What the court actually needs from you
The form is called the SC-100, and everything on it comes down to three things: who owes you money, how much, and why. "Why" doesn't need legal language — a couple of plain sentences with dates is exactly what judges expect to see. What trips people up is the "who": if you're suing a business, the court wants its exact registered name, not the sign on the door. A dry cleaner operating as "Fresh Press Cleaners" might actually be registered as "Delgado Textile Services LLC," and naming the wrong entity can get a case bounced or make a judgment uncollectible later. California's Secretary of State business search is free and is the fastest way to check.
Where you're allowed to file
You generally file in the county where the defendant lives or does business. A few situations shift that: accidents are usually filed where the accident happened, and some consumer and vehicle-financing disputes have their own venue rules that favor the buyer. Filing in the wrong county doesn't just risk a delay — a defendant can ask to have the case thrown out over it, which is one more reason this step is worth getting right before you pay the filing fee.
What else might be part of your packet
- SC-100A — if there's more than one plaintiff, defendant, or claim.
- SC-103 — if the defendant operates under a fictitious business name.
- FW-001 — the fee waiver request, if paying the filing fee would be a hardship.
What happens after you file
The clerk assigns a hearing date — typically four to ten weeks out, longer in busier counties — and gives you a case number. Filing is only step one, though: California does not let you personally deliver the papers to the defendant. That's a separate, legally specific step (see the guide on serving the defendant), and it has its own deadline counted backward from your hearing date. Miss that deadline and the hearing can be postponed before it starts.