Divorce Filing Checklist for Riverside County: Forms, Copies, Fees and the Courthouse, in Order

This page explains the court’s process. It is not legal advice, and this site is not a law firm.

This page puts the filing steps for a Riverside County divorce in the order the paperwork moves, with the form number and the court page behind every item. The explanation of each step is in how to file for divorce in Riverside County without a lawyer. Two sibling checklists cover the Family Court Services (CCRC) appointment and a domestic violence restraining order request.

Print this. Each stage is its own numbered list, so it can be printed and checked off by hand. The bracketed number at the end of an item is the source in the list at the bottom. The court’s FAQ says the process is “essentially the same” for divorce, legal separation and nullity¹; joint petitions and summary dissolutions have their own pages on the Judicial Council site and are not covered here¹⁰.

The forms at a glance

Sources: the court’s FAQ, packet and flow chart, and the Judicial Council’s forms page¹⁶¹¹²⁴.

Stage 1: Before you start

1. Confirm residency. One spouse must have lived in California for the last 6 months and in the filing county for the last 3 months before the petition is filed³. For someone who does not yet qualify, the Judicial Council lists two options: wait until the time is met, or start with a legal separation and switch to divorce later¹².
2. Find the courthouse for the zip code. The administrative order effective July 8, 2024 assigns family law filings by city and zip code to the Riverside Family Law Courthouse (4175 Main Street), the Menifee Justice Center (27401 Menifee Center Drive), the Larson Justice Center in Indio (46-200 Oasis Street) or the Blythe courthouse (265 N. Broadway)². The court says where a case can be filed depends on the zip code of the parties and the case type, and to consult the clerk’s office if it is not clear¹³. The lists are in which courthouse takes your family law case.
3. Get the forms. Self Help Legal Services groups the required forms into a digital packet with an online cover sheet; the court says the cover sheet “only partially completes” the forms¹⁴. Packets are also available from a Family Law court, and workshops are on the Self Help Legal Services calendar¹. The forms in order are on Riverside County divorce forms.
4. Know whether the other spouse’s agreement matters. The Judicial Council states that a spouse’s agreement is not needed to get a divorce³.

Stage 2: Filling out the forms

1. Summons (FL-110). It gives the other side 30 calendar days after service to file a Response (FL-120) and carries the standard family law restraining orders on property, insurance and the children’s travel, which bind the petitioner on filing and the respondent on service¹⁵.
2. Petition (FL-100). The form records the legal relationship, residence, dates of marriage and separation, any minor children, the grounds (irreconcilable differences or permanent legal incapacity), and the requests on custody, support, property and restoring a former name; the version read for this page was revised January 1, 2020¹⁶.
3. Declaration of Residence (RI-FL036). The court lists this Riverside local form with the summons and petition as part of the minimum set¹.
4. UCCJEA declaration (FL-105), if there are children under 18. The court’s minimum set includes it when children are involved¹¹².
5. Neat and signed. The court’s FAQ says forms are completed in blue or black ink or typewritten¹. Every signature line is signed; for eSubmit each one is e-signed⁶.

Stage 3: Copies and the fee

1. Make the copies. Riverside’s packet says to bring the original and at least one copy, with a maximum of two⁶. The Judicial Council’s instructions say to make two copies of the petition and summons¹². The clerk keeps the original and returns stamped copies¹.
2. Pay the fee or ask for a waiver. The court’s fee schedule, revised 12/31/25 and effective January 1, 2026, lists “Petition or other first paper” at $450⁴. A fee waiver is requested on form FW-001, revised March 1, 2026¹⁷. The amounts and the waiver rules are on the filing fees page and the fee waiver page.
3. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for mail or drop-box filing. The packet asks for an envelope with sufficient postage so the stamped copies can come back⁶.
4. Tell the clerk if an interpreter is needed. The court’s FAQ says to notify the clerk at the time of filing any document¹.

Sources disagree The statewide civil fee schedule effective January 1, 2026 lists $435 for a first paper in a dissolution; Riverside’s own schedule lists $450 for the same line⁴⁵. Plan around the court’s own $450 and confirm the amount with the clerk’s office before filing.

