Yuba County Superior Court Local Rules of Court (effective July 1, 2026) — Chapter 5: Family Law

Summary

Chapter 5 (Rules 5.0 to 5.13): the Family Law and Motion Calendar each Monday (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) - 9:00 a.m. for pro per litigants, 1:30 p.m. for litigants represented by attorneys, 2:00 p.m. for minor's counsel appearances by juvenile court attorneys - for Request for Orders, motions relating to enforcement or modification and other motions preliminary to trial (5.0); family law and domestic violence ex parte applications under CRC, rule 3.1200 et seq. - the applicant to arrange an appointment with the family law window clerk no later than the time set for notice, applications submitted no later than 2:00 p.m. on the court date prior to the hearing, a party seeking emergency orders to file a Request for Waiver of Notice with Declaration in Support Thereof (Non-Domestic Violence) (YCSC FL14076), notice under CRC, rule 5.165 if the Court denies the request to waive notice, the proof of service of notice filed no later than 12 noon on the date of the hearing, a courtesy copy to the family law window clerk no later than 10:00 a.m. on the date of the hearing, and responsive declarations lodged until the hearing (5.0); law and motion hearings limited to fifteen (15) minutes, the parties to inform the Court when the matter is called if it cannot be completed in that time, and the Court to set it on its long cause calendar (5.0); the Income and Expense Declaration [JC FL150] or Financial Statement filed by the moving party with the papers seeking relief and by the opposing party with the responsive papers (5.0); no long cause hearing or trial heard until counsel, with their clients present or immediately available, have met and conferred in good faith on all issues and exchanged all relevant documents - failure to meet and confer may result in the matter being dropped from the calendar or continued, the rejection of documents not exchanged, or other sanctions (5.0); remote appearances on the law and motion calendar (Mondays at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m.), Courtcall arrangements made no later than Thursday, noon, the week prior at the party's costs, the courtroom remote login at no cost from Family Court Services, and counsel, litigants and witnesses to personally appear at long cause hearing/trials unless the parties stipulate or the court grants a remote appearance under CCP 367.75 and CA Rule of Court 3.672 (5.0); mediation (orientation and/or child custody recommending counseling) under FC § 3160 et seq. in all cases involving custody and/or visitation issues before any hearing, the parties to make a good faith effort to arrive at an agreement (5.1); orientation before mediation or the mediation cancelled, parties who attended orientation within two years prior may proceed directly to mediation, mediation completed remotely as scheduled by FCS, and an investigation packet before mediation for a party residing over 100 miles from the Court, with permission (5.1); no pending mediation date vacated on an agreement unless an executed stipulation has been approved by the Court (5.1); sessions held in private with only the parties and the Counselor, attorneys not permitted to attend absent permission of the Court, counsel for the minor children attending with permission of all parties, and the Counselor's written report and recommendations to the Court when no agreement is reached (FC 3186) (5.1); communications with the Counselor confidential, without limit on reports of known or suspected child abuse or on information about a person who threatens injury or harm, and the Counselor to notify the Court in writing when a minor may be at risk and make no recommendation based on it (5.1); in domestic violence cases special guidelines, the parties interviewed separately, a support person who does not participate, the parties brought together only when both parties and the Counselor determine it to be safe, and the Counselor's report under FC § 4320 (i) (5.1); the Counselor's recommendation, at any time, of an investigation and report under FC § 3110, a referral under EC § 730 or independent counsel for the child(ren) under FC § 3150, and temporary custody and visitation orders while the mediation process is ongoing (5.1); no peremptory challenge to counselors or other court staff except Court Investigators, and no subpoena of the Counselor to testify on the law and motion calendar absent permission of the Court, a subpoena under Gov. Code §68097.1 on five (5) court days' notice to the Counselor and Family Court Services (5.1); reports and recommendations confidential, available only to the Court and court staff, the parties, their attorney(s) of record and persons the Court grants access by written order, no copies made or contents disclosed to a child, and the reports placed in the confidential portion of the file on completion (5.1); a Parenting Plan the parties reach agreement on presented to the Court, to become its order on approval and be filed, not confidential (5.1); grievances about mediation services, an investigator and the facilitator presented to the Director of Family Court Services (Complaint Form [YCSC G05051]) and requests to change mediators addressed to the Family Law Facilitator (5.1); custody evaluations to comply with California Rules of Court 5.220 et. seq., by evaluators appointed under Evidence Code section 730 or Family Code section 3110 who meet the standards of Family Code section 3110.5 and rules 5.225 and 5.230, no peremptory challenge to an evaluator, an evaluator's request in writing to withdraw with the reason for the request and a status report, and grievances in