Modesto Court

The Stanislaus County Main Courthouse is located in the downtown area of Modesto near the Stanislaus County Office of Education and the Gallo Center for the Arts.  It is also within the proximity of good Modesto bail bonds companies that might be of service if you or a loved one have a court date at the courthouse.

Modesto Main Courthouse

If you’re visiting one of the following divisions, here’s a list of the hours so that you can obtain the services you need within each division’s time frame.

Civil Court Division – This division handles cases relating to small claims, probate and trusts, civil harassments, name changes, and unlawful detainment (i.e., eviction cases). The hours of operation are Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m and 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Friday. If you miss visiting the division during these hours and you need to submit case information, you may use the dropbox. Documents may be placed in the dropbox daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. If you have any questions regarding a civil case matter, you may call (209) 530-3100.

Criminal Division – If you have a criminal case related to felonies, misdemeanors, or infractions, you may visit this division during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday or Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. When appearing in court, you must present your identification card, a copy of your citation, and proof of probation and order compliance.

Family Law – If you have child custody, divorce, legal separation, child support, or domestic violence case, this division handles case matters Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and on Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. For advance preparation purposes, you can download Judicial Council forms. The Judicial Council also has a self-help website for additional services.

Grand Jury – If you need information regarding the civil grand jury, criminal grand jury, civil grand jurors, and alternates, you may visit this link to obtain more information.

Jury Duty – If you have been summoned to provide jury services you may call (209) 269-4149.

Probate Division – If you have a legal matter relating to child guardianship, elder abuse, mental health treatment, wills, estates, or dependent adult restraining orders.

Small Claims – This division is open to visitors Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. If you have a business-related small claims matter, you may drop off your case documents in the dropbox or at the Clerk office window. If you prefer to resolve the issue of your small claim through mediation, you may contact (209) 236-1577 or visit here for additional instructions. You may also visit the self-help office Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The self-help office is closed on Friday.

Traffic – Court hours for the traffic division are Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Fridays from 8:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. You may also call the division Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. Inquiries are also accepted via email at traffic.requests@stanct.org and traffic.school@stanct.org. Detailed instructions regarding appearance procedures and compliance orders are available here

Form Filing Procedures

When filing court forms, you may fax your documents for a small fee or submit documents in the court dropbox. Additional instructions can be found here

General Modesto Court Information

If you have questions regarding other services, you can access the Stanislaus County Main Courthouse link for general information by clicking here