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The Family Law Division processing documents submitted in person or by mail; petitions for domestic violence restraining orders e-filed through an Electronic Filing Service Provider (the clerk's office at (559) 730-5000, option 4), and remote appearance at the hearing requested online, with help at (559) 738-2330, a line staffed before and during court sessions; copies at $.50 per page and certification at $40.00 per document, a mail request with the parties' names, the case number and the documents, a check payable to "Clerk of the Court" preprinted with the maker's name and address ("not to exceed $50.00" when the total is unknown; no cash) and a self-addressed stamped envelope, copy orders filled within 7-10 working days; a certified copy of a judgment (divorce decree) by mail for $15.00 plus $.50 per page, or at the office Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; copies from a paternity case only for the parties, in person with picture identification; Department of Child Support Services matters heard in the Dinuba Courthouse on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and in the South County Justice Center on Tuesdays, DCSS papers filed with the Clerk of Court inside the Visalia DCSS office (8040 W Doe Ave) Monday through Thursday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, papers left at the Porterville DCSS office couriered and not filed the same day, Friday filings at the Visalia Courthouse (Room 201) or the South County Justice Center, and no Clerk of Court window for DCSS cases in the Dinuba Courthouse; and its answers - a divorce final six months and one day from service once all required documents are submitted, a court date obtained by a Request for Order FL-300, custody and visitation modified by a stipulation and order or a Request for Order (local form FAM-003 may be attached), a former name restored by an Ex Parte Application for Restoration of Former Name, and a response filed within 30 days of service of a petition.
California > Fifth Appellate District > Tulare County > Superior Court of California, County of Tulare
Family Law Division The Family Law Division processes and files documents submitted in person or by mail. Court staff cannot provide legal advice. If you need legal assistance, please consult an attorney or conduct your own legal research. Resources Veteran's Resources Elisor Information Sheet Divorce, Legal Separation, and Annulment A dissolution of marriage (or divorce) may be filed by a party seeking to end a marriage. To obtain a divorce in the state of California, you or your spouse must have lived in California for the last six months and for three months in the county where you are going to file for divorce. A party who either can't file for divorce because he or she doesn't meet the residency requirements or does not wish to end the marriage for psychological or economic reasons may file a legal separation. The judicial officer can make orders for child support and/or spousal support, custody and visitation, and division of property; however, the parties remain legally married, even though they may be living apart. You may ask the judge to declare that your marriage is not valid by filing an annulment (nullity of marriage). There are several reasons for why a judge may say that a marriage is not legally valid. For example, a marriage that is incestuous (between close blood relatives) or bigamous (where a spouse is already married to someone else) is never legally valid. Custody and Visitation The Petition for Custody and Support of Minor Children may be filed by parents who: Have signed a Voluntary Declaration of Paternity, or Are married and don't want to get legally separated or divorced, or Are not married and have legally adopted a child together, or Have been determined to be the parents in a juvenile or Department of Child Support case By filing this petition, the parents may ask the court to make custody and support orders, in addition to other orders. You may also ask the court to make orders for child support, spousal support, custody, and visitation by filing a Request for Order on an existing divorce, legal separation, or nullity, domestic partnership, or paternity case. Paternity Establishing paternity means saying who the legal parents of a child are if the parents were not married when the child was born. A child's parentage must be established before you can get child support or custody and visitation orders. By filing the Petition to Establish Parental Relationship, you may ask the court for child support or custody and visitation as part of this case. Domestic Partnerships Domestic partners are defined as "two adults who have chosen to share one another's lives in an intimate and committed relationship of mutual caring." To dissolve (terminate) a Domestic Partnership, you may file a Petition for Dissolution. How to Get a Domestic Violence Restraining Order What is a restraining order? It is a court order that helps protect people from abuse. What is abuse? Abuse means to hit, kick, hurt, scare, throw things, pull hair, push, follow, harass, sexually assault, or threaten to do any of these things. Abuse can be spoken, written, or physical. Can I get a restraining order? You can ask for one if: A person has abused you, and You have a close relationship with that person (married, divorced, separated, dating or use to date, live together or used to live together), or you are related (parent, child, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, in-law) How will the restraining order help me? It can order the restrained person to: Not contact or go near you, your children, other relatives, or others who live with you Not have a gun Move out of your house Follow child custody and visitation orders Pay child support For more detailed information, you may visit the Family Law Facilitator or log onto the Judicial Council's self-help website. Can I submit my request for domestic violence restraining order online? Yes. You can submit your e-filing documents with the court, including petitions