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Chapter 11 (Rules 11.1 to 11.8): the family law and motion calendar for non-Title IV-D actions; meeting and conferring in good faith before a family law matter is heard, documents exchanged and compliance represented to the Court; notice of matters going off calendar; proposed findings and statements of decision submitted in writing and by electronic mail in Microsoft Word format; and every blank on Judicial Council forms answered or marked n/a (11.1); financial issues - a current Income and Expense Declaration (form FL-150) or Financial Statement (Simplified) (form FL-155) executed within sixty (60) calendar days of the hearing (rule 5.118 of the CRC), documents exchanged five (5) court days before the hearing (wage verification for three (3) months and tax returns, and for the self-employed the 1099 forms, a profit and loss statement and a balance sheet), disclosure of public assistance, certified computer support calculations, and default child support through the Del Norte County Department of Child Support Services (11.2); the Children of Divided Families Workshop - required of all parties where custody or visitation of minor children is disputed, before mediation or other Family Court Services, the instructions served with the pleadings and proof of service filed, the fee, failure to attend, a separate session where there is domestic violence or child abuse, attendance out of county, the certificate of attendance, and the program in English only (11.3); Family Court Services mediation - non-recommending mediators, and challenges to a mediator made to the Court Executive Officer (11.4); court investigators and evaluators - appointment, no peremptory challenges, withdrawal, no ex parte contact, interviews of children, the report under Family Code section 3111, grievances by noticed motion or objection, fees and costs, cross-examination and the list of qualified evaluators (11.5); the Child Support Commissioner (Family Code section 4251) (11.6); the services of the Family Law Facilitator (11.7); and the court communication protocol for domestic violence and child custody orders - disclosure of existing orders, safe exchanges, orders that do not conflict with criminal protective orders, and their modification by the Criminal Court (11.8).
California > First Appellate District > Del Norte County > Superior Court of California, County of Del Norte
CHAPTER 11 – FAMILY LAW RULES RULE 11.1 GENERAL RULES (a) Types of Actions: The Court will hear non-Title IV-D actions (child support), including orders to show cause, motions, and other requests for relief under the Family Law Act and other domestic relations matters on the family law and motion calendar. (b) Meet and Confer Requirement: The Court may decline to hear any family law matter unless and until self-represented parties and counsel, with their respective clients either physically present or immediately physically available, have met and conferred in good faith in an effort to resolve all or part of their issues. At the meeting, all parties must exchange documents that may be relevant to contested issues or that may be offered into evidence at the outset of the hearing on the matter and attempt to reach agreement on the admissibility of documents being offered. Each self-represented party or counsel must represent to the Court that there has been compliance with this rule. Non-compliance with this rule may result in (i) the matter being dropped from the calendar or continued, (ii) the rejection of non-exchanged documents into evidence, or (iii) other sanctions as deemed appropriate by the Court. (c) Matters Going Off Calendar: Parties must inform the Court immediately through a proper Court filing when matters are going off calendar. (d) Proposed Findings of Fact and Statements of Decision: Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, parties submitting proposed Findings of Fact, Statements of Decision, or any other formal written Court findings or determinations must submit them in writing to the Court and via electronic mail in a readable Microsoft Word format to the appropriate judicial assistant. Judicial assistant’s electronic mail addresses are listed on the Court’s website: www.delnorte.courts.ca.gov/. (e) Completion of Forms: Parties must file all Judicial Council forms, including attachments as required by CRC and statute, in a timely manner as prescribed by CRC and statute. All blanks on the forms must be answered with a response or “n/a” designation. (Eff. 1/1/12) RULE 11.2 FINANCIAL ISSUES (a) Income and Expense Declaration (form FL-150) or Financial Statement (Simplified) (form FL-155): The Court may decline to hear a family law matter with financial issues, including child support, spousal support, payment of debts or attorney fees, unless each party to the action has completed, served, and filed in compliance with rule 5.118 of the CRC a current (executed within sixty (60) calendar days of the hearing or trial) and accurate Income and Expense Declaration (form FL-150) or Financial Statement (Simplified) (form FL-155). If there has been any change within the previous sixty (60) calendar days, a party may file with the Court a declaration under penalty of perjury to that effect in lieu of a new Income and Expense Declaration or Financial Statement (Simplified) with current verification of earnings or income attached to the declaration. (b) Documentation: If the parties have not exchanged current documentation five (5) court days before the scheduled hearing, the parties must exchange the following documents: (i) current wage verification for the prior three (3) month period and (ii) most recent state and federal income tax returns with W-2 statements. If a party is self-employed, the party must also produce all year-end 1099 forms for the prior year, and a current profit and loss statement and balance sheet of the self-employed party’s business entity. The submitting party may strike confidential