In brief
Surrey family court matters are split by level. Parenting, guardianship, child and spousal support and protection orders are heard at the Surrey Provincial Court, 14340 57 Avenue, which is an Early Resolution Registry, so most people must file a Notice to Resolve, complete a needs assessment and a parenting course, and try mediation before a judge will hear them. Divorce itself and the division of family property go to the BC Supreme Court in New Westminster. SiLaw Group Family Lawyers, a Surrey firm practising family law only, guides clients through each of those steps in English or Punjabi, and the first 30 minutes are free.
If you're heading to family court in Surrey, or trying hard to stay out of it, the process has more steps than most people expect, and the first ones happen before a judge is involved at all. This page explains what is heard where, what the Surrey registry requires before you can file, and how a Surrey family lawyer helps at each stage. SiLaw Group Family Lawyers is a boutique Surrey firm: family law and mediation are all we do, our office is on Croydon Drive in South Surrey, and we work in English and Punjabi.
Surrey Provincial Court: what is heard at 14340 57 Avenue
Surrey has its own courthouse at 14340 57 Avenue, and the Provincial Court there hears the family matters that arise under BC's Family Law Act:
- Parenting arrangements: parenting time, parental responsibilities and guardianship
- Contact with a child by a non-guardian, such as a grandparent
- Child support and spousal support, including variation and enforcement
- Family law protection orders where there is a risk of family violence
What the Provincial Court cannot do is grant a divorce or divide family property and debt. Those are Supreme Court matters, heard for this region at the BC Supreme Court in New Westminster, and many Surrey families end up with a file in each court: parenting and support in Surrey, the divorce and property division in New Westminster. Which court your matter belongs in is one of the first things we settle at a consultation.
Surrey is an Early Resolution Registry: the steps before you can file
Surrey was one of the first two Provincial Court registries in BC to adopt the Early Resolution process, in 2020, and as of May 2026 the same process applies at nearly every registry in the province. It changes the order of events. Unless your matter is urgent, you cannot simply file an application and get a court date. Instead:
- Notice to Resolve. You file a Notice to Resolve a Family Law Matter at the registry and serve a copy on the other party.
- Needs assessment. Each of you meets privately with a family justice counsellor at the Surrey Justice Access Centre, on the 3rd floor of the same courthouse building, who screens for family violence and explains your options.
- Parenting education. If children under 19 are involved, each parent completes the Parenting After Separation course online.
- Consensual dispute resolution. You attend at least one mediation session, usually with a family justice counsellor, before a family law application can proceed.
The exceptions are the urgent cases: a protection order where safety is at risk, priority parenting matters, preventing a child's removal or relocation, and enforcing an existing order. Those go straight to court, and if you're in one of them we move quickly.
A lawyer is not required for any of these steps, but it makes a difference. We prepare you for the needs assessment, advise you on what to agree to and what to hold on, draft the consent order or agreement when mediation works, and are ready to file and represent you if it doesn't. Because Sandy Sihota is herself an accredited family law mediator, arbitrator and parenting coordinator, private mediation with the firm is also an option when the free counsellor-led session isn't a fit or the issues, such as property, fall outside it.
Divorce and property: the BC Supreme Court in New Westminster
The divorce order itself, and the division of family property and family debt, are decided by the BC Supreme Court. Surrey files are heard at the New Westminster courthouse. The Supreme Court process has its own rules, forms and timelines, from the Notice of Family Claim through Judicial Case Conferences to trial, though most cases settle well before a trial. An uncontested divorce can often be completed on paper as a desk-order divorce without anyone attending court.
Serving every part of Surrey
Our clients come from across the city (City Centre and Whalley, Guildford, Fleetwood, Newton, Cloverdale, and South Surrey) as well as White Rock and neighbouring communities like Langley, Delta and New Westminster. We also represent people from all over British Columbia, from Vancouver to Abbotsford. Consultations and much of the work of a family file happen by phone or video; the courthouse is about 15 minutes from our office when it's needed.
What we help Surrey families with
- Divorce, uncontested and contested
- Parenting arrangements: parenting time and decision-making
- Child support and spousal support
- Property and debt division, including the family home
- Common-law separations
- Agreements: cohabitation, marriage, and separation agreements
- Family violence and protection orders
- Mediation, arbitration and parenting coordination, run in-house, not referred out
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੇਵਾਵਾਂ: family law in Punjabi
Court is stressful enough in your first language. We serve clients in Punjabi as well as English: the advice, the forms explained, and preparation for the needs assessment and any hearing, in the language you're most comfortable in. See our Punjabi services page for more.
Frequently asked questions
Can I go straight to family court in Surrey?
Usually not. Because Surrey is an Early Resolution Registry, a Provincial Court family application normally has to wait until you have filed a Notice to Resolve, completed a needs assessment and the parenting course, and attended a consensual dispute resolution session. Urgent matters, including protection orders, are the exception and can be brought to court right away.
Where is family court in Surrey?
Provincial Court family matters are heard at the Surrey Provincial Court, 14340 57 Avenue. The Surrey Justice Access Centre, where needs assessments and counsellor-led mediation happen, is on the 3rd floor of the same building. Divorce and property division are Supreme Court matters heard in New Westminster.
Do I need a lawyer for Surrey family court?
No, and many people represent themselves at the Provincial Court. Whether you should depends on what is at stake. Where parenting time, support arrears or safety are in issue, advice before the needs assessment and representation at a hearing usually change the outcome. We also offer unbundled help, such as reviewing documents or preparing you for one appearance, when full representation isn't needed.
How much does a family lawyer in Surrey cost?
The first 30 minutes cost nothing. That consultation is free, by phone, video, or in person. Costs after that depend on what your situation needs, from a fixed piece of work like reviewing an agreement to full representation, and we discuss fees openly at the consultation before you commit to anything.
Talk to a Surrey family court lawyer for free
The first 30 minutes are free, in English or Punjabi, by phone, video, or at our office on Croydon Drive. Book a free consultation or call (778) 381-9977.
This page is legal information, not legal advice. Court procedures change; confirm current requirements with the registry or at a consultation.
