Process service and court filing in Santa Clara County, California
5 Santa Clara County courthouses
- E-filing required
- Mandatory for attorneys (civil, family, and probate for represented parties; permissive for self-represented; exceptions for judgments/defaults/ex parte in family-probate)
- E-filing system
- Odyssey eFileCA (via certified EFSPs listed at odysseyefileca.com)
- E-filing portal
- Court e-filing page
- New civil complaint fee
- $435.00 (unlimited civil first paper, over $35,000; per statewide fee schedule effective Jan 1, 2026)
- Small claims fee
- $30.00 (to $1,500), $50.00 ($1,500.01-$5,000), $75.00 ($5,000.01-$12,500); $100.00 frequent filers
- Family law petition fee
- $435.00 (petition for dissolution of marriage, GC 70670)
- Fee schedule
- Court fee schedule
- Case lookup
- Court case search
Court information from 1Court, our partner company, verified October 22, 2026. Santa Clara County court information on 1Court
What we do and how fast
Nationwide Legal supports Santa Clara County law firms, Silicon Valley's legal community, from our San Francisco office at 57 Post Street. We handle process serving, court filing, e-filing, and litigation support across every Santa Clara County Superior Court location, the Downtown Superior Court for civil and complex litigation in San Jose, the Family Justice Center, Probate, Sunnyvale traffic, plus the Palo Alto and Morgan Hill branches, and the Northern District federal court and Northern Bankruptcy Court at San Jose.
Pricing: quoted per order. Request a quote
255 North Market Street, Suite 180
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 564-7360 · sjcourt@nationwidelegal.com
How to start an order
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Common questions
Is e-filing required in Santa Clara County?
1Court lists e-filing in Santa Clara County as: Mandatory for attorneys (civil, family, and probate for represented parties; permissive for self-represented; exceptions for judgments/defaults/ex parte in family-probate). We file electronically or at the counter, whichever the court requires.
Which Santa Clara County courthouses hear civil cases?
Downtown Superior Court, Palo Alto Courthouse, Morgan Hill Courthouse. We file and serve for cases at each of them.
What is the filing fee for a new civil complaint in Santa Clara County?
$435.00 (unlimited civil first paper, over $35,000; per statewide fee schedule effective Jan 1, 2026), per 1Court. The court's fee is separate from our service charge.
How fast can you serve papers in Santa Clara County?
Same-day service attempts are available on rush orders. Standard orders complete in 1 to 3 business days, with a proof of service or non-service affidavit on every order.
How is Santa Clara County service priced?
We quote each order. Request a quote with the documents and addresses and we reply with the price.