Child Support in Ventura County, California

Ventura County runs along the Southern California coast and inland valleys, home to Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, the city of Ventura, and Camarillo. Families throughout the county handle child support cases through the Ventura Courthouse, the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura's filing location for family law matters, and the Ventura County Department of Child Support Services, the county's Local Child Support Agency, based in Camarillo.

Ventura County follows California's single statewide guideline formula for child support, set out in Family Code section 4055, the same as every other county. The formula combines both parents' net disposable incomes with the timeshare, meaning the percentage of time the child spends with each parent, into a number the law presumes to be correct.

There are two routes to a support order in Ventura County. A parent already involved in a divorce, parentage, or custody case can file a Request for Order (Form FL-300) with an Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) at the Ventura Courthouse. Or the Ventura County Department of Child Support Services, which works alongside the state's Department of Child Support Services, can open a case directly to establish and enforce support. The forms are identical statewide; what's specific to Ventura County is which courthouse hears the case and where the local agency office is.

Before filing, it's useful to have a sense of the likely number. Try our free California child support calculator. Parents who already agree on an amount can also submit a written stipulation for a judge's signature instead of 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 Ventura 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 Ventura County

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

Local notes for Ventura County

Family law child support filings in Ventura County go to the Ventura Courthouse, where the Family Law Clerk's Office processes Requests for Order and related paperwork. The Ventura County Department of Child Support Services maintains its own office, based in Camarillo, separate from the court; you can reach it directly through the department's website to open or check on a case.

The Ventura County Superior Court's Family Law Self-Help Center, with locations at the Ventura Courthouse and at the Juvenile and Probate Courthouse in Oxnard, helps self-represented parents complete Form FL-150 and related forms and can explain the general court process, though staff cannot give legal advice about your particular situation, draft documents for you, or tell you what to say in court. Because the guideline outcome is driven directly by the income figures reported, being thorough and accurate on that declaration is the most important part of the filing.

Consistent with California law statewide, child support in Ventura 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 can request a modification later if income or the parenting timeshare changes.

Official child support resources in Ventura County

Family law child support cases in Ventura County are filed at the Ventura Courthouse, in the city of Ventura, where the Family Law Clerk's Office processes Requests for Order and related paperwork. The court also runs a Juvenile and Probate Courthouse in Oxnard (El Rio) that handles certain family matters, but the Ventura Courthouse is the primary filing location for support cases.

The Ventura County Department of Child Support Services is the county's Local Child Support Agency. Its main office is based in Camarillo, and the department opens cases, establishes paternity and support orders, processes payments, and pursues enforcement action when a parent falls behind. Working with the department is a separate path from filing your own Request for Order in a family law case; either route applies the same statewide guideline formula.

Parents representing themselves can get procedural help from the Ventura County Superior Court's Family Law Self-Help Center, which has locations at the Ventura Courthouse and at the Oxnard courthouse. The center can help you pick the right Judicial Council forms, explain how to fill them out, and review a completed form for completeness before you file it, but its staff cannot give legal advice, draft documents for you, or tell you what to say in court. The court also offers eDelivery, which lets you submit most family law filings electronically for the clerk's office to process, though some documents still must be filed in person or by mail; check Ventura Superior Court Local Rule 4.05 for what qualifies.

• Ventura County Department of Child Support Services
• Ventura County Superior Court, Family Law
• Ventura County Superior Court, Family Law Self-Help Center

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

Ventura County Child Support FAQs