Request for Order (RFO) Hearings in Merced County, California

In Merced County, you file a Request for Order (RFO) in a family law case with the Merced Superior Court, Family Law Division. When you file, the clerk's office sets the hearing date under the court's local calendar rules. Most Merced cases are heard at 2260 N Street in Merced. Cases opened for Los Banos area residents after January 2017 may be set at the Robert M. Falasco Justice Center in Los Banos instead, at the filer's choice.

Local Rule 402 puts RFO hearings into short cause matters and long cause matters. Short cause matters are expected to take fifteen minutes or less. Long cause matters need more time. Short cause hearings at the Merced courthouse are set on weekday morning or afternoon calendars in Courtroom 7. Los Banos area short cause matters are set on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in Courtroom 13. As in every California county, the moving party must serve notice of the hearing at least 16 court days beforehand under California Rules of Court, rule 5.92. A responsive declaration on Form FL-320 is due at least 9 court days before the hearing.

If an RFO asks for custody or visitation orders, the filing also starts a Child Custody Recommending Counseling (CCRC) appointment through the court's Family Court Services program. The clerk gives the parties a CCRC date and a further hearing date when the RFO is filed, unless the parties attended CCRC within the prior six months. Parties completing a CCRC appointment must submit the CCRC intake form to the Family Law Clerk's Office and watch the orientation video posted on the court's website.

You may file an RFO without an attorney in California. Merced County's self-help center helps self-represented parties prepare their own paperwork for filing at either the Merced or Los Banos courthouse.

Where hearings are held in Merced County

Family court hearings in Merced County are held at the Superior Court of California, County of Merced, with the county seat in Merced. Because courtroom assignments, remote appearance options, and local procedures change over time, use the official California Courts court finder to confirm current details:

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

How a family court hearing works in California

In California, a party who wants the court to decide something while a case is pending, such as temporary custody, support, or attorney's fees, files a Request for Order (Form FL-300). The core steps are:

1. File the Request for Order (Form FL-300) with a supporting declaration and, if support or fees are at issue, an Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150).
2. Serve the other party by the deadline the court sets, generally at least 16 court days before the hearing (California Rules of Court, rule 5.92).
3. The responding party can file a responsive declaration, generally at least 9 court days before the hearing.
4. Attend Family Court Services mediation first if custody or visitation is contested.
5. Attend the hearing; some courts issue tentative rulings in advance, and some allow remote appearance by video or phone.

Local notes for Merced County

Merced's Local Rule 417(B) requires each party, or their attorney, to meet and confer in person or by phone before an RFO hearing. They must make a good faith attempt to resolve the issues raised. This requirement does not apply in domestic violence matters. Tentative rulings are posted on the court's website and available by phone at 209-725-4240 by 3 pm on the court day before the hearing, when a judicial officer chooses to issue one. A party who wants oral argument must notify the court and the other side by 4 pm that same day, or the tentative becomes the final order.

Merced uses Zoom as its one approved remote appearance platform for family law hearings. There is no charge to appear by Zoom. In contested hearings, parties must appear by video rather than audio only. Parties who plan to appear remotely in Courtroom 7 in Merced or Courtroom 13 in Los Banos must arrange access with the clerk's office before the hearing.

Merced allows electronic filing for family law documents through Odyssey eFileCA. Self-represented parties may still file in person at either courthouse. The RFO filing fee is the statewide motion fee of $60 under Government Code section 70617(a). A fee waiver on Form FW-001 is available for filers who qualify financially. The court has not published a typical wait time between filing an RFO and the hearing date, so contact the Family Law Clerk's Office before planning around a specific timeline.

Official hearing resources in Merced County

Merced Superior Court, Family Law Division (Ogletree Jr. Courthouse) handles hearings filings, located at 2260 N Street, Merced 95340. Phone: (209) 725-4117. Robert M. Falasco Justice Center at 1159 G Street handles Family law RFO hearings for cases opened after January 2017 involving parties in the Los Banos area, heard in Courtroom 13, at the filer's choice.

The filing fee is $60. E-filing is available through http://www.odysseyefileca.com/. Merced uses Odyssey eFileCA for electronic filing. A minimum $1 credit card convenience fee applies to e-filed transactions. In-person filing at either courthouse remains an option for self-represented parties.

Merced Superior Court Self-Help Center (https://www.merced.courts.ca.gov/self-help/self-help-center) can help with procedure and paperwork. Phone assistance Monday through Friday, 8 am to 12 pm, at (209) 725-4168; also reachable by email; serves both the Merced and Los Banos courthouses; helps with forms, e-filing, and procedure but does not give legal advice. Local Rule 402 (Request for Order & Title IV-D Calendar) applies; see https://www.merced.courts.ca.gov/system/files/local-rules/2026-july-local-rules.pdf. Local Rule 417(B) (Meet and Confer Obligation) applies; see https://www.merced.courts.ca.gov/system/files/local-rules/2026-july-local-rules.pdf. Local Rule 410 (Rules Governing Custody and Visitation Issues (Child Custody Recommending Counseling)) applies; see https://www.merced.courts.ca.gov/system/files/local-rules/2026-july-local-rules.pdf. Local Rule 2.2 (Remote Appearances) applies; see https://www.merced.courts.ca.gov/system/files/local-rules/2026-july-local-rules.pdf.

• Merced Superior Court, Family Law Division
• Self-Help Center
• Local Rules (PDF)
• Fee & Bail Schedules
• E-Filing (Odyssey eFileCA)
• Local Forms

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

Merced County RFO Hearing FAQs