In brief
Since July 8, 2024, family law documents in Riverside County are filed at one of four courthouses, chosen by the zip code: the Riverside Family Law Courthouse for the western cities, the Menifee Justice Center for the mid-county, the Larson Justice Center in Indio for the desert, and the Blythe courthouse for Blythe and Ripley. Corona, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Temecula, Hemet and Palm Springs residents file elsewhere than their nearest courthouse.
- Western region (Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Perris, Banning, Beaumont and others): 4175 Main Street, Riverside1.
- Mid-county region (Hemet, Murrieta, Temecula, Lake Elsinore, San Jacinto and others): 27401 Menifee Center Drive, Menifee1.
- Desert region (Palm Springs, Indio, Cathedral City, La Quinta, Palm Desert and others): 46-200 Oasis Street, Indio1.
- Domestic violence restraining orders, elder abuse restraining orders and appeals can be filed at any court location2.
- The zip code of the parties decides, and the court says to consult the clerk or a legal service if it is not obvious which one applies2.
This page explains the court’s process. It is not legal advice, and this site is not a law firm.
The detail
Riverside County has a dozen courthouses, and the court’s Family Law page lists only four of them as family law locations3. The assignment comes from an administrative order signed by the presiding judge under Local Rule 5101, and the court’s “Where to File” page points every family law filer to it12. This page reproduces the order’s lists so that a reader can find a city or zip code without opening a scanned PDF, and adds what each courthouse offers once you are there. How the court is organized is in the Riverside County family court, explained.
The short answer
| If you live in… | File family law documents at |
|---|---|
| Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Perris, Mira Loma, Banning, Beaumont, Cabazon, Calimesa or Whitewater | Riverside Family Law Courthouse, 4175 Main Street, Riverside, CA 925011 |
| Hemet, San Jacinto, Menifee, Sun City, Murrieta, Temecula, Wildomar, Winchester, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Homeland, Lakeview/Nuevo, Idyllwild, Mountain Center, Anza or Aguanga | Menifee Justice Center, 27401 Menifee Center Drive, Menifee, CA 925841 |
| Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, Coachella, Thermal, Mecca, Thousand Palms or Desert Center | Larson Justice Center, 46-200 Oasis Street, Indio, CA 922011 |
| Blythe or Ripley | Blythe Courthouse, 265 N. Broadway, Blythe, CA 922251 |
“Family law documents” here means the petition and everything after it in a divorce, legal separation, nullity, parentage, custody or support case. Domestic violence restraining orders are the exception: they, elder abuse restraining orders and appeals “can be filed at any court location”2.
The order, zip code by zip code
The order took effect July 8, 2024 and was signed by Presiding Judge Judith C. Clark on July 2, 20241. Its lists, by region:
Western region, Riverside Family Law Courthouse. Banning (92220), Beaumont (92223), Cabazon (92230), Calimesa (92320), Corona (92860, 92877, 92878, 92879, 92880, 92881, 92882, 92883), Mira Loma (91752), Moreno Valley (92551, 92552, 92553, 92554, 92555, 92556, 92557), Perris (92570, 92571, 92572), Riverside (92501, 92502, 92503, 92504, 92505, 92506, 92507, 92508, 92509, 92513, 92514, 92515, 92516, 92517, 92518, 92519, 92521, 92522) and Whitewater (92282)1.
Mid-county region, Menifee Justice Center. Aguanga (92536), Anza (92539), Canyon Lake (92587), Hemet (92543, 92544, 92545, 92546), Homeland (92548), Idyllwild (92549), Lake Elsinore (92530, 92531, 92532), Menifee (92584), Mountain Center (92561), Murrieta (92562, 92563, 92564), Lakeview/Nuevo (92567), San Jacinto (92581, 92582, 92583), Sun City (92584, 92585, 92586), Temecula (92589, 92590, 92591, 92592, 92593), Wildomar (92595) and Winchester (92596)1.
Desert region, Larson Justice Center in Indio. Cathedral City (92234, 92235), Coachella (92236), Desert Center (92239), Desert Hot Springs (92240, 92241), Indian Wells (92210), Indio (92201, 92202, 92203), La Quinta (92247, 92248, 92253), Mecca (92254), Palm Desert (92211, 92255, 92260, 92261), Palm Springs (92258, 92262, 92263, 92264, 92292), Rancho Mirage (92270), Thermal (92274, 92275) and Thousand Palms (92276)1.
Blythe Courthouse. Blythe (92225, 92226, 92280) and Ripley (92225)1.
Good to know Adoptions and “freedom from parental control and custody” cases follow the same three regions, with one difference: Blythe and Ripley adoptions are filed in Indio, not Blythe1. Guardianship of a child is a probate matter, heard at the Riverside Historic Courthouse, Temecula or Palm Springs according to the court’s reference guide, not at the family law courthouses9.
What "the zip code of the parties" means
The court’s page says: “Where a case can be filed depends on the zip code of the parties AND the laws specific to each case type. You should obtain legal assistance or consult the clerk’s office to determine which zip code or city to enter.”2 The order itself lists cities and zip codes without saying whose; in practice the question arises when the spouses live in different regions. The court does not answer it on its site, so ask the clerk, the Self Help Legal Services or a legal aid organization before filing, and expect the answer to depend on the case type2.