Stage 4: Filing

1. Pick the way to file. The packet lists three: in person at the clerk’s window with the original, a copy and the filing fee or fee waiver; by drop box or mail; or online through eSubmit⁶. Family law uses eSubmit, not the civil eFiling system¹⁸.
2. In person or drop box: arrive by 4:00 p.m. Documents deposited in a drop box after 4:00 p.m. are processed the next court day⁸¹³.
3. eSubmit: PDF only. Files must be non-editable PDFs of up to 50 MB each, up to 15 documents and one case per submission, with a $2.00 transaction fee on non-exempt submissions⁷. A document received between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59:59 p.m. on a court day is deemed filed that day⁷¹³.
4. Note the clerk’s hours. The courthouses take filings at the counter as shown below; the clerk’s phone lines run 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.^8192021

Sources: the court’s location pages^8192021. The Riverside Family Law Courthouse’s public entrance is on the north side facing Market Street; the court’s page says no entrances are available on Main Street⁸.

5. Keep the stamped copies. The clerk stamps the forms, assigns the case number and keeps the originals²². The copies are returned the way they were filed⁶.
6. Collect the Notice of Case Assignment and the Family Law Case Management Order. Under Local Rule 5145 the petitioner receives the notice at filing and a case management order issues when the petition is filed; both are served with the petition²³.

Stage 5: After filing

1. Arrange service. The papers are served by a person 18 or older who is not the petitioner or respondent; the Judicial Council’s page says “You can’t serve the papers yourself”⁹. The court’s FAQ says the same¹.
2. Serve the right set. The Judicial Council lists file-stamped copies of the papers (not the fee waiver forms) and a blank Response (FL-120); Riverside adds the Notice of Case Assignment and the case management order⁹²³. The four methods are on serving divorce papers in Riverside County.
3. Mind the 60 days. The court’s divorce case flow chart, revised November 10, 2020, says to personally serve the other side within 60 days of filing²⁴.
4. File the proof of service (FL-115). The person who served completes it, and the original is filed; the Judicial Council says “The court won’t proceed until this form is filed”⁹.
5. Prepare the disclosure forms. The court’s FAQ lists the Income and Expense Declaration (FL-150), the Schedule of Assets and Debts (FL-142) and the Property Declaration (FL-160) as the “Declarations of Disclosure”, required by law within 60 days of filing¹. FL-140 is the cover sheet and is not filed; FL-141, showing the disclosure was served or waived, is the only disclosure form filed¹¹. See the disclosure forms.
6. Write down the service date. The respondent has 30 days to file a Response (FL-120)¹. The court says the soonest a person can become single is 6 months and one day after service, and only after a judge signs a judgment¹²⁴. The sequence after that is on finishing a divorce in Riverside County and how long a divorce takes.

When to get help

Self Help Legal Services is the free route: remote help with divorce, legal separation, nullity and requests for orders on 951-274-4499 or 760-393-2163, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., closed on holidays and the last Friday of every month, with online workshops including a Dissolution Workshop²⁶. The packets state that staff are not the filer’s lawyer and that talking with them is not confidential⁶. More free routes are on free and low-cost family law help.

Reasons to get individual help follow from the checklist: spouses in different regions, which the court leaves to the clerk¹³; a spouse who cannot be found, since service by publication needs a judge’s approval and, in Riverside, a declaration of a good-faith search under penalty of perjury¹²⁵; or a Response that disagrees. The court’s self-help page links the State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Services page²⁷. If you are in immediate danger, call 911²⁸.

Frequently Asked Questions

What forms do I need to file for divorce in Riverside County?

At minimum the summons (FL-110), the petition (FL-100) and the Declaration of Residence (RI-FL036), plus the UCCJEA declaration (FL-105) when there are children¹.

How many copies of the divorce papers should be made?

Riverside’s packet says the original and at least one copy, with a maximum of two; the Judicial Council says two copies of the petition and summons⁶¹².

Can divorce papers be filed online in Riverside County?

Yes, through eSubmit, the court’s portal for family law documents, for a $2.00 transaction fee per non-exempt submission⁷¹⁸.

What is the daily cut-off for filing?

4:00 p.m. for filings in person and by drop box. An eSubmit document received on a court day is deemed filed that day¹³⁷.

Where does someone in Temecula or Corona file?

The order puts Temecula (92589 to 92593) in the Menifee Justice Center’s region and Corona in the Riverside Family Law Courthouse’s².

Does the other spouse have to agree to the divorce?

No. The Judicial Council says agreement is not needed and a divorce can be granted for any reason³.

How soon can the divorce be final?

The court’s FAQ says 6 months and one day after service on the respondent at the earliest, and a signed judgment is also required¹.

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