writing within five (5) days of the receipt of the report (Complaint Form [YCSC G05048]) (5.2); in the absence of a stipulation, ex parte communications by the attorneys with the evaluator prohibited except to schedule appointments, documents or unsolicited comments to the evaluator only with a copy to the other side and minor's counsel at least 72 hours in advance plus five (5) days for mailing, a court ordered evaluation limited in scope to the issues identified by the court, and its payment ordered at the time of the appointment (5.2); unauthorized removal of the evaluator's report a felony [GC § 6200, et seq.], the Evaluator to receive a subpoena at least five (5) court days prior to the hearing or trial, and information on how to find qualified evaluators posted in Family Court Services (5.2); court-ordered investigations by investigators who meet CRC, rule 5.225, no peremptory challenge to an investigator, the Child Custody Investigation report to return on a date the Court shall establish not less than ten (10) days prior to the hearing, and partial reports provided at the time designated (5.3); the Mediated Agreement, signed by all parties and the Counselor, provided to the parties before leaving mediation, and in a same day mediation the Child Custody Recommendation report provided to the Court, counsel and the litigants prior to the commencement of the hearing (5.3); investigation reports and recommendations in writing, admissible subject to cross-examination and motions to strike, distributed to the Court and the parties and not to minor children except upon a showing of good cause, used only in the legal proceedings and placed in the confidential portion of the file, unauthorized removal a felony, and the Investigator to receive a subpoena at least five (5) court days prior to the hearing or trial (5.3); grievances about court-ordered investigations presented in writing via Complaint (Local Form Number FL05048) to the Court Executive Officer within five (5) days of receipt of the report (5.3); complaints about a court-appointed counsel for a child in writing to the Court Executive Officer, who or whose designee will investigate, evaluate and respond (5.4); a monetary penalty of $50 for the first and $100 for each subsequent failure, after reasonable notice and without good cause, to attend and complete orientation or mediation, or who cancels within 48 hours of the appointment, and the same for a failure to comply with a court-ordered drug test, to sign releases of information necessary for FCS investigations, to timely complete investigative packets or to timely report to Yuba County Court Collections when ordered, with additional sanctions the court may order (5.5); a stipulation in any family matter in which a modification of an existing order is sought signed by both parties, their respective attorneys and any appointed minor's counsel, then presented to the court (YCSC FL077060, YCSC FL10070) (5.6); for an uncontested matter set for hearing, a Request to Enter Default with its supporting declaration or an executed written stipulation, current Income and Expense Declaration and Property Declaration forms unless excused by FC § 2330.5, and counsel to provide the Judge at the hearing with the original proposed judgment, including any marital settlement agreement (5.7); for a contested trial/hearing, both parties to file and serve at least five (5) court days prior to the trial/long cause date a statement of the issues, contentions and proposed disposition of the case, a current income and expense declaration if support or attorney's fees are at issue, an updated statement of assets and debts, a witness list (the non-mandatory JC form FL-321) and a list of exhibits with copies exchanged - only disclosed witnesses and exhibits permitted except for good cause shown - and the supporting documentation of a request for a needs-based award of attorney's fees, failure may result in the matter dropped, the complying party to continue the cause, sanctions or an issue sanction (5.8); trial and reply briefs with a full and complete statement of property and income and expenses - each item of separate and community property with the year acquired, the basis of the claim, current market value, encumbrance and title, funds held by others, tracing, current obligations, current income and expense on Form FL-150, and a proposed equal division of community property with each party's contentions on child custody, visitation and support (5.8); the court does not receive telephones or computers into evidence - text messages and social media printed out, other evidence obtained from an electronic device copied onto a flash drive, after proper authentication (5.8); family law continuances by stipulation submitted at least two court days prior to the scheduled Court trial/hearing (YCSC FL12069) for the Court's order, with a continuance fee of $20 (5.9); a stepparent to petition for visitation under FC § 3101 on local form FL03013 and a grandparent under FC § 3103 on local forms FL03014 and FL03015, with a request for joinder and summons on joinder under CRC, rule 5.24 if the petition is filed in a dissolution proceeding (5.10, 5.11); an Office of the Family Law Facilitator under FC § 10000, et seq., with additional duties the Court may designate under FC § 10005 (5.12); courts issuing criminal protective orders and courts issuing child custody or visitation orders to make reasonable efforts to determine whether the other's orders exist, court staff to check reasonably available resources, and a court that has issued a criminal protective order may modify it after consultation to allow or restrict contact between the restrained person and his or her children (5.13).