San Francisco family and bankruptcy courts: locations and self-help

A family-law question and a bankruptcy notice may both use “San Francisco,” but they belong to different court systems. Divorce, custody, support, and related family matters are handled by the county Superior Court. Bankruptcy matters use the federal U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division. That is the Northern District, not the Central District that serves Los Angeles.

The operational details below were checked against official court and federal government pages on August 15, 2026. Addresses, hours, phone service, and meeting formats can change. The linked location, self-help, local-rule, and U.S. Trustee pages govern if a detail changes.

Family law: Superior Court and the ACCESS Center

The Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco handles family-law matters through its Unified Family Court. The court's Unified Family Court page includes divorce, legal separation, nullity, parentage, domestic violence restraining orders, child and spousal support, custody, and visitation among the matters it handles.

For people representing themselves in San Francisco cases, the court operates the ACCESS Legal Self-Help Center:

The center publishes its schedule as a flyer linked from the ACCESS Center page, and the flyer is where the current times live. It lists a Live Helpline at (415) 551-0605 on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for child support, family law, restraining orders, small claims, and name or gender change, and online chat for dissolution of marriage on those same days from 12:00 noon to 2:30 p.m.

In-person help works differently and is worth understanding before making the trip. The flyer directs walk-ins to the Civic Center Courthouse on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 8:30 a.m., with sign-in on the 5th floor to obtain a ticket. Tickets are limited and customers are seen first come, first served — so the flyer itself suggests the helpline, the chat, or the online intake form when a session is full.

ACCESS can provide legal information and referrals. Its staff does not represent a visitor, provide legal advice, or keep meetings confidential, and the center may assist both sides in a case. Those limits matter when the question is about strategy rather than forms or general procedure. For statewide context, see how divorce works in California.

Bankruptcy: the Northern District's San Francisco Division

San Francisco bankruptcy matters are within the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. Bankruptcy Local Rule 1001-3, effective May 4, 2026, designates the San Francisco Division as Division 3 and places San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties in it. The rule also identifies Oakland, San Jose, and Santa Rosa as the district's other divisions.

San Francisco Division courthouse

The court's San Francisco location page lists (888) 821-7606 as the main telephone number and public hours of Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding federal holidays. It states that courtrooms are on the 16th floor and intake is on the 18th floor. The same page says visitors must present a valid driver's license or another government-issued photo ID to enter the federal building and that bankruptcy court visitors may use the Turk Street entrance behind 450 Golden Gate Avenue; that entrance closes at 4:30 p.m.

A 341 meeting is not assigned by courthouse address

For San Francisco and Santa Rosa Division Chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases filed on or after May 1, 2024, the U.S. Trustee Program says 341 meetings are held by Zoom beginning on or after June 3, 2024. Alternative arrangements may be approved in some circumstances, and an in-person meeting may be required in a rare case. The U.S. Trustee's office determines any in-person location and sends official notice. Chapter 11 meetings remain telephonic until further notice.

The federal courthouse address above is therefore not a universal 341 meeting location. The Region 17 meeting page, the Notice of Bankruptcy Case, and instructions from the assigned trustee contain the current connection or location details. The bankruptcy glossary explains the meeting's role, and how Chapter 7 works in California gives broader process context.

A reader who wants a defined legal review of a court notice or case documents can use AttorneyIndex to browse San Francisco family-law attorneys or San Francisco bankruptcy attorneys. The directory provides information for the reader's own comparison; it does not select, recommend, or refer an attorney.

Common questions

Which court handles family-law matters in San Francisco?

The Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco handles family-law matters through its Unified Family Court. The court lists divorce, legal separation, nullity, parentage, support, custody, visitation, and domestic violence restraining orders among the matters it handles.

Where is the family-law self-help center in San Francisco?

The San Francisco Superior Court's ACCESS Center is at 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-4514. In-person triage is at the Civic Center Courthouse on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 8:30 a.m., with sign-in on the 5th floor for a limited number of tickets. The schedule flyer linked from the center's page is the current source for helpline and chat times.

Which bankruptcy court covers San Francisco?

San Francisco is in Division 3, the San Francisco Division, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. The current local rule places San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties in that division.

What is the difference between San Francisco Superior Court and the federal bankruptcy court?

They are separate court systems. The county Superior Court handles California family-law matters, while bankruptcy cases are in the federal U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.

Where does a San Francisco debtor's 341 meeting happen?

The bankruptcy courthouse is not a universal 341 meeting address. The U.S. Trustee Program says meetings for Chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases filed on or after May 1, 2024, are held by Zoom beginning on or after June 3, 2024, while Chapter 11 meetings remain telephonic until further notice. The case notice and any instructions from the assigned trustee provide the case-specific details.

Sources

Checked on August 15, 2026. Where this page and a court’s own published material disagree, the court is authoritative.

• San Francisco Superior Court — Unified Family Court (opens in a new tab)
• San Francisco Superior Court — ACCESS Legal Self-Help Center (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California — San Francisco (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California — Division designations (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California — Current local rules (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Trustee Program, Region 17 — San Francisco and Santa Rosa 341 meetings (opens in a new tab)