At a California Request for Order hearing, the judge calls the case, confirms who is present, reviews the FL-300 request, any FL-320 response, declarations and properly submitted evidence, hears from each side, and decides whether to make, deny, modify, or postpone the requested orders. The judge may approve an agreement, decide disputed issues, ask for more information, or continue the hearing to another date.
The hearing is tied to the specific orders requested and the supporting facts in the filed papers. It is not a general opportunity to reopen every issue in the family-law case. Read page 1 of the filed FL-300 for the date, time, location or remote instructions, mediation requirements, and any temporary orders or special directions.
Use this preparation guide with California Courts’ official hearing explanation. To understand the form you filed or received, review the complete FormExplainer FL-300 Guide.
Jump to: Before the hearing · When the case is called · What the judge reviews · What to bring · Agreements and disputes · Possible outcomes
What is a Request for Order hearing?
A Request for Order, or RFO, is the procedure for asking the family court to make particular orders in an existing case. FL-300 can request orders about subjects such as child custody and parenting time, child or spousal support, property control, attorney’s fees, or another matter for which that form is authorized. California Rules of Court, rule 5.92 treats an RFO as the family-law equivalent of a motion or notice of motion.
The filed FL-300 states what the requesting party wants and why. A responding party ordinarily uses FL-320 to say which requests they agree or disagree with and to provide supporting facts. Filing either form does not decide the issue; the hearing gives the judge a chance to consider both sides before making orders.
What happens before the hearing starts?
Follow the filed notice and your court’s local instructions. Depending on the courthouse, you may check in with courtroom staff, wait in the courtroom or a virtual waiting room, and remain available until the clerk calls your case. Arrive or connect early enough to handle security, parking, technology, and check-in without missing the calendar call.
Complete anything the court ordered first. A custody or parenting-time RFO may require mediation or child custody recommending counseling. Page 1 can also contain temporary emergency orders or other directions that remain in effect until the hearing. Do not assume the hearing replaces a required appointment.
If you need an interpreter or disability accommodation, request it using the court’s procedure as early as possible. If you cannot attend, use the court’s continuance or rescheduling process. An informal agreement to choose another date does not change the court calendar unless the court approves it.
Who attends an RFO hearing?
The judicial officer and courtroom staff conduct the hearing. The party who filed FL-300 should plan to attend, and the responding party should follow the notice and attend if they want to be heard. Lawyers attend for represented parties. A family-law facilitator, interpreter, or support person may be involved depending on the subject and the court’s rules.
A witness does not automatically attend or testify because someone mentioned them in a declaration. If testimony or documents from another person are needed, notice-to-attend and subpoena procedures may apply, along with evidence rules and local hearing practices. Do not promise a witness that the judge will hear live testimony without checking the applicable procedure.
What happens when the case is called?
Listen for the parties’ names or case number. When called, identify yourself and your role—requesting party or responding party—and follow directions about where to stand, sit, or unmute. The judge may first confirm service, appearances, the orders requested, any response, existing orders, and whether the parties reached an agreement.
California Courts explains that the judge usually asks the person who filed the RFO to speak first. The other side then has an opportunity to respond. The judge may ask focused questions about the filed papers, whether anything needs clarification, and why a proposed resolution should or should not be ordered.
Answer the question asked and distinguish facts you personally know from assumptions. You may use a short outline to keep dates, amounts, and requested terms organized. The goal is not to read every page aloud; it is to address the issues the judge is deciding.
What may the judge review?
The judge may review the court file and the materials properly submitted for the RFO, including:
- the FL-300 and its attachments, including the requested orders and supporting declaration;
- the FL-320 response and its attachments;
- reply papers if permitted and timely;
- current financial declarations for support, fees, or other financial requests;
- existing orders that the request asks to change or enforce;
- proof of service and any court orders about service or shortened time;
- documents, photographs, messages, records, or witness declarations that were filed and served according to the rules; and
- mediation or child custody recommending-counseling information where the local process permits it.
The requested orders and supporting facts should match. Checking “child support” on page 1 identifies a subject; the later sections state the order sought and the financial and factual basis. A declaration describing events without identifying the requested result leaves a different gap. The FL-300 Guide explains how those parts fit together.
