Child Support in Visalia and Tulare County, California

Tulare County spreads across productive Central Valley farmland, serving families in Visalia, Tulare, and Porterville. Child support cases are handled by the Superior Court of California, County of Tulare and the county's Local Child Support Agency.

Child support in California follows one statewide guideline formula (Family Code section 4055), based mainly on both parents' net disposable incomes and the share of time the child spends with each parent, the timeshare. The guideline amount is presumed correct, and it works no differently in Tulare County than anywhere else in California.

You can reach a support order two ways: by filing a Request for Order (Form FL-300) with an Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) in a divorce, parentage, or custody case, or by asking the county's Local Child Support Agency, part of the California Department of Child Support Services, to open and enforce a case. The formula and forms are the same statewide.

The result depends on accurate income and timeshare, so an estimate up front is useful. Try our free California child support calculator, and note that parents who agree can submit a stipulation for a judge to sign instead of going to a 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 Tulare 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 Tulare County

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

Local notes for Tulare County

In Tulare County, family law matters run through the Superior Court and the county's Local Child Support Agency handles agency cases. Use the official California Courts court finder to confirm the right courthouse, and look up the agency through the California Department of Child Support Services, before filing.

Tulare County offers self-help resources that assist self-represented parents with Form FL-150 and court procedure, though staff cannot give legal advice about your circumstances. Since the guideline amount depends on the income figures you provide, completing the Income and Expense Declaration accurately and completely matters most.

Child support in California 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 can ask the court to modify support when income or the parenting timeshare changes meaningfully.

Official child support resources in Tulare County

Tulare County does not route family law to a single dedicated courthouse. The Superior Court of California, County of Tulare hears Department of Child Support Services matters at its Dinuba Division on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and at the South County Justice Center in Porterville on Tuesdays.

The Tulare County Department of Child Support Services, the county's local child support agency, maintains its main office in Visalia.

The court's Self-Help Resource Center, which includes the Family Law Facilitator's Office, has a dedicated page that lists child support, including Department of Child Support Services cases, among the topics it assists with.

• Tulare County Department of Child Support Services
• Superior Court of Tulare County: family law division
• Superior Court of Tulare County: self-help resources

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

Tulare County Child Support FAQs