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California Court Forms · Civil Cases
A civil summons notifies a defendant of a lawsuit. Understand its notice, case details and court-issued sections before filing or arranging service.
Revised July 1, 2009 · 1 page · A civil complaint · POS-010 records service
Not legal advice. This page explains what the form asks; it does not tell you what to put in your case.
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SUM-100 identifies the plaintiff and defendant and warns about responding to a civil complaint. California Courts explains the summons and complaint together: the summons gives notice, and the complaint describes the claims.
When it is used
The Judicial Council catalog lists SUM-100 separately from FL-110 for family law and SUM-130 for eviction. A summons also has court-issued information; uploading a draft is not the same as the court issuing it.
Section by section
Use the current official form and its instructions. The descriptions below identify the questions without choosing answers for your situation.
Names identifying who is suing and who is being sued.
The printed notice describes a 30-calendar-day response period after service and the consequences of failing to respond.
Court name and address and the plaintiff’s attorney or self-represented party’s information.
Information associated with the court’s issuance of the summons.
The capacity in which the person is served and the applicable service category.
The form points to POS-010 to document service of the summons.
Before you file
These checks come from the official form and instructions. They are not a ranking of rejection reasons; the court decides whether a filing meets its requirements.
E-file it
Legal Hub Group is a certified e-filing service provider for California courts. Availability depends on the live court, case type, document type and whether the case is new or existing.
1
Check the current court and case-type list. A court must support the particular filing; this guide does not make every form available in every county.
2
Upload the finished papers and their attachments. Lexary checks them for common filing problems. Review the documents and the results before continuing.
3
Confirm the case, document types and payment choice. Review every fee shown before submitting.
4
The court reviews the filing. Keep the court’s acceptance and returned copy, or read its rejection notice before deciding what to do next.
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E-service is included free where available. No subscription. E-filing and service of opening papers are separate requirements.
Live counties with a relevant case type: Butte · Calaveras · Colusa · Contra Costa · Glenn · Los Angeles · Madera · Mariposa · Mendocino · Merced · Napa · San Bernardino · San Diego · San Luis Obispo · San Mateo · Santa Barbara · Santa Clara · Santa Cruz · Sonoma · Stanislaus · Sutter · Tehama · Yolo · Yuba. Check each listing’s new-case or existing-case status and document restrictions.
Questions
The ordinary divorce instructions identify FL-110, the family law summons, rather than SUM-100.
California Courts’ eviction instructions identify SUM-130. Do not apply a civil summons’s printed response period to a different kind of case.
No. Filing, issuance and service are different steps. The server documents completed service on the applicable proof form.
Related forms
Not legal advice. This page explains public filing information. It does not tell you what to put in your own case. Legal Hub Group is a certified e-filing service provider for California courts, not a law firm.
Information checked as of October 2026. Rules, form revisions and provider prices can change. The court decides whether to accept a filing.
SUM-100 form revision: July 1, 2009.