Child Support in Riverside County, California

Riverside County stretches from the Inland Empire down through the Coachella Valley and out to the desert communities, and the court formally splits its family law filings by region rather than running everything through a single downtown building. Under the Riverside Superior Court's administrative order on where to file family law documents, cases from the western region file at the Riverside Family Law courthouse, mid-county cases at the Menifee Justice Center, desert region cases at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, and Palo Verde Valley cases at the Blythe court. Parents in Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Murrieta, Temecula, and the county's many other cities and unincorporated areas bring their cases to one of those locations, or go through the Riverside County Department of Child Support Services, the county's local child support agency.

Like every county in the state, Riverside applies California's statewide uniform guideline formula for calculating support (Family Code section 4055). The guideline weighs both parents' net disposable incomes together with the timeshare, meaning how much time the child actually spends in each parent's care. Once those numbers are entered, the resulting figure is presumed correct under the law.

Parents in Riverside County have two paths into a support order. One is filing a Request for Order (Form FL-300) along with an Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) inside an existing divorce, parentage, or custody case, at whichever regional courthouse serves your zip code. The other is asking the Riverside County Department of Child Support Services, headquartered in Riverside with additional offices in Indio and Blythe, to open a case on the family's behalf. The forms themselves don't change from county to county; what changes locally is the regional courthouse assignment and where the agency's offices are.

Given how spread out Riverside County is, it's worth running the numbers before choosing a courthouse or scheduling a hearing. Try our free California child support calculator for an estimate. If both parents already agree on a number, they can put it in a written stipulation and ask a judge to sign it.

How child support is calculated in California

California sets child support with a statewide uniform guideline (Family Code section 4055) that applies the same way in Riverside County as everywhere else. The formula is based mainly on two things:

1. Both parents' net disposable incomes.
2. The percentage of time the child spends with each parent (the timeshare).

The guideline amount is presumed to be correct, and courts use a calculator to run the numbers. Because the result depends on accurate income, the Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) you file is what drives your number.

Where child support cases are handled in Riverside County

Child support in Riverside County is handled through the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside, and the county's Local Child Support Agency, which is part of the California Department of Child Support Services. There are two common paths:

1. Either parent files a Request for Order (Form FL-300) with an Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) inside a divorce, parentage, or custody case.
2. The Local Child Support Agency opens a case to establish, collect, and enforce support, often at no cost to the parents.

Because courthouse and local agency office details change over time, confirm current details using the official California Courts court finder:

Find the Riverside County Superior Court (official California Courts finder)

Local notes for Riverside County

Riverside County assigns family law venue by zip code region under a court administrative order: the Riverside Family Law courthouse for the western region, the Menifee Justice Center for mid-county, the Larson Justice Center in Indio for the desert region, and the Blythe court for the Palo Verde Valley. Check the court's family law pages to confirm which region your zip code falls in before you file. The Riverside County Department of Child Support Services operates separately from the courts, with its main office in Riverside and additional offices in Indio and Blythe.

The court's self-help services for families assist parents who are representing themselves with completing Form FL-150 and other required paperwork and can walk through the general court process, though staff are not permitted to give legal advice about how the law applies to your specific situation. E-filing is not required in Riverside family law cases; the court's eSubmit system is available for family law and the court encourages, but does not require, using it. The income figures reported on the FL-150 are what the guideline formula actually runs on, so getting those numbers right matters more than anything else in the filing.

As under California law generally, child support in Riverside County typically runs until the child turns 18, or 19 if they are still a full-time high school student living at home and not supporting themselves. If either parent's income or the custody timeshare changes meaningfully after the order is in place, either one can ask the court to modify it.

Official child support resources in Riverside County

The Riverside Superior Court divides family law filings, including child support, into four regions by zip code under a court administrative order: the Riverside Family Law courthouse for the western region, the Menifee Justice Center for the mid-county region, the Larson Justice Center in Indio for the desert region, and the Blythe court for the Palo Verde Valley.

The Riverside County Department of Child Support Services is the county's local child support agency, with its main office in Riverside and additional offices in Indio and Blythe. It can open a case to establish and enforce support without a parent filing their own court papers.

The court's self-help services for families assist self-represented parents with family law forms and procedure. E-filing is not required for family law in Riverside; the court's eSubmit system accepts family law documents and its use is encouraged rather than mandatory.

• Riverside County Department of Child Support Services
• Riverside Superior Court: family law division
• Riverside Superior Court self-help for families and children

Local details reviewed July 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Riverside County Child Support FAQs