Child support in California is set by state law and delivered by local offices. The California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) writes the policy, trains staff and monitors results. A local child support agency in each county opens cases and does the day-to-day work. Our database lists 68 offices around the state, and every one of them shows the same statewide customer line, 866-901-3212. In practice, your first call reaches a shared system no matter which county you live in.

This page explains how the program is organized, how big-city and rural offices differ, and what to prepare before you contact one.

How the California Child Support Program Is Organized

Before 2000, district attorneys ran child support enforcement in most California counties. State reforms then moved the work to separate local child support agencies under one state department. The goal was consistent service from county to county. Federal law shapes the system too. Title IV-D of the Social Security Act requires every state to run a child support program, which is why you may hear the local agencies called IV-D agencies.

A few points are worth knowing before you walk in:

A child support agency is also different from the family law facilitator at your courthouse. The facilitator helps people complete court forms. The agency works the case itself, from locating a parent to collecting money.

Metro Offices: Los Angeles, Sacramento and the Southern Valleys

Los Angeles County has the most listings in our database, with six. The Los Angeles Child Support & Enforcement Office at 8300 South Vermont Avenue sits in South Los Angeles. The Commerce Child Support & Enforcement Office at 5770 South Eastern Avenue serves the southeast part of the county. The Lancaster Child Support & Enforcement Office at 42281 10th Street West covers the Antelope Valley, a long drive from downtown. Because the county is so large, confirm which location handles your case before you travel.

In the capital region, the Sacramento Child Support & Enforcement Office at 3701 Power Inn Road serves Sacramento County. In the Central Valley, the Bakersfield Child Support & Enforcement Office at 1300 18th Street serves Kern County. The Fresno Child Support & Enforcement Office at 2220 Tulare Street serves Fresno County, and the Hanford office at 312 West 7th Street serves Kings County.

Inland Southern California covers enormous distances. Riverside County has four listings, including Indio at 47950 Arabia Street in the Coachella Valley and Blythe at 260 North Broadway on the Colorado River. Those two towns are roughly 100 miles apart, so the office assigned to your case matters. San Bernardino County has three listings, among them the Loma Linda Child Support & Enforcement Office at 10417 Mountain View Avenue.

Metro offices handle heavy volume. Plan on a phone queue, bring your case number, and ask whether an appointment is better than a drop-in visit.

Rural and Mountain Offices in Northern and Eastern California

Many California counties have small populations spread over large areas, and their offices reflect that. The Alturas Child Support & Enforcement Office at 1030 North Main Street serves Modoc County in the far northeast corner of the state. The Bishop Child Support & Enforcement Office at 230 West Line Street serves Inyo County along the eastern Sierra, and the Mammoth Lakes office at 452 Old Mammoth Road serves Mono County. On the north coast, the Crescent City office at 983 3rd Street serves Del Norte County, and the Eureka office at 2420 6th Street serves Humboldt County.

Smaller offices have fewer staff, so some services may be offered only on certain days. Call before you drive. Mountain weather adds risk as well. Winter snow can slow travel in the Sierra, and the Carnelian Bay Child Support & Enforcement Office at 5225 North Lake Boulevard in Placer County sits on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Other county-seat offices include Colusa at 217 9th Street, Mariposa at 5362 Lemee Lane, Lakeport at 525 North Main Street and Jackson at 639 New York Ranch Road.

Many routine tasks do not require a visit. You can ask questions by phone, return forms by mail and check case information through online tools offered by the state. Save the in-person trip for signing documents, resolving a records problem or meeting a worker about a complicated case.

California Rules That Shape Every Case

Support amounts follow a statewide guideline in the California Family Code, beginning at section 4050. The formula weighs both parents' incomes, the number of children and the share of time each parent spends with them. A judge can depart from the guideline only for stated reasons, so similar families in different counties should see similar results.

Support generally continues until a child turns 18. If the child is still in high school full time and not self-supporting, it can continue until graduation or age 19, whichever comes first. Unpaid support does not disappear when a child ages out. It stays owed.

When paternity has not been established, the agency can help. Unmarried parents can sign a voluntary Declaration of Parentage. After a rescission period, generally 60 days, it carries the weight of a court judgment. If paternity is disputed, the agency can arrange genetic testing.

When a parent does not pay, the enforcement tools include income withholding orders sent to employers, interception of state and federal tax refunds, liens, bank levies and suspension of driver's and professional licenses.

Preparing for a California Office Visit

Gather these items before you call or go in:

If you do not know where the other parent lives or works, say so. Locating parents is part of the agency's job, and it can search state and federal databases. Write down the name of each person you speak with and the date. Keep copies of everything you send. A one-page summary of your situation saves time in a busy metro office such as Commerce or Los Angeles.

