacramento Superior Court. If you do not have a case yet, or are not sure if the case
Ask the Local Child Support Agency to establish parentage | California Courts | Self Help Guide
The LCSA is part of the state Department of Child Support Services (DCSS). They help parents support and provide health insurance for their children.

To start the process, fill out an application online. You can also contact the LCSA and ask for an appointment to open a case for parentage. Either or both parents can ask them to start the case.
A lawyer from the LCSA can file the papers to start the case with the court. When the LCSA lawyer files a case, they can also file papers asking for a child support and health insurance order. 
They can arrange for genetic testing for free.

The LCSA lawyer is not your lawyer. 
They will not represent you or your children in court. For legal advice, you will need to talk to your own lawyer. You can also get legal information from your court's Family Law Facilitator or Self-Help Center. 
 

The LCSA may start a case on its own
If a parent receives money from the government for their children (for example, if they receive Cal-Works), the LCSA automatically gets involved and opens a case. 
When it files a case, the lawyer from the LCSA may also file papers asking for a child support order. Find out more about child support, including what it means to have LCSA involved in your case and what free help your court has. 

 

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CALIFORNIA COURTS | SELF HELP GUIDE

 

 

 Judicial Branch of California
Parentage Case Introduction | California Courts | Self Help Guide
If you received a Summons and Complaint Regarding Parental Obligations (form FL-600), the Local Child Support Agency (LCSA) has filed papers asking for the court to order that you or the child's other parent pay child support. They may also be asking for the court to determine if you and the other person listed in the papers are the child's legal parents. 
Where to get free help
Every county court in California has a Self-Help Center (Family Law Facilitator) that can help answer questions about what forms you need to file and where. If they cannot help you, they can give you information about where to find low-cost legal help in your area.

Parentage
Step-by-step instructions

This guide has step-by-step instructions for starting and responding to a case to determine legal parentage. As part of a parentage case, you can also ask for custody, visitation (parenting time), child support, genetic testing, and other orders.
 
Select an option below to learn more

Start a parentage case
 Ask the court to determine whether you or someone else is the legal parent of a child. You can also start this type of case if you want to remove (or rescind) status as a legal parent.
 

Respond to a parentage case
 Learn about your options and what you must do if you receive court papers trying to determine whether you are a legal parent
 

 

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Child support | California Courts | Self Help Guide
How you get help or change your child support order is different if the local child support agency (LCSA) is involved in your case.
The LCSA will be part of your case if one of the parents:
Is getting money from the government for your children, or
Asks for their help                                                   
One way to tell if the LCSA is involved in your case is if the County is listed as one of the parties. For example County of San Diego v. John Doe
If you aren’t sure if the LCSA is involved, call the Child Support Customer Connect line to find out: 866-901-3212.

If your duty to pay support ended (for example, your child turned 18 and graduated high school), you can stop support payments from being taken from your paycheck.
If you need to change the order, don't wait
A judge can only change the support amount as far back as the day you filed papers asking for a change. The judge can’t make any changes to the amount before that day. 

EXAMPLE: What happens if you waiT
You lost your job on March 1 
You file a request with the court on July 1 
By law, the judge can only change how much you owe starting July 1. The judge can’t change what you owed in March – June, even though you lost your job in March.

How to respond if you got (were served) papers asking for a child support order
Your options to respond, the forms you use to respond, and any deadlines you need to meet depend on which forms you were given. The forms should have a form number in the upper right or left-hand corner. Get step-by-step instructions to respond to:
Form FL-300, FL-680 or 683, or DV-100. These forms mean you have a court date. A judge may make a decision about child support at that court date.
 Form FL-100, Form FL-200, Form FL-260, or Form FL-600. These are forms that start a family law case, like a divorce. You generally have 30 days to file a response to these.
Self-Help Glossary - selfhelp
panel: (1) In appellate cases, a group of judges (usually 3) that decide the case; (2) in the jury selection process, the group of potential jurors; (3) the list of attorneys that are available AND qualified to be appointed by the court to represent criminal defendants that can't afford their own lawyers.
pardon: When the chief executive of a state or country releases a convicted person from the punishment given him or her by a court sentence.
Parentage (parental relationship): A legal determination of who the parents of a child are. Parentage must be determined before a court can order child support or medical support. Also called paternity or parental relationship.
Parenting classes: Classes that help parents focus on the needs of their children and give parents information to provide a nurturing non-threatening home environment. Sometimes the court may order one or both parents to go to parenting classes so they can learn to communicate better about their children's needs.
Parenting Plan: A detailed custody and visitation agreement that says when the child will be with each parent and how decisions are made. The parenting plan may be developed by the parents, through mediation, with the help of lawyers, or by a judge after a trial or hearing.
parole: A conditional release from prison that allows the person being released to serve the rest of the sentence out of prison if all conditions of release are met.
partner support: In family law, court-ordered support of a registered domestic partner or ex-partner.
party: One of the litigants in a court case. At the trial level, the parties are typically called the "plaintiff" or "petitioner" and the "defendant" or "respondent." On appeal, parties are called the "appellant" and "appellee."
Passport Denial Program: The names of obligors that owe $5,000 or more in child support are sent to the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement for tax refund offset and to the U.S. Department of State to indicate that a passport can't be issued for that person.
parentage suit: A lawsuit to decide who the parent of a child is if the parents were not married when the child was born. Also called "establishment of parental relationship."
The process to determine parentage | California Courts | Self Help Guide


The process to determine parentage | California Courts | Self Help Guide

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The process to determine parentage

Overview
The process to determine parentage

In a parentage case, a judge legally determines (decides) who are or are not the legal parents of a child. As part of the case, a judge can also make child custody, visitation (parenting time), and support orders. 

