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Local Rule 703's courtesy copy of all law and motion documents delivered to the research attorney upon filing, which may be e-mailed to research_attorney@tulare.courts.ca.gov in .doc/.docx or .pdf format; unlawful detainer practice - the trial date mailed once the written response and a Request for Setting are filed, the filing fee paid with the written response unless a Request to Waive Court Fees and Order on Court Fee Waiver are filed with it, a Counter Request for Setting requesting a jury trial within five days of the mailing of the landlord's Request for Setting, the initial jury fees posted five days before the trial date, a trial date changed only by a Motion for Continuance or a written Stipulation, each with a declaration showing a good reason and a filing fee, at least three copies of all documents brought to trial, the Sheriff's Notice to Vacate giving five days to move, and judgment by default on a failure to respond or to appear; no foreign language interpreters provided by the court for unlawful detainer cases, sign language interpreters provided on sufficient notice; the Alternative Dispute Resolution Package, the court approved mediator/arbitrator list and the panel application; and Civil Legal Filings at 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 201, Visalia, and at the South County Justice Center, 300 E Olive Ave., Porterville.
California > Fifth Appellate District > Tulare County > Superior Court of California, County of Tulare
The Civil Division handles cases involving disputes over money, property, contracts, injuries, and other civil matters, including Unlawful Detainers, Restraining Orders, and Name Changes. Local Rule 703 - Courtesy Copies to Research Attorney Tulare County Superior Court wishes to remind the bar of the requirement set forth in Local Rule 703. Said rule requires a courtesy copy of all law and motion documents be delivered to the research attorney upon filing. Please be advised that the courtesy copies can be emailed to the research attorneys at: research_attorney@tulare.courts.ca.gov. All documents must be submitted in either a .doc/.docx or .pdf format. The email option is available immediately. The court encourages this method of delivery to avoid delay in routing the documents to the research attorney. Alternative Dispute Resolution There are different processes available to settle lawsuits without having to go to trial. The most common forms of ADR are Mediation, Arbitration, and Case Evaluation. In ADR, a trained, impartial person decides disputes or helps the parties reach resolutions of their disputes for themselves. The persons are neutrals who are normally chosen by the disputing parties or by the court. Neutrals can help parties resolve disputes without having to go to court. Alternative Dispute Resolution Package Court Approved ADR Mediator/Arbitrator List For Mediators/Arbitrators Interested in serving on the court's Civil/Mediation list? ADR Application Packet How to Become a Civil Mediator/Arbitrator The links below are from the California Courts website and open new windows. Some are PDF files, which require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to be viewed. To learn more about application requirements read How to Become a Mediator/Arbitrator ADR Reference Landlord Tenant What is an Unlawful Detainer? An unlawful detainer lawsuit is a suit brought by a landlord to obtain possession of the property and/or receive payment of back rent. In order to legally evict a tenant (remove and lock the tenant out of the property), the landlord must file an unlawful detainer lawsuit. An award for possession of property authorizes the landlord to evict a tenant from the property. If the landlord is also awarded judgment for payment of back rent, he or she may collect the judgment by attaching property, garnishing wages, or any other legal means. How Should You Respond to an Unlawful Detainer Lawsuit If you are served with an unlawful detainer complaint, the complaint will show the court location where you should file your response. There may be several options for responding to an unlawful detainer lawsuit depending on your circumstances. Forms may be obtained from the clerk's office or by clicking the forms link. After you have filed your response to the landlord's complaint in the clerk's office and a Request for Setting is filed, you will both be notified by mail of the time and place of the trial. You must pay the filing fee when you file your written response; however, it is possible to obtain a waiver of the fee if you cannot afford to pay it. In order to obtain a fee waiver, you must prepare the Request to Waive Court Fees and the Order on Court Fee Waiver at the time you file your response. Request to Waive Court Fees and Order on Court Fee Waiver forms may be obtained from the clerk's office or by clicking the forms link. Writs of Possession If the case goes to trial and the landlord is awarded judgment against you for possession of the property, the landlord can then obtain a Writ of Possession. This legal document authorizes the Sheriff to physically remove and lock you out of the property. The Sheriff will post a Notice to Vacate the property before enforcing the Writ of Possession. After the Sheriff posts the notice, you have five days to move. If you fail to move within five days, the Sheriff will physically remove you and turn over the possession of the property to the landlord. The Sheriff's cost for the eviction may be added to the judgment, which the landlord can collect from you. Failure to Respond Unlawful Detainer The court may enter a