Child Support in San Jose and Santa Clara County, California

Santa Clara County sits at the heart of Silicon Valley, anchored by San Jose and stretching through Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, and Palo Alto. Family law matters for these cities and the rest of the county, including child support Requests for Order, are filed and heard at the Family Justice Center Courthouse (FJCC) at 201 N. First Street in San Jose, where the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara hears all family law cases countywide, from Palo Alto and Mountain View down to Gilroy and Morgan Hill. Cases opened outside of an existing family law action are instead handled by the County of Santa Clara's own Department of Child Support Services (DCSS), the local agency responsible for establishing and enforcing support countywide.

California uses one statewide guideline formula to set child support, found in Family Code section 4055, and Santa Clara County applies it exactly as every other county does. The formula looks at both parents' net disposable incomes and the timeshare, the percentage of time the child spends with each parent, to produce a number the law presumes is correct. High incomes common in this region don't change the formula itself, only the inputs that go into it.

There are two ways a support order gets established here. A parent already involved in a divorce, parentage, or custody case can file a Request for Order (Form FL-300) along with an Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) at the Family Justice Center Courthouse. Or Santa Clara County's DCSS, the county-level agency within California's statewide child support system, can open a case on a parent's behalf to establish and enforce support without a separate family law case. The paperwork itself is identical statewide; only the courthouse (the FJCC) and the local DCSS office are specific to Santa Clara County.

Before filing anything, get a sense of where you stand. Our free California child support calculator lets you plug in income and timeshare numbers and see an estimate. If both parents already agree, a written stipulation can be submitted for a judge to sign rather than going through a contested hearing.

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 Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County

Child support in Santa Clara County is handled through the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, 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 Santa Clara County Superior Court (official California Courts finder)

Local notes for Santa Clara County

Family law filings, including child support Requests for Order, go to the Family Justice Center Courthouse (FJCC) at 201 N. First Street in San Jose, since Santa Clara County hears its family law cases at this single location rather than at multiple branch courthouses. Santa Clara County's DCSS maintains its own office separate from the court system; you can find current services and contact details through the DCSS website at dcss.santaclaracounty.gov.

The court's Self-Help Center/Family Law Facilitator's Office (SHC/FLFO) supports parents who are representing themselves in completing Form FL-150 and understanding the required steps; you can reach the office at (408) 882-2926, option 3, though staff cannot give legal advice about your particular case. Given the cost of living and income levels common in this county, getting the income figures on that form right is especially important, since they drive the entire guideline calculation. Self-represented parents can also e-file family law documents through Odyssey eFileCA, the court's e-filing platform; the court's own FAQ confirms e-filing is available to self-represented litigants but is not mandatory for them.

As elsewhere in California, child support in Santa Clara County generally continues until the child turns 18, or 19 if the child is still a full-time high school student living at home and not self-supporting. Either parent may request a modification later if income, employment, or the parenting timeshare changes.

Official child support resources in Santa Clara County

Child support Requests for Order in Santa Clara County are filed and heard at the Family Justice Center Courthouse (FJCC), 201 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113, the single family law courthouse for the entire county, covering cities from Palo Alto and Mountain View to Gilroy and Morgan Hill.

The County of Santa Clara's Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) is the local child support agency. It is separate from the court and can open, establish, and enforce a support order for parents who do not already have a family law case open; find current services at dcss.santaclaracounty.gov.

Parents representing themselves can get free procedural help from the court's Self-Help Center/Family Law Facilitator's Office (SHC/FLFO), reachable at (408) 882-2926, option 3, for help completing forms like FL-150, though staff cannot advise on the outcome of your specific case. The court also offers optional e-filing for self-represented family law litigants through Odyssey eFileCA.

• Santa Clara County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS)
• Family Justice Center Courthouse (Santa Clara County Superior Court)
• Self-Help Center / Family Law Facilitator's Office
• Santa Clara County Superior Court E-Filing FAQs

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

Santa Clara County Child Support FAQs