1. Start a parentage case
        Someone, usually a parent or someone who wants to be a legal parent, fills out and files papers in court to start the parentage case.
      

2. Notify the other person
        Next, the person who started the case has to notify (serve) the other person in the proper legal way so that they know about the case.
      

3. Finalize the case
        To get a final decision, you either create an agreement with the other person or ask the judge to decide. Then, you'll prepare forms for the judge to sign that say who the child's legal parents are. It can also include child custody, visitation (parenting time), and support orders.
      

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LawHelp Interactive Programs - equalaccess
This program will help the user fill out forms to respond to a governmental child support summons and complaint and provide financial information to the court.
Detailed information about this program here:
Child Support Answer Coversheet

Staff/Workshop
	SRL/Remote Assistance

Child Support Modification Request

This program will help the user fill out the FL-300 Request for Order form specifically to request a change to an existing child support order. It contains questions specific to the current coronavirus state of emergency.
Child Support Modification Request Coversheet

SRL/Remote Assistance

Civil Harassment Restraining Order Petition

This program will help the user fill out the forms needed to ask the court for a civil harassment restraining order.
Detailed information about this program here:
CHRO Petition Coversheet

Staff/Workshop

Civil Harassment Restraining Order Response

This program will help the user fill out the forms needed to respond to a civil harassment restraining order petition.
Detailed information about this program here:
CHRO Response Coversheet

Staff/Workshop

Divorce Starter Kit Program

Can be used remotely to start the dissolution process before coming to the self-help center.
Includes fee waiver petition.

SRL

Dissolution Petition and Disclosures

Completes the dissolution petition and disclosures
Includes fee waiver petition.

Staff/Workshop

Dissolution Foreign Service

Generates the Spanish versions of the Judicial Council forms.
Allows the user to enter translated data from the petitioner’s filing documents.
See Instructions for Dissolution Foreign Service Program.

SRL with staff/translator assistance

Dissolution Judgment-Default or Stipulated

Generates and partially fills out forms necessary for a default, default with agreement (hybrid), or stipulated judgment in a divorce case
Detailed information about this program here: Dissolution Judgment program Coversheet

SRL, with assistance recommended

Domestic Violence Programs

Petitioner and Respondent programs.
Two versions of the petitioner program – with TRO Hearing Notice and without.  Courts that would like to use the petitioner program with TRO Hearing Notice should contact us at HotDocs@jud.ca.gov your local form included the program.
Ask the Local Child Support Agency to establish parentage | California Courts | Self Help Guide
Ask the Local Child Support Agency to establish parentage | California Courts | Self Help Guide

 Skip to main content
 

 Judicial Branch of California

Supreme Court

Courts of Appeal

Superior Courts

Judicial Council

 California Courts | Self Help Guide

 

 

Type of Case

CARE Act

Child Custody

Child support

Civil Lawsuits

Conservatorship

Divorce

Eviction

Guardianship

Name Change

Parentage

Restraining Order

Small Claims

Traffic

Wills and estates

Court Information

Court basics

Your day in court

Request an interpreter

Services at court

Find court forms

Fee Waivers

 
Español

 

 

Previous Page

Ask the Local Child Support Agency to establish parentage
If you need to establish that you or another person is the legal parent of your child (called parentage), you can do this through your Local Child Support Agency (LCSA). They will start a court case to establish parentage. They can set up genetic testing and ask for a child support order. This service is free. 

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How to ask the LCSA to start a case
Fill out an application online

The LCSA is part of the state Department of Child Support Services (DCSS). They help parents support and provide health insurance for their children.

To start the process, fill out an application online. You can also contact the LCSA and ask for an appointment to open a case for parentage. Either or both parents can ask them to start the case.
A lawyer from the LCSA can file the papers to start the case with the court.
Introducción al caso de filiación | California Courts | Self Help Guide
Si ha recibido una Citación y Demanda sobre las obligaciones de los padres (formulario FL-600), la Oficina local de manutención de los hijos (LCSA, por sus siglas en inglés) ha presentado un caso pidiéndole a la corte que ordene que usted o el otro padre pague la manutención de los hijos. Es posible que también estén pidiendo que la corte determine que usted y la otra persona mencionada en los documentos son los padres legales de los hijos. 
Dónde obtener ayuda gratis
Todos los condados de California tienen un Centro de ayuda en la corte (a veces llamada Oficina del asistente de derecho de familia) que ayuda con preguntas sobre qué formularios tiene que llenar, cómo llenarlos, y dónde tiene que presentarlos. Si no le pueden ayudar, le pueden dar información sobre cómo obtener ayuda legal a bajo costo en su zona. 

Filiación
Instrucciones paso a paso

Esta guía contiene instrucciones paso a paso para iniciar y responder a un caso para determinar la filiación legal. Como parte de un caso de filiación, también puede solicitar órdenes de custodia, visita (tiempo de crianza), manutención de los hijos, análisis genéticos y otras órdenes.
 
Seleccione una de las siguientes opciones para obtener más información

Iniciar un caso de filiación
 Pida a la corte que determine si usted u otra persona es el padre legal de un menor. También puede iniciar este tipo de caso si desea cancelar (o rescindir) la condición de padre legal.