Child Custody and Visitation in San Bernardino County, California

San Bernardino County is the largest county by land area in the contiguous United States, stretching from the dense western Inland Empire cities all the way out to the high desert. Whether you live in San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Victorville, or a smaller desert community, custody matters are heard by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino.

Under California law, custody has two separate components, applied the same way in San Bernardino County as anywhere else in the state. Legal custody determines who makes major decisions for the child, such as schooling and medical care, while physical custody determines where the child lives. Each can be ordered jointly or solely, and judges decide based solely on the best interest of the child, without any presumption favoring either parent's gender.

Custody comes up either as part of a divorce or legal separation, or, when the parents were never married, through a parentage action filed first. The forms involved are the same statewide Judicial Council forms used throughout California, so the county-specific part of the process is administrative: which of San Bernardino County's courthouse locations hears your case and how Family Court Services schedules your mediation appointment.

When both parents can agree on custody and visitation terms, they can put that agreement in writing as a parenting plan and submit it for a judge's signature, skipping a contested hearing entirely. This is generally the fastest path to enforceable orders, and San Bernardino County's family law self-help resources are set up to assist self-represented parents through that paperwork.

Where custody cases are heard in San Bernardino County

Custody and visitation matters in San Bernardino County are handled by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, with the county seat in San Bernardino. Because courthouse locations, hours, and the local Family Court Services or Child Custody Recommending Counseling program change over time and can differ between branches, use the official California Courts court finder to confirm the current details for your case:

Find the San Bernardino County Superior Court (official California Courts finder)

How custody is decided in California

California uses the same statewide rules in every county, including San Bernardino County. Custody has two parts: legal custody (who makes major decisions about health, education, and welfare) and physical custody (where the child lives). Either can be joint (shared) or sole (one parent). Judges decide custody based on the best interest of the child, and California law does not favor a parent based on gender.

You can ask for custody orders inside a divorce or legal separation case, or, if the parents were never married, by first establishing parentage. The core steps are:

1. Open or use an existing case: a divorce (Form FL-100), a legal separation, or a parentage case (Form FL-200) for unmarried parents.
2. File a Request for Order (Form FL-300) with the custody and visitation attachment (Form FL-311) to ask the court for orders.
3. Serve the other parent and file a proof of service.
4. Attend the mandatory child custody mediation (Family Court Services), which California requires before a contested custody hearing.
5. Attend the hearing if you have not agreed, and receive the court's order (Form FL-341 series, Findings and Order After Hearing on Form FL-340).

There is no six-month waiting period for custody the way there is for a divorce to become final. Parents can also agree on a parenting plan and submit it as a stipulation for the judge to sign, which avoids a contested hearing entirely. If you and the other parent agree, that is almost always the faster and less costly path in San Bernardino County.

Local notes for San Bernardino County

Given San Bernardino County's enormous size, family law filings are handled at multiple courthouse locations across the county rather than a single central courthouse. Confirm which branch has jurisdiction over your case using the official California Courts court finder before you file, since submitting paperwork to the wrong location can cause delays.

As required statewide, San Bernardino County parents involved in a contested custody or visitation dispute must attend child custody mediation through Family Court Services before their case goes in front of a judge. The county's self-help center supports self-represented litigants with completing and filing forms correctly, though staff cannot advise you on the legal strategy or likely outcome of your specific case.

If domestic violence or a child's safety is a concern in your case, a domestic violence restraining order (Forms DV-100 and DV-110) can include temporary custody terms while the underlying case proceeds. Call 911 in an emergency, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233, is staffed around the clock.

San Bernardino County Child Custody FAQs