Glenn County Superior Court Local Rules of Court (effective January 1, 2026) — Chapter 5: Family Law Department

Summary

Chapter 5 (Rules 5.0 to 5.13): the Family Law and Motion Calendar heard the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 9:00 a.m. (Requests for Orders, motions relating to enforcement or modification and all other motions preliminary to trial), ex parte matters in strict accordance with CRC, rule 3.1200 et seq. - a party seeking emergency orders ex parte to file a Declaration Regarding Notice and Service of Request for Temporary Emergency (Ex Parte) Orders (Non-Domestic Violence) (JC FL-303), or in a Domestic Violence Case a Declaration RE: Notice of Ex Parte Application for Order (GCSC FL-020), notice as outlined in CRC, rule 5.165 if the Court denies the request to waive notice, the ex-parte applicant to submit the ex parte application along with all supporting documents to clerk of the court, the judicial officer to set a hearing date and time if required, and responsive declarations lodged until the ex parte hearing - hearings on the Law and Motion Calendar limited to fifteen (15) minutes, matters that cannot be completed set on the long cause calendar, the moving party to file the Income and Expense Declaration [JC FL150] or Financial Statement with the papers seeking relief and the opposing party with the responsive papers, no long cause hearing or trial heard until counsel, with their clients physically present or immediately available, have met and conferred in good faith and exchanged all relevant documents, and the rule on telephonic appearances in family law matters repealed effective 7/1/22 (5.0); all proceedings relating to the custody or visitation of children governed by FC § 3160, et seq., “Mediation” means Orientation and/or Child Custody Recommending Counseling, the parties to make a good faith effort to arrive at an agreement before any court hearing, all custody and visitation cases subject to mediation, a monetary penalty of $50 for a first failure to appear at a Family Court Services appointment without good cause or a party who cancels within 48 hours, an additional $100 for a second failure within one-year period, the on-line orientation completed before the appointment (a party residing over 100 miles from the Court may, with permission, complete an intake packet before mediation), no Mediation date vacated unless an executed stipulation has been approved by the Court, a parent orientation workshop required of all parties filing a Request for Order on custody and visitation unless they completed a parent orientation video within two years prior, mediation proceedings held in private with only the parties and the Counselor (attorneys only with permission of the Court, counsel for the minor children with permission of all parties), the Counselor’s written report and recommendations to the Court if agreement is not reached (FC 3186, subd. (a)), required confidentiality does not limit reports of known or suspected child abuse or threats, special guidelines in cases with domestic violence allegations, the parties may be interviewed separately and the battered spouse accompanied by a support person, the Counselor’s recommendation of an investigation (FC § 3110), a referral (EC § 730) or independent counsel for the child(ren) (FC § 3150), temporary orders while the mediation process is ongoing, Counselors and other staff of the Court not subject to peremptory challenge, with the exception of Court Investigators, the Counselor subpoenaed to testify only under Gov. Code §68097.1, et seq. upon ten (10) court days’ notice with a subpoena fee of $275.00, reports and recommendations confidential and placed in the confidential portion of the Court file, the original Plan presented to the Court if the parties reach agreement on a Parenting Plan and, subject to the Court’s approval, the order of the Court (not confidential), grievances relating to mediation services, investigator and facilitator presented to the Court Executive Officer on the Complaint Form [AD-050], and requests to change mediators addressed to the Court Executive Officer (5.1); custody evaluations to comply with California Rules of Court 5.220 et. seq., an evaluator appointed under Evidence Code section 730 or Family Code section 3110, evaluators to meet the standards of Family Code section 3110.5 and rules 5.225 and 5.230, no peremptory challenge to a Court-appointed evaluator, an evaluator’s written request to withdraw, grievances in writing to the Court within five (5) days of receipt of the report, ex parte communications by the attorneys with the evaluator prohibited absent a stipulation except to schedule appointments, an attorney not to provide the evaluator with documents or unsolicited comments without first providing the other side a copy at least 72 hours in advance plus an additional five (5) days for mailing, the Court to allocate the fees or costs of the evaluation, the