San Bernardino Evictions: Landlords filing unlawful detainer cases in San Bernardino County must file in the appropriate courthouse based on the location of the rental property. Depending on the city and judicial district, eviction cases may be assigned to courthouses in Fontana, Barstow, Joshua Tree, and Needles. Filing in the wrong courthouse can delay processing or result in rejection. We make sure your documents are submitted to the appropriate court.

Fontana Courthouse: Located at 17780 Arrow Blvd., Fontana. This courthouse handles the vast majority of San Bernardino County evictions. Unlike Riverside which splits the city to two different courthouses, all San Bernardino City eviction cases under $10,000 are heard in this Fontana Courthouse. Eviction cases are heard on selected days of the week. If you need to go to court, always appear on the date and 30 minutes before your scheduled time.

Serving the Notice and Complaint: If a process server will be serving your documents, some companies will be better suited to quickly file your documents than others. Many locations in San Bernardino County qualify as “rural” locations which often come with additional fees and can delay service. It’s best to compare timelines of various companies offering service. One company may require a “rural rush” fee for Barstow or Twentynine Palms while the same location would be standard for another. Plan for at least 3-5 days for service to be completed.

Courthouse Filings Delays: San Bernardino Courthouses face historic shortages in nearly every category. They are severely understaffed in clerical support and judges which means once an eviction is filed, the landlord must often wait weeks for the paperwork to be processed in the courthouse.

San Bernardino Sheriff Lockout Timelines: San Bernardino Sheriff lockout timelines can vary greatly and can add significantly to your time for actual possession. Once judgement is entered, if no agreement is reached between the landlord and tenant to move out, the Sheriff’s Department is charged with removing the tenants and enforcing the order. Waiting for Sheriff’s department removal can add additional weeks so it’s important to send the proper lockout instructions, writ, and other required documents as soon as possible.