information. (c) Public Assistance: A party receiving public assistance benefits must disclose that fact, including appropriate aid and/or District Attorney identification of file numbers, to all parties and the Court. (d) Certified Calculations: Parties requesting child support or temporary spousal support must submit with their application a printout of a certified computer calculation supporting the application. Parties can use any software that is approved by the Judicial Council of California. Matters involving Child Support Title IV-D cases must use the automated child support system. (e) Any party seeking a default judgment of child support, when the parties have not stipulated to the amount of support, shall open a case with the Del Norte County Department of Child Support Services. (Eff. 1/1/12) RULE 11.3 CHILDREN OF DIVIDED FAMILIES WORKSHOP (a) Purpose of Children of Divided Families Workshop - The purpose of the workshop is to assist parents to better understand their children’s point of view, to learn new ways to help their children through parental separation, to acquire new skills in interacting with their children and the other parent, to reduce acrimony between family members, and to help parents identify when their children may be in need of further assistance in coping with parental separation. (b) Requirement to Attend Children of Divided Families Workshop - All parties to a family law proceeding in which there are minor children and custody or visitation is a disputed issue, including actions for dissolution, legal separation, actions to establish paternity, or actions to establish or modify custody or visitation, must attend and complete the workshop. For family law cases commenced after the effective date of this rule, the parties must attend the workshop prior to mediation or other services provided through Family Court Services, or upon order of the Court. All parties to family law cases commenced prior to the effective date of this rule must attend the workshop when seeking to establish or modify custody or visitation orders. A waiver due to prior attendance may be obtained by court order. (c) Payment of Registration Fees and Services of Forms - The Court will provide written instructions regarding the attendance, registration, and payment of the fee for the workshop to any party filing pleadings to commence an action or seeking relief of a nature concerning the subject of this workshop. The filing party must serve a copy of these written instructions on the opposing party along with the pleadings. The filing party must file proof of service with the Court. The fee is listed in the Court schedule of fees and will not normally be waived; however, a party may apply to Family Court Services for a fee adjustment if the party is receiving public assistance payments. (d) Failure to Attend and Remedies - If only one party has attended and completed the workshop, that party may apply to the Court for an order or judgment. If the Court enters any order or judgment for good cause when one party has not completed the program, the non-complying party may neither seek affirmative relief regarding child custody or visitation, nor contest the relief sought by the other, until that party has completed the workshop or has obtained leave of Court to proceed upon a showing of good cause. (e) Domestic Violence or Child Abuse - Due to the complexity of issues in cases in which there are incidents of domestic violence or child abuse, the alleged victim will have the right to attend a separate session of the workshop from the alleged perpetrator. (f) Out of County/State Residents - If a party resides in another county or state, the Court may require or allow attendance by a party at an equivalent workshop located in that county or state if attendance at the local workshop is found to be a hardship to that party. The party who requests attendance elsewhere has the burden of providing information regarding the other workshop to the Court as part of his or her application. (g) Certificate of Attendance - The provider of the workshop will prepare and file with the Clerk of the Court a certificate of attendance verifying the completion of the workshop by each attending party. The provider will also provide verification to each party upon completion of the workshop. (h) Non-English Speaking Participants - The Court offers the program in English only. A participant who speaks a language other than English may arrange at his or her own expense to have an interpreter attend the workshop with him or her. (Eff. 1/1/12) RULE 11.4 FAMILY COURT SERVICES MEDIATION (a) Non-Recommending Mediators – Except as otherwise ordered by the Court, Court-designated mediators of child custody and visitation disputes do not render recommendations to the Court as to the custody of or visitation with a child(ren) involved in the proceeding. (b) Challenge to Mediator – The assignment of mediators is an administrative function of Family Court Services. Requests to assign or not to assign a specific mediator will not be honored. Requests for a change in the assigned mediator or reports of general problems related to Family Court Services shall be made to the Court Executive Officer. If it is determined by the Court Executive Officer that a mediator has a conflict of interest and should not mediate a case, then the mediator shall not participate in any way in the mediation of the matter. (Eff. 1/1/12) RULE 11.5 APPOINTMENT OF COURT INVESTIGATOR OR EVALUATOR (a) Applicability: In any case in which custody or visitation is in dispute, the Court may appoint an investigator or evaluator and order that a child custody/visitation investigation and evaluation be conducted. The Court will appoint an investigator in accordance with rule 5.220(g) of the CRC, Evidence Code section 730, Family Code section 3110 et seq., and Code of Civil Procedure section 2032.010 et seq. (b) Challenges: The Court does not allow peremptory challenges for court-appointed