California · Family Code

FAM §7845: The petition shall be filed in any of the following: (a) The county in which a minor described in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 7820) resides or is found.

What this law says, in plain English

A petition concerning a minor under Chapter 2 may be filed in the county where the minor lives or is located.

Read the full statutory text
The petition shall be filed in any of the following: (a) The county in which a minor described in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 7820) resides or is found. (b) The county in which any of the acts which are set forth in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 7820) are alleged to have occurred. (c) The county in which a petition for the adoption of the child has been filed or the adoption agency to which the child has been relinquished or proposed to be relinquished has an office.

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