One last practical point: send and receive payments through the state's payment system rather than directly with the other parent. Payments made outside the system can be hard to prove later, and the official record is what the agency uses when it enforces an order.

The child support program in California is administered by the state's child support enforcement agency, which operates through a network of county-level offices that handle case intake, order establishment, payment processing, and enforcement across the state under the authority of Title IV-D of the Social Security Act.

Child Support Offices locations are available in 66 cities across California. They are spread across 53 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Los Angeles, Sacramento, Eureka, which serve as regional hubs for child support case processing and interstate enforcement coordination for cases involving parents in multiple states.

Non-custodial parents in California who are current on their support obligation and experiencing a significant change in income — such as job loss or medical disability — may be eligible to request a formal modification review through the state child support agency without having to hire an attorney.

Child Support Offices by Counties

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Custodial parents in California who receive public assistance are automatically enrolled in child support services as a condition of TANF or Medicaid eligibility. Parents not receiving public assistance can still apply for child support services voluntarily and typically receive the same level of enforcement assistance at little or no cost.

Browse Child Support Offices by county across California to find the nearest location.

Getting Help From a California Child Support Office

Child support offices in California are public services, and your experience depends partly on where you live. In a large county such as Los Angeles, you may deal with a big call center and several office locations, so your case number is the fastest way to be recognized. In a small county such as Modoc, one office may handle everything from paternity to enforcement for the whole county.

Three habits help in any county. First, call 866-901-3212 before you travel. Every listing in our database uses that number, and staff can tell you which office holds your file. Second, answer mail quickly. Agencies send notices of court dates, proposed orders and requests for financial information, and missing a deadline can lead to an order made without your input. Third, keep your contact details current. If you move or change jobs, tell the agency in writing.

Remember that the agency enforces the order a court has issued. It cannot change custody or visitation, and it cannot reduce what is owed without a court order. Those questions belong with the Superior Court, and many courts have family law facilitators who help with forms at no charge. If you live near Lake Tahoe, the Placer County page lists the Carnelian Bay office.

Child Support Questions Californians Ask

Contact the local child support agency for the county where the child lives, or call the statewide line at 866-901-3212 and ask to be routed. You can apply by phone, by mail or in person at an office such as the Sacramento location on Power Inn Road or the Fresno location on Tulare Street. Expect to give identifying details for yourself, the child and the other parent. If you receive CalWORKs cash aid, a referral to the child support program is usually made as part of that benefit, so you may already have a case. After you apply, the agency assigns a worker and begins locating the other parent.

Opening a case with a local child support agency does not require an application fee, and the agency's core work of locating parents, establishing orders and enforcing them is part of the public program. Your own costs are usually small: copies, postage, travel, and any private attorney you choose to hire. A private attorney is optional, because the agency's attorney handles the court work on the case, although that attorney does not act as your personal lawyer. If anyone mentions a charge, ask the worker to explain it in writing and to name the law that requires it before you pay.

California agencies have several enforcement tools. The most common is an income withholding order sent to the paying parent's employer, who deducts support from each paycheck. The agency can also intercept state and federal tax refunds, place liens on property, levy bank accounts, report overdue support to credit bureaus, and request suspension of driver's and professional licenses. In serious cases, it can ask the court for a contempt hearing. Tell your worker about new jobs, bank accounts or property you learn about, because accurate information makes these tools work faster. Enforcement follows the order already in place.

Either parent can ask the local agency to review an order after a real change, such as job loss, a significant raise, a change in parenting time or a new child. You can also file a motion with the Superior Court yourself. Timing matters, because a modified order generally cannot reach back before the date the request was filed. File promptly rather than waiting for things to settle. Gather recent pay stubs, tax returns and proof of the change. The agency calculates support under the Family Code guideline and proposes a new amount, which a court must approve. Until then, the existing order stays in force and unpaid amounts keep accruing.

Under California law, support generally continues until the child turns 18. If the child is still in high school full time and not self-supporting, it can continue until graduation or age 19, whichever comes first. A court can also order support beyond those ages for an adult child whose disability prevents self-support. The end of current support does not erase back support. Any unpaid balance, called arrears, remains collectable. Before you close out a case, ask your local agency for a payment history and confirm in writing whether the account is current or a balance remains.

Yes. Every state has adopted the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, which lets agencies in different states cooperate on establishing and enforcing orders. Your California worker can refer the case to the other state's child support agency, or send an income withholding order directly to an employer in that state. Offices in border communities such as Blythe, across the Colorado River from Arizona, and Crescent City, near Oregon, see these cases regularly. Expect cross-state matters to take longer, since two agencies and sometimes two courts are involved. Keep your address and phone number current so notices reach you.