evaluator to return the report to the Court not less than ten (10) days prior to hearing, admissible subject to cross-examination, distributed to the Court and the parties or their counsel but not to minor children (JC form FL-328), unauthorized removal of the report a felony [GC § 6200, et seq.], and the Evaluator to receive a subpoena at least five (5) court days prior to the hearing or trial (5.2); investigators to meet the requirements of CRC, rule 5.225, no peremptory challenges to an investigator appointed by the Court, the investigator to return the Child Custody Investigation report to the Court not less than ten (10) days prior to hearing, a copy of the Mediated Agreement signed by all parties and the Counselor provided before leaving mediation, reports in writing and admissible subject to cross-examination, unauthorized removal of the report a felony, the Investigator to receive a subpoena at least five (5) court days prior to the hearing or trial, and grievances via Complaint (Local Form Number AD-050) to the Court Executive Officer within five (5) days of receipt of the report (5.3); complaints regarding a court-appointed counsel for a child in writing to the Court Executive Officer, who, in consultation with the Family Law Judge, will investigate, evaluate and respond (5.4); a $50 monetary penalty for a party who fails to attend and complete orientation or mediation without good cause or who cancels within 48 hours of the appointment, or who fails to comply with a court-ordered drug test, to sign releases of information for FCS investigations/evaluation, to complete investigative packets or to report to Glenn County Court Collections when ordered, $100 for each subsequent failure, and additional sanctions the court may order (5.5); a stipulation modifying an existing order signed by both parties and their attorneys and minor’s counsel, if appointed, and presented with the filing fees (5.6); in an uncontested matter set for hearing, a Request to Enter Default and supporting declaration or an executed written stipulation, a current Income and Expense Declaration and Property Declaration (unless excused by FC § 2330.5), and counsel to provide to the Judge the original of the proposed judgment at the hearing (5.7); counsel with full authority to confer in good faith on the pretrial statements before any settlement conference and/or trial, an At issue Memorandum [GCSC FL-050] filed and served before any contested case is set for trial unless the court sets the trial date in open court, a status conference and trial date provided that both parties have completed final disclosure (FC § 2105, JC Form FL-141, or waivers under FC § 2105(d), JC Form FL-144), the Court to refer the case to mediation if custody and visitation issues have not been resolved, the Court not to continue the trial absent noticed motion and a showing of good cause, or stipulation by all counsel approved by the court, a statement of the issues, contentions and proposed disposition, a current income and expense declaration, an updated statement of assets and debts, a witness list (JC form FL-321) and a list of exhibits filed and served at least five (5) court days prior to the trial/long cause date, the matter may be dropped from the trial or settlement conference calendar on a failure by both sides and a failure by one party may allow the complying party to continue the cause and/or sanctions to be imposed, trial and reply briefs with a full statement of separate property, community property, funds held by others, tracing, current obligations, current income and expense (Form FL-150, CRC, rule 5.112.1) and a proposal for property division and support, the court does not receive telephones or computers into evidence (text messages printed out, videotapes copied onto a disc), and the petitioner or other party directed by the Court to prepare the judgment after a contested trial, “Approved as Conforming to Court Order” (5.8); family law continuances by stipulation submitted at least two court days prior to the scheduled trial/hearing (GCSC FL-030), with a continuance fee (5.9); a stepparent’s petition for visitation (FC § 3101) on the Petition for Stepparent Visitation and Notice of Hearing (Local Form Number FL-040), with a request for joinder and summons on joinder in a dissolution proceeding (CRC, rule 5.24) (5.10); a grandparent’s petition for visitation (FC § 3103) on the local forms GCSC FL-045 and FL- 046, with the same joinder (5.11); the Office of the Family Law Facilitator under FC § 10000, et seq., and additional duties the Court may designate under FC § 10005 (5.12); and courts issuing criminal protective orders and courts issuing child custody or visitation orders to make reasonable efforts to determine whether the other orders exist, and a court that has issued a criminal protective order may, after consultation, modify it to allow or restrict contact between the restrained person and his or her children (5.13).