investigators/evaluators. (c) Withdrawal: A court-appointed investigator/evaluator for purposes of child custody or visitation purposes may withdraw from a case upon filing a petition showing good cause. The Court will make the findings after consideration of (i) the petition, (ii) the best interests of the child(ren), and (iii) other relevant factors as determined by the Court. (d) Ex Parte Contact Prohibited: No party or attorney for a party may initiate contact with a court-appointed investigator/evaluator, orally or in writing, to discuss the merits of the case without (i) notice to the other party and (ii) allowing the other party to be present or to receive a copy of the written communication. Nothing in this rule will prohibit the court-appointed investigator/evaluator from contacting any party or any attorney. (e) Contact Between Court-Appointed Investigator/Evaluator and Minor Child(ren): The Court considers and generally relies on the opinion and judgment of the court-appointed investigator/evaluator in making determinations as to whether children will be interviewed. The court-appointed investigator/evaluator will justify his or her determination(s) in each case, and will determine under what circumstances the interviews will take place. Except in extraordinary circumstances, including potentially dangerous situations for minor child(ren), minor children will be informed that the information they provide may not remain confidential. (f) Investigation/Evaluation Report: The court will specify the date on which the court-appointed investigator/evaluator must file his or her report. The written report will be distributed to the Court, parties, and counsel in accordance with Family Code section 3111, and will remain confidential and unavailable to all other persons unless otherwise ordered by the Court. No person who has access to such a report may make copies of the report or disclose its contents to any child(ren) whether or not a party to the action. (g) Grievance Process: (1) Procedure: All grievances in connection with a court-appointed investigator/evaluator must be presented to the Court by noticed motion or objection. A written declaration signed under penalty of perjury and addressed to the judge presiding over the proceeding must be included in the motion or objection. The declaration must state specifically what alleged issue(s) is the basis for the grievance and what remedy is requested. (2) Determination: Upon receipt of a grievance, the judge will review it and solicit a response to the alleged grievance from the court-appointed investigator/evaluator. The judge will make a determination within a reasonable period of time and notify all parties in writing of his or her decision. The grievance and the judge’s findings will be maintained as a confidential record, and not as part of the file, for a period of one (1) year. No one will be permitted to inspect the grievance or findings of the judge without prior Court order. (h) Court Rules Regarding Court-Appointed Investigations/Evaluations: When the Court orders an investigation or evaluation, the Court will provide a copy of this local rule to each party. (i) Payment of Investigator’s/Evaluator’s Fees and Costs: If the court orders an investigation or evaluation, the court will also order the payment of associated fees and costs. In dividing the fees and costs between the parties, the Court may consider Family Code sections 271, 2030, and 2032. The party or parties must pay the fees and costs directly to the Clerk’s Office. (j) Cross-Examination of Investigators/Evaluators: It is the policy of this Court to develop policies and procedures for expeditious and cost-effective cross-examinations of court-appointed investigators/evaluators when necessary. As necessary, the Court will determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether video and/or telephone conferences or examinations may be used in conducting a cross-examination of a court-appointed investigator/evaluator. All parties must schedule such appearances as directed by the Court or as otherwise provided by local rule, statute, or CRC. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, if a party calls a court-appointed investigator/evaluator as a witness, then that party shall be responsible for all fees and costs for the testimony of the investigator/evaluator. (k) List of Qualified Evaluators: The Clerk of the Court will maintain a list of qualified evaluators, and make this list available to the public upon request. (Eff. 1/1/12) RULE 11.6 CHILD SUPPORT COMMISSIONER The Child Support Commissioner provided for pursuant to Article 4, Chapter 2, Part 2 of Division 9 of the Family Code shall perform all the duties listed in Family Code section 4251. (Eff. 1/1/12) RULE 11.7 FAMILY LAW FACILITATOR The Family Law Facilitator provided for pursuant to Division 14 of the Family Code shall provide the following services: providing educational materials to parents concerning the process of establishing parentage and establishing, modifying, and enforcing child support and spousal support; distributing necessary court forms and voluntary declarations of paternity; providing assistance in completing forms; preparing support schedules based upon statutory guidelines; and providing referrals to the local child support agency, family court services, and other community agencies and resources that provide services for parents and children. (Eff. 1/1/12) RULE 11.8 COURT COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD CUSTODY ORDERS The purpose of this rule is to establish mechanisms for assuring appropriate communication and information sharing among Criminal, Family, Juvenile and Probate Courts concerning orders and cases that involve the same parties so as to permit a civil order to co-exist with a Criminal Court protective order. Safety of all parties shall be the Court's paramount concern. (a) Court Communication Regarding Restraining Orders and Custody Orders (1) All counsel and self-represented parties