If you decide to file for divorce in Santa Cruz County, California, your experience will depend entirely on the type of marriage dissolution you are going to have and the way you choose to approach it.The simplest option would be filing for uncontested divorce, and using an online service to do it.

Options for Filing in Santa Cruz County, California

Cost

Timeline

Contested Divorce

$12,000-$30,000 for each spouse.

Hard to predict. Usually around 1 year.

Online Divorce

Under $1,000

The shortest one that divorce laws in allow.

Uncontested Divorce

Around $5,000

A few months on average.

Couples who cannot reach an agreement on financial, property, and child-related aspects of their divorce will have to file for contested marriage dissolution. The only way they can end their marriage is by hiring lawyers and paying them huge sums for advocating on their behalf.

Those who are in agreement, can file for uncontested divorce in Santa Cruz County, California, either with or without a lawyer. Those who do not want to hire an attorney can save both time and money by getting online divorce in California.

Pros of ordering with OnlineDivorcer:

  • Affordable prices
  • 100% court approval guarantee
  • Free filing instructions
  • Full package of documents
  • Expedited service
  • Up-to-date forms
  • Flat fee regardless of the number of children
Check eligibility

Divorce Courts in Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County Superior Court

Court Address:

701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, California 95060

Phone:

831-420-2200

Clerk Hours:

8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday - Friday

Superior Court

Court Address:

1 Second Street, Watsonville, California 95076

Phone:

831-786-7200

Clerk Hours:

8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday - Friday

Helpful tips

If some of the information seems unclear, it might be necessary to contact the Santa Cruz County court clerk. You might want to consider asking about:

  • Any additional forms that might be required specifically by this court.
  • Filing fees and other court-related expenses that you might have to cover.
  • Recent changes or updates that have not yet been reflected on their website.

While court clerks cannot provide legal advice, they can be very helpful when it comes to factual questions about court procedures and processes.

Santa Cruz County Notaries

Comparing fees, locations, and availability of notaries in Santa Cruz County, California, as well as how well they answered your questions will help you make an informed decision and choose the most suitable notary for your situation. Here is the list of county notaries in the area:

Wendy Williams

Felton, CA
Phone: 530-626-4231 · Cell: 530-626-4231

Joel Millwee

Aptos, CA
Phone: 408-204-2203 · Cell: 408-204-2203

Samuel Levine

Santa Cruz, CA
Phone: 831-325-1710

Emil Forsman

Watsonville, CA
Phone: 408-823-6520 · Cell: 408-823-6520

Luis Garcia

Santa Cruz, CA
Phone: 747-203-2336 · Cell: 747-203-2336

Leticia Betancourt

Watsonville, CA
Phone: 831-566-3490

Melanie Joy Useldinger

Santa Cruz, CA
Phone: 831-455-1052

Karen Guest

Santa Cruz, CA
Phone: 831-239-2440

Sandra Fee

Soquel, CA
Phone: 831-291-8338

Donna Dickinson

Santa Cruz, CA
Phone: 408-888-8417

Helpful tips

  • Before settling on a specific notary in Santa Cruz County, consider contacting them to inquire about the price of their services and ask if any additional documents are needed
  • Fill out all the necessary fields in the forms beforehand. You will not be able to change or add new information to the papers after they are notarized.
  • Sign the documents in front of a notary public. As notaries have legal liability to confirm the validity of your signature, you can put it down on the form only in their presence.
  • Bring an ID or a driver’s license for verification purposes. Make sure that the form of identification you are carrying has your signature on it so thata notary can compare it with the one you are going to put on the paperwork.

Child Support Services

Please note that this section will only be useful for spouses filing for divorce with children in California.

Feel free to use the link provided on the page to review information regarding California child support guidelines and payments. You are also welcome to use the contact information of the child support division if you have any specific inquiries. Before making a call, please note that you will find answers to the most common questions on their website, no matter if you are the one who will be receiving or paying child support in Santa Cruz County.

County name: Sacramento County

Phone: 866-901-3212

Address: Department of Child Support Services
P.O. Box 419064
Rancho Cordova, CA 95741-9064

Website: https://childsupport.ca.gov