The California MC-030 declaration form is a one-page Judicial Council form that lets you give a written, signed statement to a court under penalty of perjury without testifying in person. You fill in the case caption at the top, write your factual statement in numbered paragraphs in the middle, sign and date at the bottom, then file the original with the clerk and serve a copy on every other party. Courts give a properly executed declaration the same legal weight as sworn testimony, but a form that’s missing a signature, a date, a place of execution, or that reads like hearsay or opinion can be disregarded before the judge considers what you actually wrote.
When You Use the MC-030
The form works in any case type — family law, civil litigation, probate, small claims. The most common use is to support a motion or a Request for Order: you file the underlying request, then attach one or more declarations laying out the facts behind it.1California Courts | Self Help Guide. Submit Documents for Your Family Law Hearing Witnesses who saw or experienced something relevant use it to give their account in writing. It also functions as a cover sheet when you’re submitting exhibits like photos, text messages, or financial records: you list each item on the declaration, describe what it is, and swear it’s authentic.
Getting the Current Form
Download the MC-030 from the California Courts website, which posts every Judicial Council form.2California Courts. Declaration (MC-030) The current version has been in effect since January 1, 2006.3Judicial Council of California. MC-030 Declaration If your statement won’t fit in the writing space on page one, also grab form MC-031, the Attached Declaration continuation page designed to be stapled behind the MC-030.4California Courts. Attached Declaration (MC-031)
Filling Out the Header
The top-left block asks for your name, address, phone number, and optionally fax and email. If an attorney represents you, their information and State Bar number go there instead, with your name on the “Attorney For” line. Representing yourself? Fill in your own contact information and leave the State Bar and “Attorney For” fields blank. The top-right block is reserved for the clerk’s file stamp, so don’t write in it.
Below the header, enter the court’s full name (Superior Court of California, County of ___), its street and mailing addresses, city, zip, and branch name. Then complete the case caption: petitioner or plaintiff on the top line, respondent or defendant below, and the case number the clerk assigned when the case was filed.3Judicial Council of California. MC-030 Declaration
Writing the Declaration
Check the box that identifies your role — petitioner, respondent, plaintiff, defendant, attorney, or other — and then write your statement in the space below. A few rules decide whether the judge will actually credit what you wrote:
- Write in the first person. “I saw,” “I heard,” “I received.” A declaration is your personal knowledge, not a summary of what other people told you.
- Avoid hearsay. Repeating someone else’s out-of-court statement to prove that statement is true is generally inadmissible. If you need what another person knows, have that person file their own MC-030.5California Legislative Information. California Code Evidence Code 1200 – Hearsay Rule
- Stick to facts. “On March 3, 2026, I saw Respondent remove furniture from the apartment” is useful. “Respondent has always been irresponsible” is not. Judges want dates, times, locations, and specific actions, not characterizations.
- Number your paragraphs. Start each separate point with 1, 2, 3, and so on. It lets the judge and opposing counsel point to specific parts of your statement.
- Label attachments. Refer to each exhibit by number or letter in the text (“A true and correct copy of the lease is attached as Exhibit 1”) and identify it on the form.
When the declaration is an attachment to another filing, write the name of the parent document at the top so the clerk can match them, and fill in the “Attachment Number” field at the bottom.
Signing Under Penalty of Perjury
The pre-printed line at the bottom reads: “I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.”3Judicial Council of California. MC-030 Declaration That language satisfies California Code of Civil Procedure Section 2015.5, which gives an unsworn written declaration the same legal force as an affidavit when it carries the right phrasing, a signature, and a date.6California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 2015.5
One requirement people miss: if you sign inside California, you must include both the date and the place of execution (city and state). If you sign outside California, you need the date and the phrase “under the laws of the State of California,” which is already on the form.7California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 2015.5 Sign on the signature line, print your name below it, and date the form. An unsigned or undated declaration is worthless.
Formatting and Privacy Rules
California Rules of Court set formatting standards that apply to the MC-030 like any other filing. Text must be in black or blue-black ink.8Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.106 – Font Color Typed text should be at least 12 points in a standard face like Times New Roman or Arial. Handwritten declarations are accepted if the writing is clearly legible.
Page Limits in Family Law
In family law, a declaration filed with a Request for Order or a responsive declaration cannot exceed 10 pages. A reply declaration is capped at 5 pages. The exceptions are expert-witness declarations and cases where the judge grants permission to go longer.9Judicial Branch of California. Rule 5.111 – Declarations Supporting and Responding to a Request for Order If your statement runs past the space on page one, use the MC-031 continuation form rather than stapling on loose paper.4California Courts. Attached Declaration (MC-031)
Redacting Personal Information
California Rule of Court 1.201 requires you to redact certain identifiers from any document that goes in the public file. Show only the last four digits of a Social Security number or a financial account number.10Judicial Branch of California. Rule 1.201 – Protection of Privacy The clerk won’t catch these for you. File unredacted information and it becomes part of the public record.
Filing With the Court
If you’re filing on paper, bring the signed original to the clerk’s office with at least two extra copies. The clerk files the original, stamps the copies as “conformed,” and returns them. Keep one conformed copy for your records and use the other for service.11Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.117 – Conformed Copies of Papers The declaration itself has no separate filing fee, though the underlying motion may.
Many superior courts accept electronic filing through approved service providers for civil, family law, probate, and small claims cases, and an electronically filed document has the same legal effect as a paper original.12California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 1010.6 A document received electronically on a court day is deemed filed that day; anything received on a non-court day is deemed filed the next court day. Service providers charge a small per-submission fee.
Deadlines
Because a declaration usually rides with a motion or a response, the motion-hearing calendar controls. By default, moving and supporting papers must be served and filed at least 16 court days before the hearing. Opposition papers are due at least 9 court days before, and reply papers at least 5 court days before.13California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 1005
Service by mail within California adds 5 calendar days to those deadlines. If either the mailing address or the sender’s address is outside California but within the United States, the extension is 10 calendar days.14California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 1013 Some motion types have their own longer timelines; summary judgment, for example, requires 81 days’ notice.15California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 437c Check the statute governing your specific motion rather than assuming the default 16-day rule applies.
Serving the Other Parties
Every document you file has to be served on all other parties. If you skip service, the court can disregard the declaration at the hearing. A conformed copy delivered to the opposing party (or their attorney) satisfies the requirement.
The usual methods are personal delivery, mail, and electronic service. When the other party is represented, their attorney must accept electronic service for documents that could otherwise be served by mail.12California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 1010.6 An unrepresented party can consent to electronic service but cannot be forced into it.
You, the declarant, cannot serve your own declaration. Whoever does serve it completes a Proof of Service — POS-040 in civil cases — showing who was served, when, where, and how.16California Courts | Self Help Guide. Proof of Service – Civil (POS-040) File the completed proof of service with the court. Without it, there’s no record that the other side received anything.
What Happens If a Declaration Is False
The perjury language on the form is not ceremonial. Under California Penal Code Section 126, perjury is a felony punishable by two, three, or four years in state prison.17Justia. California Penal Code 118-131 Even short of criminal charges, a judge who finds false or bad-faith statements in a declaration can impose sanctions under CCP Section 128.5, including ordering the dishonest party to pay the other side’s attorney fees, and can strike the declaration from the record. A declaration the court doesn’t trust weakens the rest of your case as well.