for domestic violence restraining orders online. You can also obtain information about electronic filing from your Electronic Filing Service Provider, or by calling the clerk’s office at (559) 730-5000, option 4. Can I appear remotely at the hearing on my petition for a domestic violence restraining order? Yes. You can submit your request to appear remotely online. You can call (559) 738-2330 to obtain assistance regarding your remote appearance. This telephone number is staffed before and during court sessions. You should call this number if you are having difficulty with a scheduled remote appearance. How to Request Copies The cost for copies is $.50 per page. If certification is requested, an additional $40.00 per document will be assessed. Please provide the following information: Petitioner's and Respondent's name Case Number Specific documents requested To request copies by mail, submit a check payable to "Clerk of the Court." DO NOT SEND CASH. If the total amount is unknown, indicate under the amount line "not to exceed $50.00." The correct amount will be filled in and a receipt will be forwarded, along with the requested copies. All checks must be preprinted with the maker's name and address. Copy orders are filled within 7-10 working days. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope large enough to accommodate the request. Requesting Certified Judgments To request a certified copy of a judgment (divorce decree), please provide us with a case number. If you do not know the case number, you must provide us with the full names of both parties at the time the divorce was filed and the approximate year of the filing. You may mail your request, along with a self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage and a check or money order for $15.00 plus $.50 per page copy fee. Or you may visit the office Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Requesting Copies of Paternity Cases To request copies from a paternity case, you must come into the office and show picture identification. Information/copies can only be provided to the actual parties listed on the case. Self-Help Resource Center The Self-Help Resource Center provides free assistance with certain family, civil, and probate matters for people who do not have legal representation. You can learn about court procedures, find and fill out the forms you need, see what steps are involved as your case goes through court, and find information about other helpful resources. Visit the Self-Help Section on the court website for more information. Department of Child Support Services Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) matters are heard in the Dinuba Courthouse on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and in the South County Justice Center on Tuesdays. Parties wishing to file paperwork may submit their documents to the Clerk of Court located inside the Visalia DCSS office (8040 W Doe Ave, Visalia, CA 93291), Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am through 4:00 pm. If you choose to leave documents for filing at the Porterville DCSS office (259 N Main St, Porterville, CA 93257), please be advised those documents will not be filed the same day. Rather, as a courtesy, DCSS will courier your documents to the Clerk of Court and they will be processed upon receipt and filed if appropriate. Parties wishing to file paperwork on Fridays may file at the Clerk of Court located at the Visalia Courthouse (Room 201) or the South County Justice Center. There are no Clerk of Court window services available for DCSS cases in the Dinuba Courthouse. More information about Tulare County DCSS may be found at https://tularecounty.ca.gov/dcss/ or by calling 1-866-901-3212. If you need assistance or further information you may also contact the Tulare County Superior Court’s Self-Help Resource Center, located in the Visalia courthouse at 221 South Mooney Blvd, Room 203, or in the South County Justice Center in Porterville. 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 Frequently Asked Questions When will my divorce be final? Six months and one day from the date of service, providing all required documents have been submitted to the Court. How do I get a court date? You will need to file a Request for Order FL-300. How do I modify custody and/or visitation orders? If both parties are in agreement, you may submit a stipulation and order. Or, you may file a Request for Order to obtain a date for a court hearing. Local form FAM-003 may be attached to your Request for Order. How do I restore my former name after the divorce is final? You must file an Ex Parte Application for Restoration of Former Name. If I have been served with a petition, what should I do? Consult an attorney or file a response within 30 days.
Family Law Division The Family Law Division processes and files documents submitted in person or by mail. Court staff cannot provide legal advice. If you need legal assistance, please consult an attorney or conduct your own legal research. Resources Veteran's Resources Elisor Information Sheet Divorce, Legal Separation, and Annulment A dissolution of marriage (or divorce) may be filed by a party s
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-14 (California T4 Tulare build 2026-10-14) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-tulare/pages/divisions__family-law.html (the page as fetched 2026-10-14; 632357 bytes, sha256 b05273980402f00934059097e071fe4fbbd9e54d0a2738125149cfad77e1f4bc) 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, “Family Law”); proof (the multiset of non-space characters equals the containers' text less chrome and scripts) passes. Review note: The page fills copy orders “within 7-10 working days”; the Records Request page (carded) processes copy requests within 15 business days. The page answers that a petitioner can appear remotely at a domestic violence restraining order hearing, as Rule 937(a) provides; the Request Remote Hearings page (carded) lists restraining orders among the hearings requiring a personal appearance - 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.