Santa Barbara /self-help/civil-self-help

Santa Barbara /self-help/civil-self-help¶

Source: https://www.santabarbara.courts.ca.gov/self-help/civil-self-help

Civil Self-Help

Civil Self-Help Information

Lawsuits

Civil Anti-Harassment

Collect Your Judgment

Name Changes

Evictions

Landlord/Tenant

What is a Civil Action?

This section is about general civil cases which typically involve disputes about contracts, damage to property or someone getting hurt. For cases involving an eviction, see the section for Landlord/Tenant actions.

Civil cases are divided into types, depending on how much money is owed:

A lawsuit for more than $35,000.00 is called an "unlimited" civil action.

A lawsuit for $35,000.00 or less is called a "limited" civil action.

You can also file in Small Claims Court for $12,500.00 or less. You can read about this in the Small Claims section of this website. If you are owed more than $12,500.00, you can waive the difference and file in Small Claims Court.

A lawsuit that requires exceptional Judicial Management (see Rule 3.400 of the California Rules of Court) is called a "complex" civil action.

Forms

All forms are also available for purchase at court operations. If you know what form you need you can download them directly from the California Courts Website.

For information on other civil case types including Wills, Estates and Probate see the California Courts Guide to wills, estates, and probate court

Ex parte

Ex parte requests must be received by the Court prior to 12:00 p.m. in order for an ex parte matter to appear on the next court day’s calendar. If the pleadings are received after 12:00 p.m. the matter will not be placed on the court calendar before the date that is two court days from the date of receipt of the pleadings. This does not apply to Workplace or Civil Harassment Restraining Orders, Lanterman-Petris-Short Act or Riese hearings, or Family Law matters.

Requesting Emergency Stays

Applications for emergency stays or other emergency matters should be submitted with the words “EMERGENCY STAY REQUESTED” in the caption of the document and with a red cover sheet with the words “EMERGENCY STAY REQUESTED.”

Legal Resource Centers

Santa Barbara County Superior Court Legal Resource Centers

Santa Barbara

Mon. – Thurs. 9:00 am – Noon & 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Fri. 9:00 am – Noon by appointment

LRCHelp@lafsbc.org

Santa Maria

Mon. – Thurs. 9:00 am – Noon & 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Fri. 9:00 am – Noon by appointment

LRCHelp@lafsbc.org

LOMPOC:

In Person: Wed. only 9:00 am – Noon & 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm

Phone & email: Mon. – Thurs: 9:00 am – Noon & 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm; Fri. 9:00 am – Noon by appointment

LRCHelp@lafsbc.org