Can I bring new evidence to the hearing?
Bring organized copies of the evidence already submitted. If you want the judge to consider additional material, it usually must be filed with the court and served on the other side before the hearing. California Courts’ evidence-submission guide explains documents, witness statements, privacy redactions, filing, and service.
Showing up with a new message, bill, recording, or witness does not guarantee the judge can consider it. The other side may not have received fair notice, the document may lack authentication, or another evidence rule may apply. If circumstances changed after filing, identify what changed and follow the procedure for submitting it rather than assuming the hearing date removes deadlines.
What should I bring to the hearing?
- the filed hearing notice and any remote-appearance instructions;
- organized copies of the FL-300, FL-320, declarations, attachments, and any reply;
- the filed proof of service and a copy of any order affecting service or the hearing;
- the current orders relevant to a requested change;
- the financial forms and supporting records required for a financial issue;
- copies of documents already filed and served that you may need to identify for the judge;
- a concise list of the exact orders you are asking the judge to make—or the result you ask the judge to deny or modify;
- a timeline or short notes with important dates, amounts, and exhibit references; and
- paper, a pen, and a way to record the orders and next deadlines.
FL-300-INFO advises bringing at least two copies of the filed papers, attachments, and proof of service. Check local requirements because a court may want additional copies or use electronic exhibits. Keep originals separate from working copies, protect private information, and do not hand documents to the judge unless instructed.
What if we agree before the hearing?
Tell the court what has been resolved and what remains disputed. An agreement can narrow or sometimes resolve the hearing, but it generally must be stated on the record or put into an acceptable written order and approved by the judge before it becomes the court’s order.
Do not assume that an agreement automatically cancels the hearing. Confirm the court’s directions and whether anyone must prepare written terms. If a protective order or safety issue limits communication, do not violate it in an effort to negotiate; use the permitted process.
What if we still disagree?
The judge can hear each side on the issues raised, ask questions, and decide. Keep the requested order separate from the facts supporting it. For example, the schedule requested is one part; the dated facts offered to support that schedule are another. The judge decides what weight and legal effect to give admissible information.
This page cannot predict how a judge will rule or develop advocacy strategy for a particular dispute. A contested issue involving safety, jurisdiction, disputed evidence, major financial consequences, or a request you do not understand may warrant individualized advice before the hearing.
What can happen after the judge hears the request?
The judge may grant all or part of a request, deny it, make a different order within the issues properly before the court, approve an agreement, maintain or modify temporary orders, require more information, or continue the hearing. The judge may announce the decision at the hearing or take the matter under submission for a later ruling.
A decision must be put into a written order. Court staff may prepare it, or the judge may direct a party or lawyer to prepare it. Findings and Order After Hearing (FL-340) and subject-specific attachments are commonly used. The written order must accurately reflect what the judge decided; compare it carefully with your notes and follow the court’s preparation, review, filing, and service directions.
Once signed and filed, the order controls even if it differs from what either side requested. Note any future hearing, filing, service, mediation, payment, or compliance deadline. An RFO ruling ordinarily decides the particular interim or postjudgment issues before the court; it does not automatically finish the entire divorce or parentage case.
What should I review the day before the hearing?
- Page 1 of the filed FL-300 for time, place, remote instructions, mediation, and temporary orders.
- The exact orders requested on pages 2–4 and every supporting fact or attachment.
- The FL-320 response and any reply so you know what is agreed and disputed.
- Existing orders and the date and language of anything someone asks to change.
- Proof of service and the packet the court received.
- Your short list of requested outcomes and the documents already submitted that relate to each one.
- Local courtroom rules, check-in directions, and any interpreter or accommodation confirmation.
Review the FL-300 you filed or received before the hearing.
The complete FormExplainer FL-300 Guide walks through the requested-order sections, supporting facts, attachments, financial forms, service, response, and order-after-hearing process. Use it alongside the actual filed copy to identify the issues the judge has been asked to decide, confirm which documents support each request, and spot a deadline or attachment you need to check before the hearing.
Sources checked October 7, 2026: current California Courts RFO, hearing, and evidence-submission guidance; California Rules of Court, rule 5.92; and Judicial Council forms FL-300, FL-320, and FL-340.