What Is California Labor Code §5501.6: Change of Venue?

(a) An applicant or defendant may petition the appeals board for a change of venue and a change of venue shall be granted for good cause. The reasons for the change of venue shall be specifically set forth in the request for change of venue.

What does Labor Code 5501.6 say about changing venue?

A worker or an employer can use Labor Code 5501.6 to ask for a different WCAB district office once a case is open.

Venue is just the office that handles a case: its hearings, its mail, and its file. Labor Code 5501.5 picks that office when a case is first filed. Section 5501.6 is the fix for later. Once a case is open, either side, the injured worker or a dependent who filed in their place, or the employer and its insurer, can ask the board to move the file to a different district office.

The standard is good cause. A party cannot ask to move a case just because another office would be more convenient. The request has to spell out the specific reason in writing before a workers' compensation judge will consider it.

How do I file a petition for change of venue?

You send the petition to the district office that currently has your case, then serve a copy on every other party.

A petition for change of venue can only be filed after a case is already open at the WCAB. That is the main difference from the original venue pick under Labor Code 5501.5, which happens when the application is first filed. The Division of Workers' Compensation's guide to this petition says to send the original to the district office currently handling the case, and copies to every other party. Every WCAB district office's address and phone number is public, so a party can confirm where a case sits and where the petition needs to go.

The same guide lists a filing order: a document cover sheet, a document separator sheet, the petition itself, a verification signed under penalty of perjury, a second separator sheet, and a proof of service by mail. Keep a copy of every page filed.

What counts as good cause to change venue?

The statute does not list fixed categories of good cause; it requires the petition to name the specific reason for the request.

Labor Code 5501.6 does not define good cause with a set list. Instead, the law requires the party asking for the move to specifically set forth the reasons in the written request. A workers' compensation judge at the current office reviews those stated reasons case by case. A worker who moved to a new home county after filing, or an employer whose own records point to a different county, are the kinds of facts a petition would need to spell out, not simply assert.

Because the standard depends on the facts written into the petition, a vague request is a common reason one gets denied. Naming the actual facts, dates, and county involved gives the judge something concrete to rule on.

What if the reason is witness convenience?

A petition based on witness convenience must name each witness, give an address, and summarize their testimony.

Subdivision (b) adds an extra requirement for one specific reason: the convenience of witnesses. When that is the basis for the request, the petition must specifically set forth the names and addresses of those witnesses and the substance of their testimony. A request that only says witnesses would find another office more convenient, without naming them, does not meet this part of the statute.

How does this connect to the rest of a WCAB case?

Venue only decides which office handles the file; other filing rules in the same chapter decide how the case itself gets started.

Labor Code 5501.6 sits in the same chapter of the workers' compensation law as the rules that open a case. Labor Code 5500 sets what the written application and answer must contain. Labor Code 5501 covers who may file that application, whether the worker, the employer, or the insurer. Labor Code 5501.5 picks the first venue, by the worker's county, the injury's county, or an attorney's county. Section 5501.6 only comes into play afterward, if that first choice needs to change.

Changing venue does not change what a claim is worth. Temporary disability, permanent disability, and medical care follow the same statewide rules no matter which office hears the case. Moving a case only changes where the hearings, mail, and file sit. Once venue is settled and a party wants a hearing date, the next written request is usually a Declaration of Readiness to Proceed.

What should I keep or ask before filing?

Save a signed copy of the petition, the verification, and the proof of service, and confirm which office currently has the file first.

Before filing, write down why the current office is the wrong one, in specific terms: a new home address, the county tied to the injury, or witness names and addresses if that is the reason. Keep a signed copy of the petition, the verification, and the proof of service once the papers are filed. A short call to review the facts beforehand can help, since a vague first request is the one most likely to need a second try.

Changing venue only decides which WCAB office handles a case. It does not change benefits, deadlines, or how a claim is rated. Before asking for one, write down the specific reason for the move and confirm which office currently has the file. For help reviewing a venue question or a pending petition, call (661) 273-1780 or send details through the contact form. The firm reviews each matter individually and does not take every case.