Rule 5.524.Form of petition; notice of hearing

Both kinds of petition must be verified and may be dismissed without prejudice if they are not. Each must contain the information its governing statutes require — and for a delinquency petition, the intent to aggregate other offences where that applies.

Dependency petitions must be filed on a Judicial Council form: either version one with the additional-children attachment where appropriate, or version two, as local rule or practice prescribes. Amendments and variances follow the general civil provisions.

Notice runs on two tracks. In dependency, the social worker or probation officer serves notice with a copy of the petition, and the clerk issues and serves its own notice with a copy attached; CASA volunteers get the same notice. One limit is explicit: notice under those two sections may not be served electronically. Where a county and court choose to allow electronic notice for later hearings, the court must develop a consent process that complies with the statute and still lets notice meet the statutory timelines.

In delinquency, notice issues immediately after a detention petition is filed, the clerk serves notice of hearing with the petition attached, and counsel who has given reasonable notification must be notified of hearings. Service may be waived by a voluntary appearance noted in the minutes or a written waiver filed with the clerk, and certain notices may be given orally — with the officer filing a declaration stating that oral notice was given and to whom.