The FL-300 is the California family court form used to ask the court to make, change, or enforce an order in an existing family law case. If you need a judge to do something in a pending divorce, parentage, support, or other family law matter, this is usually the form you file.
People in California often use FL-300 to request child custody, visitation, child support, spousal or partner support, attorney fees, property control, enforcement of existing orders, or temporary emergency orders. This guide is for individuals or couples already involved in a California family law case who need to file or respond to an FL-300, and it explains what the form is used for, how to complete and serve it, how to respond, and the common mistakes that can hurt your request when custody, support, property, or other court orders are at stake.
When to Use It for Child Custody
You file an FL 300 in a family law case that already exists, to request:
- New child custody or visitation orders, or changes to existing ones
- New or modified child support orders
- Spousal support or partner support
- Attorney fees and costs
- Exclusive use of a residence or vehicle
- Enforcement of an existing order
- Temporary emergency orders
It is not used to start a case. A dissolution, legal separation or parentage action starts with a petition; the FL-300 comes afterward.
The Parts of the Form
Page 1: What You Are Asking For in a Request for Order
You must complete this page by checking the relevant boxes, using the form to fill in the needed details, and making sure names and case information are entered accurately, including children’s names when applicable, while indicating whether you are requesting temporary emergency orders.
Be specific rather than broad. “Modify custody” tells the court little. “Change the weekday schedule so exchanges occur at school rather than at the other parent’s residence” tells the court exactly what to order if the request concerns visitation or the best interests of the children.
Attached Request Forms
Depending on what you are requesting, additional attachments are required alongside the FL-300, and you may also need to include additional documents that support the relief you are asking the court to order:
- FL-311, Child Custody and Visitation Application Attachment
- FL-150, Income and Expense Declaration, for any financial request including child support orders, spousal support and attorney fees
- FL-319 and FL-158, for attorney fees requests
- FL-105, Declaration Under UCCJEA, where custody is at issue and it has not already been filed
If there is an existing restraining order, attach copies of it to the FL-300.
Omitting a required attachment is the most common reason a request is continued. If you are asking for money, the FL-150 must be there.
The Declaration
This is where you explain the facts and claims supporting your request, either in the space on the form or on an attached FL-310 or plain-paper declaration. Write facts, in chronological order, with dates. Include enough detail for the judge to understand why the requested order is justified. Courts read a great many of these, and the ones that work are specific and restrained.
What works: dates, what happened, what the other party did or did not do, and what you are asking the court to order as a result.
What does not: characterisation without facts, general complaints about the other party’s personality, and lengthy history unrelated to the request. A declaration that reads as an argument rather than an account is less persuasive, not more.
Attach supporting documents as exhibits and refer to them by exhibit letter in the declaration. You can also attach legal documents if they directly support the declaration.
Temporary Emergency Orders
The FL-300 can be used to request temporary emergency orders, sometimes called ex parte orders, where waiting for a normal hearing would cause immediate harm. These requests may also arise in broader family law proceedings when urgent relief is needed.
The standard is high. Emergency orders are generally reserved for situations involving immediate risk of harm to a child, threatened removal of a child from the state, or comparable urgency. Ordinary disagreement about a schedule does not meet it.
Procedure matters here. California requires notice to the other party, usually by 10:00 a.m. the court day before, unless the court excuses notice for specific reasons you must state. Filing without complying with the notice requirement generally results in the request being denied. In urgent cases, requests may also involve property control orders.
You will also need FL-305, the temporary emergency orders form, alongside the FL-300, and related restraining-order issues can involve family or criminal court orders depending on the situation.
Filing and Serving
File the FL-300 and all attachments with the superior court handling your case. The clerk assigns a court date and stamps the hearing date on this order form.
The FL-300 must be filed at least nine court days before the scheduled hearing.
Serve the FL-300 on all parties involved in the case. Timing requirements still depend on the type of request and the method of service; requests for order generally require service a set number of court days before the hearing, and service by mail extends that period.
Miscalculating service timing is the second most common reason hearings are continued. Count court days, not calendar days, and add time for mail service.
File the proof of service with the court. Serving without filing the proof leaves the court unable to confirm notice, so submit it promptly to help avoid delay in the legal proceedings.
Responding to an FL-300
If you have been served with one, you respond using FL-320, the Responsive Declaration to Request for Order, as the respondent when that applies.
On that form you indicate whether you consent to, or oppose, each request, and set out your own position with a supporting declaration. Where financial issues are involved, you file an FL-150 as well.
Filing deadlines apply, and they are shorter than people expect. If no response is filed, the judge may decide the request based on the papers and appearance at hearing. Do not wait for the hearing to state your position; a party who appears without having filed a response is at a disadvantage.
You can also make your own requests in the response, though substantial affirmative relief may require your own FL-300.
The Hearing
Family law hearings on a request for order are usually short. The judge has read the filings, and the appearance is for argument and clarification rather than a full presentation of evidence.
Practical points: arrive early, bring copies of everything filed, address the judge rather than the other party, answer the question asked, and be ready to state concisely what order you want.
Where custody or visitation is contested, expect to be referred to mandatory mediation through Family Court Services before the matter is decided, especially when parents disagree about those arrangements.
The judge may rule from the bench, take the matter under submission, continue it for further information, or refer it out for mediation or evaluation.
Common Mistakes
Missing the FL-150. Any request involving money requires it.
Vague requests. Ask for a specific order the court can write down.
Declarations that argue rather than describe. Facts and dates persuade; characterisation does not.
Late or defective service. Results in continuance and wasted cost.
Requesting emergency orders without meeting the standard. This damages credibility for the substantive request.
Filing for a matter that is not yet a case. The FL-300 works within an existing case only.
Attaching every document you have. Attach what supports the request. A thick exhibit set that is mostly irrelevant obscures the useful material.
Where to Get the Forms
All Judicial Council forms, including the FL-300 and its attachments, are available free on the California Courts website as fillable PDFs. Court self-help centres can assist with procedural questions about which forms apply, though they cannot advise on strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Until the Hearing?
It depends on the court’s calendar. Several weeks to a couple of months is typically the timeline for a standard request; emergency requests are heard much faster if the standard is met.
Can I Change My Request After Filing?
You can amend, though it may affect the hearing date and service requirements. Discuss it rather than assuming.
Do I Need a Lawyer?
Not required. Advisable where custody is contested, where the other party is represented, or where a support order will have a lasting financial effect.
What If the Other Party Does Not Appear?
Where service was proper, the court may proceed and make orders in their absence.
Can We Settle Before the Hearing?
Yes, and many requests resolve by stipulation. An agreement can be submitted to the court to be entered as an order.
Getting the Request Right the First Time
Requests for order are won and lost on preparation more than on argument. A specific request, a factual declaration, the correct attachments and clean service, all complete before filing and submission, put you in a materially better position before anyone speaks.
Our Tustin office handles motion preparation, court appearances and child custody matters throughout Orange County. Read about the FL-300 form, the FL-320 responsive declaration, or the FL-150 income and expense declaration. To get help with a request, contact our office.
This article is provided for general educational purposes and is not legal advice. California forms, statutes and local rules change, and every case depends on its specific facts. Consult a qualified California family law attorney about your circumstances.
