A Notice of Appearance in California is a document a defendant (or their attorney) files in Superior Court to formally enter a civil lawsuit, put contact information on the record, and preserve the right to respond. Filing it is one of the acts the Code of Civil Procedure recognizes as a defendant’s appearance in the case, alongside filing an answer or certain motions.1California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure – Section 1014 Once you file it, you have made what the law calls a general appearance: you submit to the court’s personal jurisdiction, you waive objections to how the summons was served, and every future notice in the case comes to the address you list.
That last point deserves weight before you go any further. If you have a serious question about whether the court has authority over you or whether service was proper, filing a Notice of Appearance is the wrong first move. There is a separate procedure for that, covered below.
The 30-Day Clock
After you are served with the summons and complaint, you generally have 30 days to respond.2California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 412.20 The deadline is printed on the face of the summons. Parties can agree in writing to a single 15-day extension without asking the court.3Judicial Branch of California. Rule 3.110. Time for Service of Complaint, Cross-Complaint, and Response Some case types move faster; unlawful detainer is the common example.
If you let the deadline pass without filing a recognized response, the plaintiff can ask the clerk to enter your default. In contract and money-damages cases, the clerk can enter both the default and a judgment for the full amount demanded, plus interest and costs, with no hearing at all.4California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 585 In other cases, the plaintiff applies to the court for the relief the complaint requested. Filing a Notice of Appearance inside the window prevents that outcome and keeps you in the case.
When Not to File One: Challenging Jurisdiction
If your position is that the court has no personal jurisdiction over you, or that the summons was not properly served, file a motion to quash service under CCP 418.10 instead.5California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 418.10 Lawyers sometimes call this a special appearance. It lets you raise the jurisdictional problem without being treated as having consented to the court’s authority. You can file an answer at the same time; the answer will not count as a general appearance unless your motion to quash is denied.
Once you make a general appearance, the jurisdiction question is closed for good. If there is any chance you have a valid objection, talk to a lawyer before filing anything, including a Notice of Appearance.
What the Document Should Contain
The Judicial Council does not publish a mandatory form titled “Notice of Appearance” for general civil cases. You draft it on standard pleading paper using the formatting rules in Chapter 2 of the California Rules of Court, which govern numbered lines, margins, and the caption.6Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.100. Form and Format of Papers Presented for Filing in the Trial Courts
At a minimum, include:
- The Superior Court of California, the county, and the courthouse or branch.
- The full case caption with all plaintiffs and defendants, copied exactly from the complaint.
- The case number.
- Your capacity in the case: “Defendant John Doe, in pro per,” or “Attorney for Plaintiff Jane Smith.”
- Your current mailing address, phone number, and email address. These become the official channels for every future filing.
If you are representing yourself, get the contact information right. Everything the court and opposing counsel send you will go to what you put on this document.
Filing Fees
A defendant’s first paper in a civil case carries a filing fee. As of January 1, 2026, the amount depends on the size of the case:7California Courts. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2026
- Unlimited civil (over $35,000): $435
- Limited civil ($10,001 to $35,000): $370
- Limited civil ($10,000 or less): $225
Fees run slightly higher in Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Francisco counties because of local courthouse construction surcharges. If you cannot afford the fee, file a Request to Waive Court Fees (form FW-001). You qualify if you receive certain public benefits such as Medi-Cal or CalFresh, if your household income is below the threshold, or if paying would keep you from covering basic necessities.8Judicial Branch of California. Ask for a Fee Waiver
Serving and Filing
Before the Notice of Appearance goes to the clerk, you must serve a copy on every party who has already appeared. Mail is the usual method, sent to each party’s attorney of record or to a self-represented party at the address on file. Whoever does the actual mailing has to be at least 18, not a party to the case, and either a resident of or employed in the county where the mailing happens.9California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 1013a You cannot serve papers in your own case yourself.
The person who served the document then completes a Proof of Service: form POS-030 for mail, form POS-020 for personal delivery.10California Courts. POS-030 Proof of Service by First-Class Mail – Civil It records the date, the method, and the addresses. You file the Notice of Appearance and the completed Proof of Service together with the clerk.
Many Superior Courts now require electronic filing for civil cases. Whether e-filing is mandatory in yours depends on local rules, which may impose it for all civil cases, for specific case types, or for cases assigned to particular departments.11Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.253. Permissive Electronic Filing, Mandatory Electronic Filing Check your county’s local rules or the court’s website before you head to the courthouse. Where e-filing is mandatory, paper filings may be rejected.
Keeping the Record Current
Whatever contact information you put on the Notice of Appearance controls where the court sends things until you update it. If you change lawyers, drop your lawyer, or move from represented to self-represented, file a Substitution of Attorney (form MC-050).12Judicial Branch of California. Substitution of Attorney – Civil (Without Court Order) (MC-050) The form needs signatures from the party, the outgoing attorney, and the incoming attorney. If you are going to represent yourself, you sign as both the party and the new representative. Until it is filed, the court keeps sending everything to your former attorney.
Self-represented parties who move or change a phone number or email address after appearing should file a Notice of Change of Address or Other Contact Information (form MC-040).13Judicial Branch of California. Update Your Address With the Court There is no fee. Skip it and you will miss hearing notices, deadlines, and orders, and an outdated address on file is not an excuse the court will accept.