- Orders - Requesting Court Orders
- Emergency / Temporary Orders
- Responding to a Request for Order
- File Necessary Forms on Time
- Telephone Appearances for Family Law Cases
- Telephone Appearance for Cases Filed by the Department of Child Support
- Prepare to Speak to the Judge in Court
- Try to Negotiate or Mediate an Agreement
- Arrange Child Care
- Arrange Court Reporter if Needed
- Select Appropriate Attire
- Plan Timely Arrival at Court
- Dropping or Continuing a Hearing or Trial
- Obtaining a Judgment When You Do Not Agree
- Has Your Matter Been Set for a Trial or a Long Cause Trial?
- Notice of Unavailability
Orders - Requesting Court Orders
The Request for Order form (FL-300) is used to request a hearing on most issues in a family law case, including:
- To get custody or visitation orders when none exists or to modify existing orders;
- To get child or spousal support orders when none exists or to modify existing orders;
- To set aside a default or a judgment or to ask the Court to reconsider its prior order;
- To change venue from Sacramento to another county;
- To ask the court for permission to amend your petition; or
- To request attorney fees and other costs.
- Request for Order Packet (Step 1)
- Proof of Personal Service Packet (Step 2)
If you are also asking for child, spousal, or attorney fees, complete the following:
Documents to Serve with a Request for Order
Emergency / Temporary Orders
In family law cases, court orders can be obtained only after the appropriate paperwork is filed, a hearing is scheduled, and notice of the hearing is served on the other party allowing him/her sufficient time to file a response. These hearings occur in open court in front of a judge. In limited situations, where there is an emergency, the judge may grant a Temporary Order to be in effect only until the hearing in open court. A Temporary Order is only issued when irreparable harm will result if an order is not made before the hearing.
Days and times for filing applications for Ex Parte Orders are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m., excluding court holidays.
| Department | Use the last two (2) digits of your case number to determine the department. |
|---|---|
| 120 | 01, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71,02, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62 |
| 121 | 05, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 06, 16, 26, 36, 46, 56, 66 |
| 122 | 03, 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, 04, 14, 24, 34, 44, 54, 64 |
| 123 | 07, 17, 27, 37, 47, 57, 67, 77, 08, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68 |
| 124 | 09, 19, 29, 39, 49, 59, 69, 79, 20, 30 |
| 125 | 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 72, 82, 74, 84, 76, 86, 78, 88, 98, 99 |
| 126 | 00, 10, 81, 83, 85, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97 |
| 127 | For domestic violence cases with a future hearing scheduled in Department 127 |
Responding to a Request for Order
If you have been served with a Request for Order and a hearing has been scheduled, you may file a Responsive Declaration to help the judge understand what your opinion is on the issues before court. To respond, you must complete the Responsive Declaration Packet.
File Necessary Forms on Time
Be sure to meet all deadlines for filing any documents needed for your court date. Check with the Self-Help Center or read the Codes and Rules in the Sacramento County Public Law Library - external link if you are not sure what to file with the Court and when. Be aware that all facts and evidence that you wish the judge to consider must be provided to the other party and the Court before the hearing in the form of a written declaration sworn to under penalty of perjury. In addition to your declaration, you may use the declarations of other adults.
Telephone Appearances for Family Law Cases
Telephone Appearance requests for non-evidentiary hearings on the court's law and motion calendars for Departments 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125 (domestic violence hearings), 126 and 127 can be made by filing a Request for Telephone Appearance (FL/E-CT-022) form with the clerk in the department.
Telephone appearance requests must be submitted at least ten (10) court days before the hearing, three (3) court days for respondents in domestic violence hearings. Service must be completed on the other parties, and attorneys, if any. Service must be by personal delivery, fax, express mail, or other means reasonably calculated to ensure delivery by the close of the next court day. Proof of Service must be filed with the Court prior to the hearing.
Approved telephone appearances for domestic violence hearings scheduled in Department 125 are made through Court Call LLC at 1-888-882-6878 or at www.courtcall.com - external link.
