San Bernardino County is our closest neighbor. Our office at 1370 Valley Vista Dr in Diamond Bar sits right on the county line, a few minutes from Chino Hills and Chino, and a short drive from Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, and Fontana. For thirty years a large share of the tenants we have helped respond on time have come from exactly this stretch of the Inland Empire.
It is also a county of enormous distances. Someone in Victorville or the high desert is a very long way from someone in Upland, and the eviction deadline is the same for both.
The court
Unlawful detainer cases here are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. This is the largest county by area in the continental United States, and eviction filings are directed to the courthouse serving the property’s location. Your summons names the correct one. Check it before you drive anywhere.
Cities we serve in San Bernardino County
We work throughout the county, including San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Victorville, Rialto, Chino, Chino Hills, Upland, and Redlands, along with the surrounding communities and unincorporated areas.
What we prepare
- Unlawful Detainer Answer, form UD-105. Your formal response, prepared and filed before the deadline.
- Stay of eviction requests. Emergency requests to postpone a lockout once a sheriff’s notice is posted.
- Notice response guidance. A careful read of your 3-day, 30-day, or 60-day notice and what it actually demands.
- Motions and demurrers. Challenges to a defective notice or complaint before an answer is filed.
- Foreclosure evictions. For tenants and former owners after a property is sold at a trustee’s sale.
- Filing and deadline tracking. All dates calendared, with 24/7 online access to your file’s progress.
Your deadline
If you have been served with a summons and complaint, you generally have 5 court days to file a written response. Court days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and court holidays, so five court days usually works out to about a calendar week.
If nothing is on file by then, the landlord can request entry of default and obtain a judgment without your side being heard. A writ of possession and a sheriff’s notice to vacate follow from there.
If what you have is a notice from your landlord rather than court papers, the lawsuit has not started yet and you have more room to work with. Use it.
What we see most often in San Bernardino County
Rent-based cases dominate here, which means most of the work starts with a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit. Those notices fail more often than people expect. The amount demanded includes late fees or utilities that are not rent. The payment instructions are missing or name someone who is no longer collecting. The three days are counted straight through a weekend rather than skipping it. Any one of those is worth knowing about before you empty your savings on a demand that was not valid.
We also see a steady number of foreclosure-related cases in this county, where the property changed hands and a new owner wants possession. Tenants and former owners have very different rights in that situation, and the notice you received should match which one you are.
Start here
- What is a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit? covers what a valid notice must contain and the defects worth looking for.
- What can I do if I’m being evicted? explains what is available at each stage.
- How to respond to an unlawful detainer walks through the UD-105 answer.
- How long does an eviction take in California? sets out the timeline from notice to lockout.
Call now
Call (951) 702-7771 at any hour. Have the document in front of you and read us the first page. The consultation is free, and if you would rather come in, we are a few minutes from the county line in Diamond Bar.
San Bernardino County questions
Which court handles evictions in San Bernardino County?
Unlawful detainer cases are heard in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. It is the largest county in the continental United States by area, and the courthouse assigned to your case depends on the property's location. Your summons names it.
How close is your office to San Bernardino County?
Our office is at 1370 Valley Vista Dr, Suite 200, Diamond Bar, CA 91765, which sits directly against the county line near Chino Hills. Much of the western part of the county is a short drive away.
How long do I have to respond to an eviction lawsuit here?
Generally 5 court days after the summons and complaint are served on you, counting only days the court is open. The rule is set by state law and is the same throughout the county, from Chino to Victorville.
I received a 3-day notice. Is that an eviction?
No. A 3-day notice is a demand from your landlord, and it is the step that must come before a lawsuit can be filed. No case exists yet, and nobody can lock you out on the basis of a notice. It is worth having the notice reviewed for defects before the period runs out.
This website provides general information about the California eviction process and is not legal advice.