How to Change Your Name in Riverside County, California
You do not need a lawyer, and you do not need to pay a filing service. A legal name change in Riverside County is four steps - and we built a free tool that prepares your court forms from a few plain-English questions.
🚀 START HERE — answer a few questions and download your completed court packet FREE →NC-100 petition · NC-110 attachment · NC-120 order (newspaper pre-designated) · CM-010 cover sheet — filled in, print-ready
What it costs (2026)
| Court forms preparation (our online tool) | FREE |
| Superior Court filing fee (paid to the court) | $435 (fee waiver FW-001 if low income) |
| Required 4-week publication (Hemet Chronicle, county-wide) | $98 flat |
| Optional: we file your Affidavit with the court | +$35 |
Step 1 - Prepare your court forms (5 minutes, free)
California uses standardized Judicial Council forms for every name change: the NC-100 Petition, an NC-110 attachment for each person, the NC-120 Order to Show Cause, and the CM-010 Civil Case Cover Sheet. Our free forms tool asks the same questions in plain English and hands you the whole packet filled in and print-ready. The NC-120 already names The Hemet Chronicle (court-adjudicated for all of Riverside County, Case No. MCC2001316) as your publication newspaper.
Step 2 - Print, sign, and file at the courthouse
Print the packet plus two copies. Sign the NC-110 with your current legal name. File at the civil clerk window at whichever is closest:
- Riverside Historic Courthouse - 4050 Main St, Riverside 92501 (Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Perris)
- Southwest Justice Center - 30755-D Auld Rd, Murrieta 92563 (Hemet, San Jacinto, Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Lake Elsinore)
- Palm Springs Branch - 3255 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs 92262 (Coachella Valley)
The clerk takes the $435 filing fee (ask about the FW-001 fee waiver if money is tight), assigns your case number and hearing date, and hands back a stamped Order to Show Cause (NC-120).
Step 3 - Publish the order once a week for 4 weeks ($98)
California law (CCP §1277) requires the stamped NC-120 to run in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for four consecutive weeks, finishing at least 30 days before your hearing. Snap a photo of your stamped order and publish it online in about 5 minutes - $98 flat, all four runs and the signed Affidavit included. We print every Thursday; upload by Tuesday noon and you start that same week.
Step 4 - File the affidavit and attend your hearing
After the last run we email your signed Affidavit of Publication - bring it to your hearing, or for $35 we file it with the court for you. At the hearing the judge signs the Decree Changing Name (NC-130). Get certified copies for the DMV, Social Security, your bank, and your passport.
Common questions
Do I need a lawyer?
No - the process is designed for self-represented petitioners. Children's name changes and parole/PC-290 situations have extra requirements; call (951) 262-7611 and we will point you in the right direction free of charge.
How long does it take?
Usually 6-10 weeks end to end, driven by the hearing date the court assigns.
Married, divorcing, or correcting a birth certificate?
Divorce decrees can restore a former name without this process, and some vital-records corrections have their own path - but for everything else, the NC-100 petition is the standard route every agency accepts.
Ready? Start your free court forms now → · Already filed? Publish your order - $98 →
Disclaimer: We are a newspaper. We are not attorneys, paralegals, or registered Legal Document Assistants, and we are not acting in any of those capacities. Our free forms tool charges no fee (our only paid service is newspaper publication), provides no legal advice, and is used at your own risk — review every form before signing and filing. For legal questions, consult an attorney or the court's free Self-Help Center.