Prepare to Speak to the Judge in Court
You need to organize your thoughts about the issues to be handled on your court date. Think about what you want to say. Make some notes to help you remember the main points. Gather documents that may help you remember things that are important. Bring copies of the documents you have filed with the court in connection with your hearing (i.e. Request for Order, Responsive Declaration, Proof of Service, Family Court Services Child Recommending Counseling Report, etc.). You should be prepared to tell the judge what the issues are, what solution you think is best, and why. Be sure to focus on the issues that are the reason your court date was scheduled. The judge cannot address issues that are not identified in the original paperwork filed to request the hearing. If you have other problems to resolve, you can schedule a separate hearing for that purpose.
Try to Negotiate an Agreement
Contact the other party prior to your court date to try to resolve the issues, unless there is a Restraining Order between you and the other party. You may be asked to negotiate outside the courtroom before your hearing if you have not done so prior to arrival. Depending on when your hearing is scheduled, you may be given the option of working with a volunteer mediator who can assist you and the other party in reaching an agreement. The hearing will go forward if an agreement is not reached in mediation.
Arrange Child Care
Make child care arrangements for your minor children. Children are not permitted in the courtroom. If you must bring your children with you to court, there may be space available in the Children's Waiting Room.
Arrange Court Reporter if Needed
The Family Court does not provide a court reporter at all hearings. If you would like to have a court reporter present to record the proceedings, you must make arrangements in advance. The court employs a limited number of court reporters and you may request that one be assigned to your hearing. However, the court reserves the right to assign court reporters to the proceedings where they are most needed. If a court reporter is needed in another department at the time of your hearing, one may not be present during your hearing. The only way to ensure that a court reporter will be present at your hearing is to hire a private court reporter at your own expense. The court does not assist in the hiring of private court reporters, nor can the court recommend a particular court reporter.
Select Appropriate Attire
Plan to dress for your court date as if going to a job interview in a business office. Suits or slacks and long-sleeved shirts are best for men. Pant or skirt outfits and dresses are appropriate for women. If you are coming from or going to work, your uniform or work clothes are fine. Make sure that you have made an effort to be neat, clean, and well groomed. Try to present the best side of yourself. After all, this is a place of business and you are going to be meeting the Judge about something important to you.
Plan Timely Arrival at Court
Arrange to be in court on time. It is very important to be on time for all scheduled court dates. Allow extra time due to possible traffic congestion. If you are late, your case could be removed from the court calendar, postponed, or the judge could rule against you without you being heard at all. If you are delayed or unable to attend your hearing due to a car breakdown, serious illness, or other emergency, contact the courtroom clerk on or before your hearing time by calling the William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse main number and following the prompts to reach the courtroom clerk.
Dropping or Continuing/Rescheduling a Hearing or Trial
Parties may stipulate to drop or continue a hearing, long cause trial, or trial by faxing to the court the local form Facsimile Request to Drop or Continue Hearing, Long Cause Hearing or Trial by Stipulation, (FL/E-CT-031). The form must be received by the court at least two (2) business days before the hearing or trial, and must be served by fax or email before the request is made. Absent a stipulation, a motion or other request must be filed.
A party may request a continuance of/to reschedule a hearing and extend any temporary orders by submitting a Request to Continue Hearing (FL-306) and an Order on Request to Continue Hearing (FL-307) and a $20.00 filing fee. You must appear at the hearing if you do not receive a granted order continuing/rescheduling your hearing.
A party may request a continuance of/to reschedule a hearing and extend any temporary orders by submitting a motion and a $60.00 filing fee.
Obtaining a Judgment When You Do Not Agree
If you do not agree on all issues involved in your case, you may want to have a judge decide those issues. The judge will make a decision on the issues after considering all relevant evidence presented to the court.
Has Your Matter Been Set for a Trial or a Long Cause Trial?
As instructed, you will need to file a Statement of Issues:
Notice of Unavailability
A Notice of Unavailability may be filed when a party will not be on hand for hearings or appearances concerning their family law case. This optional packet may be used for this purpose.