§ 422.30.Caption

Section 422.30 sets the header every pleading must carry. Subdivision (a) requires the caption to name the court and county where the case is pending and to state the title of the action — the identifying label that ties the document to a specific case.

Subdivision (b) adds a California-specific wrinkle: if the case is a limited civil case (California's streamlined track for smaller-dollar disputes), the caption has to say so. That label lets the clerk classify the case correctly from the first document filed, which in turn affects the procedures and dollar limits that apply throughout the litigation.

The caption is a small piece of paper, but it is the first thing a clerk, judge, or opposing party reads. Getting it wrong — misnaming the court, omitting the limited civil designation — can create confusion about which procedural track a case is on, even though it rarely defeats a pleading outright.