Short answer: Start with the official California Courts forms library, the California Courts Self-Help Guide, and the Superior Court website for the county handling the case. Use the current form and instructions, not an old download or a search-result summary. A form explains information the court requests; it does not determine the best legal position, prove service, or provide individualized advice.
Match the resource to the task
Use the forms library for Judicial Council forms, instructions, and current revisions. Use Self-Help for general explanations of divorce, legal separation, custody, support, restraining orders, service, disclosures, and judgments. Use the assigned county Superior Court for filing locations, e-filing rules, calendars, workshops, interpreter information, and self-help contact details. Use an advocate or emergency service for safety concerns rather than relying on an ordinary filing checklist.
Before downloading, check the title, revision date, instructions, attachments, and whether the court accepts the filing method you plan to use. Forms, fees, filing channels, and local operations can change. A law-firm explanation may clarify terminology, but the official form and current court instructions control procedure.
Common divorce and family-law forms
The correct packet depends on the case, children, property, existing orders, and whether a person is starting a case or responding. Common forms include:
- FL-100, Petition—Marriage/Domestic Partnership: starts a standard dissolution or legal-separation case.
- FL-110, Summons: provides formal notice and identifies important restrictions; service must follow current rules.
- FL-120, Response: allows a responding spouse to answer a petition.
- FL-150, Income and Expense Declaration: provides financial information relevant to support and other requests.
- FL-142, Schedule of Assets and Debts, and FL-160, Property Declaration: organize financial and property information when required.
- FL-300, Request for Order: commonly requests temporary or other orders, with attachments depending on the issue.
- FL-115, Proof of Service of Summons: documents service when the applicable service requirements are met.
These descriptions are orientation only. A form choice does not establish jurisdiction, determine whether service was valid, or show that disclosures are complete. Read every instruction and preserve the filed copy and proof of service.
What self-help can and cannot do
A court self-help center or family-law facilitator may provide general procedural information, help identify forms, explain filing steps, or direct a person to a local resource. The services, eligibility, appointment system, and scope vary by county. Self-help staff generally cannot choose a strategy, predict an outcome, negotiate a settlement, or represent a person at a contested hearing.
Prepare before contacting a center. Write down the case number, court and county, papers received, next deadline, upcoming hearing, and one question that needs an answer first. Bring copies and organize them by date. Do not email confidential financial, immigration, or safety information to an unverified service. If a paper has been served, calendar the response date immediately; asking a question does not automatically extend a deadline.
When individual advice is important
Obtain legal review before filing or signing when the matter involves domestic violence or coercive control, an out-of-state spouse or child, immigration, a business, retirement accounts or securities, a trust, hidden assets, disputed disclosures, support, a default risk, a proposed waiver, or an imminent hearing. A limited-scope attorney may be an option when full representation is not feasible. Ask exactly what the lawyer will review and what remains your responsibility.
Self-help is also not enough merely because a form appears simple. A short petition can affect jurisdiction, property characterization, custody requests, support, and later deadlines. A signed settlement can waive claims or create obligations. Keep questions about taxes, immigration, benefits, mental health, or estate planning with the appropriate professional.
County and Bay Area support
California uses statewide Judicial Council forms, but each Superior Court operates its own filing locations and local services. San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, and Napa readers should confirm the correct county, courthouse, filing window, e-filing status, workshop schedule, and self-help contact method. Do not assume that a form accepted in one county will be filed in the same way in another.
Use Find My Court to locate the applicable Superior Court. A county page can explain administration; it cannot change statewide statutes, an existing order, or a legal deadline. If the case is already filed, use the court named on the case papers unless the court orders otherwise.
A reliable forms workflow
- Identify the case type, county, case number, and whether a case already exists.
- Open the current official form and read the entire instruction sheet.
- Determine what attachments, translations, fee waiver, or local forms are required.
- Complete facts accurately and consistently; do not guess or omit material information.
- File and serve through the correct current method.
- Save filed copies, receipts, proof of service, and every court notice.
- Calendar response, disclosure, mediation, hearing, and service dates.
- Seek legal review before a form affects custody, support, property, safety, immigration, or a waiver.
General information only. Current forms, fees, deadlines, filing methods, local procedure, evidence, and the facts of a family-law matter require attorney review before reliance.
How to avoid form mistakes
Read the instruction pages before completing boxes. Use the case caption and case number exactly as they appear on filed papers. If a question does not apply, follow the form’s instruction rather than leaving unexplained blanks. Make sure names, dates, addresses, children’s information, and requested relief are consistent across related forms. Keep an unsigned working copy and a final filed copy so later changes can be identified.
Service is a separate step from filing. A person who files a form may not be the person who must serve it, and proof of service may have to be filed afterward. A self-help center can explain general sequence but cannot cure a missed deadline or decide what relief should be requested. Ask the court or counsel how to correct a rejected filing rather than silently changing a document.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I download FL-100 or FL-300? Use the current California Courts forms library and read the linked instructions. The exact packet and attachments depend on the case.
Does a self-help center provide legal advice? Usually it provides general procedural assistance within its local scope. Confirm the service limits of that county.
Do all California counties use the same process? Statewide forms and law may apply, but filing channels, appointments, workshops, and operational instructions differ.
Does completing a form protect my rights? No. Accuracy, service, deadlines, and legal strategy still matter. Obtain review when the filing affects a substantive right.
When a court rejects a filing, read the rejection notice carefully and preserve the date. Correcting a clerical problem may be different from changing the requested legal relief. If the correction affects rights, deadlines, or a hearing, obtain legal advice rather than relying only on a form counter.
When in doubt, ask the court how to locate the current instructions and ask counsel whether the completed form states the relief actually intended. Keep a record of that review.