must disclose to the Court all known existing restraining, protective, custody, or visitation orders that are in effect anywhere involving the parties to the proceeding or their children. (2) Any order that permits contact between a party subject to any restraining order or any criminal protective order and his or her children shall provide for the safe exchange of the children and shall not contain language either printed or handwritten that violates a known “no contact order” issued by a criminal court. (3) Any order that permits contact between a restrained party and his or her children must contain specific language setting forth the place and manner of the transfer of the children in order to limit the child’s exposure to potential domestic conflict or violence and to ensure the safe exchange of children. The order may not contain language that conflicts with a criminal protective order. (4) Any judge issuing any orders involving child custody or visitation will make reasonable efforts to determine whether a criminal court protective order exists that involves any party to the proceeding. (5) Any judge issuing a criminal protective order will make reasonable efforts to determine whether a child custody or visitation order exists that involves any party to the proceeding. (b) Modification of Criminal Protective Orders Any Court responsible for issuing custody or visitation orders that becomes aware of a possible conflicting Criminal Court order may, on its own motion or at the request of a defendant, protected person, or other interested party, calendar a hearing before the Criminal Court on the issue of whether the criminal order should be modified. The Family, Juvenile, or Probate Court shall provide the Criminal Court with copies of existing or proposed orders relating to the matter. Notice of the hearing will be provided to all counsel and parties by the Court. (Eff. 1/1/12)
CHAPTER 11 – FAMILY LAW RULES RULE 11.1 GENERAL RULES (a) Types of Actions: The Court will hear non-Title IV-D actions (child support), including orders to show cause, motions, and other requests for relief under the Family Law Act and other domestic relations matters on the family law and motion calendar. (b) Meet and Confer Requirement: The Court may decline to hear any family law matter unless
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-10 (California T4 Del Norte build 2026-10-10) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-del-norte/docs/del-norte-final-rules-nov-2011.pdf (the court's rule book, its cover “SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF DEL NORTE LOCAL RULES OF COURT Effective: January 1, 2012”, as fetched 2026-10-10; 780574 bytes, sha256 64220b502f35de539aa38695b3449422d9f2a2fc10c75bc50a2a117569b8bdb8; 66 pages; this chapter PDF pages 39 to 45) with the shared verbatim composer (v2 reflow): each of the seventeen chapters composed from its own pages (PDF pages 6 to 55, printed 1 to 50; each chapter begins at the top of a new page), from its heading (“CHAPTER 1 - GENERAL RULES” to “CHAPTER 17 – MISCELLANEOUS”) to its last rule's history note: each page's running header (“Superior Court of California, County of Del Norte”) and its page number removed as chrome; lines reflowed into the rules' paragraphs, each rule's label and title (“RULE 1.1 APPLICATION OF LOCAL RULES”) set as one line, as printed on one row; the strike report finds one struck run on the 66 pages, a single space on page 57, a blank local form of Appendix A (review/strike-report-2026-10-10.txt); 1 whitespace-only fix (build/book-fixes.json: Rule 10.4's reference “subdivision (f) of this rule” rejoined where the composition set its subdivision letter on a new line) and no same-character fix; the vertical-gap and short-line audits find no join, and the page-break, bold-line, false-break, fragment and row audits (custody file book_extra_audits.py) list candidates read one by one - headings and list items set as printed, Rule 3.3's timeline labels set with their rows and the rule labels set beside their titles - none needing a fix; proof 1 (whitespace-only) and proof 2 (same character multiset as the text layer minus chrome) pass. The cover, the table of contents, Appendix A (the local forms) and the index belong to no card.
Division XI: information forms for data processing (Rule 11.2); required action - action taken on all calendared cases and a future date always set (Rule 11.19); and pro tem judges - an attorney named as a plaintiff in a civil or small claims case may not sit as a judge pro-tem during the case or within six months following its resolution, nor one named as a defendant in two or more such cases (Rule 11.22). Rules 11.1, 11.3 to 11.5, 11.7 to 11.18, 11.20 and 11.21 are repealed, and Rule 11.6 (voluntary arbitration; see Local Rule 10.2) was repealed and renumbered.
Duval County's indigent-defense and magistration rules under the Texas Fair Defense Act (S.B. 7): who may be booked into the county jail and on what paper; arrest-case numbering; presentment to a magistrate within 48 hours (art. 15.16); the magistrate's warnings, counsel inquiry, interpreter duty, indigence determination and appointment of counsel within 24 hours of a request; the alternative appointment plan under art. 26.04(g)-(h) with annual applications, seven attorney categories (capital, first and second degree, third degree/state jail/misdemeanor, competency, appeals, post-conviction, extradition), CLE and experience standards, random rotation within each category, written acceptance within 48 hours, first contact by the end of the next working day, replacement and suspension of counsel, fee applications within five days of completing services and the compensation attachment ($500 pleas; $175/$150 hourly; $1,400 per jury-trial day; appellate caps); bail schedules by offense class with a personal bond office (fee $20 or 3%), pre-trial supervision and revocation hearings within two working days; arraignment settings and notice; repeal of conflicting rules.