A zip code that appears in two lists (92225 for Blythe and Ripley, 92584 for Menifee and Sun City) points to the same courthouse in both, so nothing turns on it1.
The four courthouses, once you are there
| Courthouse | Hours | Phone | Family law departments | Drop box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Family Law Courthouse, 4175 Main Street | Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | (951) 777-3147 | F201, F301, F401, F402, F501, F502 | Yes, until 4:00 p.m. |
| Menifee Justice Center, 27401 Menifee Center Drive | Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | (951) 777-3147 | M201 to M205, M301 to M304 (civil, evictions, family law and small claims share the building) | Yes, until 4:00 p.m. |
| Larson Justice Center, 46-200 Oasis Street, Indio | Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | (760) 393-2617 | Departments 1A to 3T (family law, criminal, traffic and juvenile share the building) | Yes, until 4:00 p.m. |
| Blythe Courthouse, 265 N. Broadway | Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | (760) 393-2617 | 260 and 265 | Yes, until 4:00 p.m. |
Sources: the court’s location pages for each courthouse4567. Clerk’s office phone hours at all four are 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., shorter than the counter hours, and documents put in a drop box after 4:00 p.m. are processed the next court day4567.
The Riverside Family Law Courthouse’s public entrance is on the north side facing Market Street, not on Main Street; parking is metered on the street or in the structures at 3535 12th Street, 4090 Lemon Street and 3964 Orange Street, and the Park Riverside app gives 30 free minutes at meters and 60 in city lots4. Menifee has parking and eight accessible spaces in front of the building and a Self-Help Center next to the clerk’s office5. Larson has a Family Law Assistance Center and a Self-Help Center with lowered counters6. Each courthouse page is covered on its own: the Riverside Family Law Courthouse, Menifee for family law, and Larson in Indio and the Blythe courthouse.
Courthouses that do not take family law filings
Corona, Moreno Valley, Palm Springs, Banning, the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta and the Riverside Historic Courthouse all appear on the court’s self-help computer list, with public viewing and forms computers in their lobbies from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on court days, and Corona has a Self-Help Center in room 2018. None of them is a family law filing location under the order1. A reader in Corona can use the Corona computers to look up a case or print forms, then file in Riverside, by mail or through eSubmit810.
Sources disagree The court’s “Reference Guide – Where Cases are Heard”, revised July 7, 2024, lists the family law case prefixes for Riverside (FLRI, RID, FAM), Indio (FLHE, IND) and Blythe (BLD, FLBL) and none for Menifee9. It was revised the day before the filing order took effect and has not caught up with it. For where to file, the order governs1; the guide remains useful for reading an existing case number, since the letters at the start of it name the courthouse where the case is pending9.
Filing without going to the courthouse
Family law documents can be filed through eSubmit, the court’s online portal, for a $2 transaction fee per case, in PDF, up to 15 documents per submission; domestic violence filings through it are free10. The portal asks for the court location, which is the one the order assigns101. A document received through eSubmit at any time on a court day is filed that day, while the in-person and drop-box cut-off is 4:00 p.m.10. The steps are in eSubmit and remote hearings in Riverside family law.
When to get help
If your zip code is not on any list, if you and the other party live in different regions, or if your case is a kind the order does not name, the court’s own advice applies: ask the clerk’s office or a legal service before filing2. Self Help Legal Services at the court helps people without attorneys with procedure, including where to file; see the Self-Help Center. If you are in danger, a domestic violence restraining order request can be filed at any courthouse and costs nothing210; the process is on getting a restraining order in Riverside County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I file for divorce if I live in Temecula or Murrieta?
At the Menifee Justice Center, 27401 Menifee Center Drive. The order assigns Temecula (92589 to 92593) and Murrieta (92562 to 92564) to the mid-county region1.
Where do Corona and Moreno Valley residents file?
Where does Palm Springs file family law cases?
Can I file a restraining order at the nearest courthouse?
Does the Blythe courthouse hear family law every day?
What if the other parent lives in a different region?
The court says the answer depends on the zip code of the parties and the law for the case type, and tells filers to ask the clerk or get legal assistance2. There is no published rule choosing between two regions.
Where is a child's guardianship case filed?
Guardianship is a probate matter. The court’s reference guide shows guardianship prefixes at the Riverside Historic Courthouse and in Temecula, not at the family law courthouses9.
Related Articles
Sources (10)
- Administrative Order – Where to File Family Law Documents — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside, effective July 8, 2024 (revised June 5, 2024). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Where to File Documents — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Family Law — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Riverside Family Law Courthouse — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Menifee Justice Center — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Larson Justice Center (Indio CA) — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Blythe Courthouse — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Self-Help Information — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Reference Guide – Where Cases are Heard — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside, revised July 7, 2024. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Document Submission Portal: eSubmit — Superior Court of California, County of Riverside. Accessed 2026-10-09.