Major California Municipal Court Information and Locations

There are 58 counties in California, each of which has a Superior Court that serves as municipal court. Most of the cases in the state of California begin in one of the Superior Courts that are located in each county. These courts exercise jurisdiction over all civil as well as criminal cases and also hear cases dealing with matters pertaining to juvenile cases, probate, family, and traffic violation cases.

Locations and phone numbers of courts in each county is available from http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/trial/ or http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/find.htm.

The Divisions of the Superior Court in California are:

•    Criminal
•    Civil
•    Traffic
•    Juvenile
•    Probate
•    Small Claims
•    Family Law

Criminal Division

The criminal division of the Superior Court in California is responsible for filing, processing and maintaining criminal records that deal with misdemeanor cases and felony cases. The division maintains records of court dispositions and a court calendar through an automated system.

Civil Division

The Civil Division deals with two types of civil cases. These include cases that fall under general jurisdiction and those which fall under limited jurisdiction. General jurisdiction cases deal with cases in dispute that may carry fines of more than $25,000 and those which do not deal with any criminal law violation cases. Limited jurisdiction cases deal with civil matter in which the amount in dispute is less than $25,000.

Types of cases heard by the civil division include motions, court trials and trials by jury, and case management conferences.

Traffic Division

The traffic division of the superior court in California deals with traffic violation cases such as DUI, DWI, motor vehicle thefts. The traffic division sends a citation notice to the mailing address of the offender within three weeks of the date when a citation is issued. The notice also notifies individuals about the fine amount that needs to be paid.

Juvenile Division

The juvenile division exercises original jurisdiction over all cases that involve juvenile delinquency, cases that deal with the neglect or abuse of children by their parents or guardians, decides on custody issues, visitation rights, and child support, helps to rehabilitate runaways and chronic truants, and provides protection to the communities from children who are a threat to persons and their property.

Cases dealing with juveniles as central subjects are rendered confidential by statutes or court orders. These cases are not open to the general public. The details of juvenile records are only released to specific agencies or court officers or to the family of the defendant and the victims.

Probate and Guardianship Division

The probate and guardianship division of the superior court in California exercises jurisdiction over cases that deal with probated estates. Duties include:

•    Appoint personal representatives
•    Distribute the estates of the decedents
•    Deal with disputes pertaining to the administration of trusts
•    Help appoint conservators and guardians 
•    review the accountings of the conservators and the guardians
•    Deal with other matters pertaining to cases that fall under the probate code.

The probate and guardianship division employs paralegals or probate examiners who are responsible for reviewing all files, papers and documents filed at probate court. These paralegals check documents for compliance with the rules of local courts, policies of courts, and the probate code

The review made by the paralegals or probate examiners helps check for deficiencies in the process of filing of records, files and documents or any other corrections that need to be addressed before any court hears that matter.

Small Claims Division

The small claims division of the superior court in California helps to quickly resolve disputes inexpensively. The rules are informal and simple. Cases in small claims court involve a defendant who is being sued by a plaintiff. Individuals are not allowed to use the services of an attorney inside the small claims court but they can seek the advice of an attorney outside the courthouse prior to the court hearing.

In the small claims division plaintiffs can sue for up to $7,500 (in case of individuals) and $5,000 (in the case of organizations or businesses).

Family Law Division

This division hears and decides on cases that deal with divorce, dissolution of marriage, separation cases, annulment, spousal support, child support, visitation rights and child custody cases.

For more information on the various divisions of the Superior Courts in California, visit http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/find.htm.

Specific California Municipal Court Information:

San Diego Municipal Court

San Mateo Municipal Court