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. Riverside Superior Court assigns your filing courthouse by your home ZIP code (Administrative Order “Where to File Civil Documents,” rev. 7/8/2026) — a petition taken to the wrong courthouse can be rejected at the window. Note that the Riverside Historic Courthouse no longer accepts name-change petitions. Our free tool picks the right one from your ZIP automatically. File at the civil clerk window at:
- Moreno Valley Courthouse - 13800 Heacock St, Bldg. D #201, Moreno Valley 92553 (city of Riverside 92501/02/06–08, Moreno Valley, Perris, Nuevo, Banning, Beaumont, Calimesa, Idyllwild)
- Menifee Justice Center - 27401 Menifee Center Dr, Menifee 92584 (Hemet, San Jacinto, Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Winchester, Canyon Lake)
- Corona Courthouse - 505 S. Buena Vista Ave, Room 201, Corona 92882 (Corona, Norco, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Mira Loma, west Riverside 92503–05/09)
- Palm Springs Courthouse - 3255 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs 92262 (Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, La Quinta, all of the Coachella Valley)
- Blythe Courthouse - 265 N. Broadway, Blythe 92225 (Blythe, Ripley)
Which courthouse serves your ZIP code?
| If you live in… | File your name-change petition at |
|---|---|
| Hemet, San Jacinto, Winchester, Homeland, Idyllwild-area ZIP 92549 files in Moreno Valley; 92543–46, 92581–83, 92596 file in Menifee | Menifee Justice Center, 27401 Menifee Center Dr |
| Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Sun City, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Canyon Lake, Aguanga, Anza | Menifee Justice Center, 27401 Menifee Center Dr |
| Riverside (92501, 92502, 92506–08, 92513–22), Moreno Valley, Perris, Nuevo, Banning, Beaumont, Cherry Valley, Calimesa, Cabazon | Moreno Valley Courthouse, 13800 Heacock St, Bldg. D |
| Corona, Norco, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Mira Loma, west Riverside (92503, 92504, 92505, 92509) | Corona Courthouse, 505 S. Buena Vista Ave |
| Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, Coachella, Mecca, Thermal | Palm Springs Courthouse, 3255 E Tahquitz Canyon Way |
| Blythe, Ripley, Vidal | Blythe Courthouse, 265 N. Broadway |
Source: Riverside Superior Court Administrative Order “Where to File Civil Documents,” §(d) Name Change Petitions, revised July 8, 2026. Our free forms tool selects the correct courthouse from your ZIP code automatically and prints it on your NC-100. Full county-wide details for every case type: Riverside County courthouse guide — where to file (2026).
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 2:00 PM 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.