default judgment in favor of the landlord and issue a Writ of Possession if you fail to respond in writing and file your written response with the court. There is no trial if you do not file a written response to the unlawful detainer complaint. This default judgment allows the landlord to obtain possession of the property. The Right to Jury Trial Both parties have a right to request a jury trial. To request a jury trial, the requesting party may file a document entitled Request for Setting. If the landlord files this document and does not request a jury trial, you have five days from the mailing date of the Request for Setting to file a Counter Request for Setting requesting a jury trial. You will be mailed a Clerk's Notice of Trial informing you of the trial date. The party requesting a jury trial is responsible for the initial jury fees, which must be posted with the court five days before the trial date. Changing a Trial Date To change your trial date, you need to file one of the following: Motion for Continuance and a declaration showing a good reason for the continuance; and Written Stipulation, (agreed to by both parties), along with a declaration showing a good reason for the continuance and an order. The paperwork must be filed as soon as the need for a continuance is known. You must also pay a filing fee when you file the motion or stipulation. Preparing for Trial If you are not represented by an attorney, you can represent yourself. If you are representing yourself, you may want to consult Tulare-Kings Counties Legal Services 208 West Main Street, Suite U-1 Visalia, CA 93291 559-737-8770 Witnesses You may want to subpoena witnesses whom you feel are necessary for your case to appear in court. The subpoena must be personally served. The person served must be given reasonable notice of the date and time of the trial. You should bring the proof of service to court with you. There are costs to subpoena each witness, including witnesses' mileage to and from the trial location, and you must pay these costs. When You Come to Court on the Trial Date Bring any letters, documents, inspections reports, pictures, receipts, or any other exhibits with you. Have at least three copies of all documents, an original for the court, and a copy for the opposing party. Dress appropriately. Inappropriate dress includes jeans, shorts, or tank tops. Interpreters of Unlawful Detainer Cases The court DOES NOT provide foreign language interpreters for unlawful detainer cases. If you do not speak English, you should bring a friend or relative who can interpret for you or hire your own interpreter. Sign language interpreters for the hearing impaired ARE provided by the court. Please provide the court with sufficient notice of your need. Please see additional information regarding access for Americans with Disabilities (ADA) under General Information. Judgments If the landlord obtains a judgment against you, you may have to move. The judgment may include the landlord's court costs and attorney fees plus any proven damages. Failure to Appear at Trial If the landlord fails to appear for a scheduled trial, the court may dismiss the case without any further action. If a tenant fails to appear for a scheduled trial, the court will proceed by default and may render a judgment for the landlord. This judgment allows the landlord to obtain possession of the property. In addition, the court may also enter a money judgment for the landlord and against the tenant. Contact Information Tulare County Superior Court Visalia Division- Civil Legal Filings 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 201 Visalia, Ca 93291 Phone: 559-730-5000 South County Justice Center- Civil Legal Filings 300 E Olive Ave. Porterville, Ca 93257 Phone: 559-782-3700
The Civil Division handles cases involving disputes over money, property, contracts, injuries, and other civil matters, including Unlawful Detainers, Restraining Orders, and Name Changes. Local Rule 703 - Courtesy Copies to Research Attorney Tulare County Superior Court wishes to remind the bar of the requirement set forth in Local Rule 703. Said rule requires a courtesy copy of all law and motion
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-14 (California T4 Tulare build 2026-10-14) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-tulare/pages/divisions__civil.html (the page as fetched 2026-10-14; 628624 bytes, sha256 fd283a658f164bf2c5c835660f439868b7565eabea4de3e14724bd2f2211c6c0) with the Orange HTML composer (compose-site.py, the Judicial Council theme's area): the article's content sections (section.jcc-section), news bodies (div.jcc-news-full) and title banners (div.jcc-hero; the first banner's heading, the page title, is chrome) - the site header, menus, breadcrumb and footer lie outside them; each block starts a line and each table cell is set on its own line; chrome removed: 1 item (the page title, “Civil”); proof (the multiset of non-space characters equals the containers' text less chrome and scripts) passes. Review note: Rule 703 is printed “Courtesy Copy to Research Attorney - Omitted (7/1/2018)” (carded with Chapters 6 and 7); this page still asks for the courtesy copies under it - the review task asks whether the requirement continues. The page says “The court DOES NOT provide foreign language interpreters for unlawful detainer cases”; the Court Interpreters page (carded) lists unlawful detainers (evictions) as Priority 2 for free civil interpreters - a review task on that card.
6 verbatim requirements on divisional requirements in GIUSEPPINA MIRANDA's division.
4 verbatim requirements on divisional requirements in HILARY CREARY's division.