Langley appears in neither the Province’s courthouse directory (updated October 1, 2026) nor the Provincial Court’s own list of locations. What a Langley family does have is a government Family Justice Centre at Building 100, 120-20434 64th Avenue, and that office is part of the court process even though no judge sits there.
The two courts divide the work this way:
- Provincial Court: guardianship, parenting arrangements and contact, child and spousal support, and protection orders. Section 193 of the Family Law Act keeps it out of property division (a companion animal aside), pension division and children’s property.
- Supreme Court: every Family Law Act issue, including dividing a home, savings, a business or a pension, and the only court that can grant a divorce under the federal Divorce Act.
A parent who needs a schedule and child support can start in the Provincial Court. A married couple who want a divorce, or any couple with property to divide, will need the Supreme Court. Which one to begin in is a judgement call that depends on what is in dispute and how fast an order is needed.
Provincial Court: Surrey’s registry, with the first steps in Langley
The Provincial Court Family Rules pick the registry, not the parties. If the same people already have a case open, every new document goes there. Otherwise, in a case about children, the registry is the one closest to the home where the child lives most of the time; with no child issue, it is the one closest to the home of whoever files first.
For central Langley, Surrey is clearly the nearest: the Surrey Provincial Court at 14340 57 Avenue is about 14 km by road from Langley City, against about 24 km to Port Coquitlam and 29 km to Abbotsford. Toward the east of the Township the picture changes, and an Aldergrove home is far nearer Abbotsford. The rule does not define how “closest” is measured, so if you live toward the Township’s edges, confirm the registry with court staff before you file.
Surrey is an early resolution registry. Unless an exception applies, a person seeking a Provincial Court order there must first serve a notice to resolve (Form 1), meet a family justice counsellor for a needs assessment, finish a parenting education program, and attend at least one consensual dispute resolution session such as mediation. The other party does the same before replying. Two government offices provide these services for the Surrey registry, free of charge: the Langley Family Justice Centre on 64th Avenue (604-501-3100) and the Surrey Justice Access Centre in the Surrey courthouse. The Langley Centre offers some services in person and others by phone or video; check its current hours before you go.
The Centre’s counsellors are accredited mediators, and their work is not limited to the court steps. They can help with parenting arrangements, guardianship, contact, child and spousal support and a companion animal, and they refer people to legal advice and community services. What they cannot do is divide a house or a pension, or give you legal advice about your own position. That is where a lawyer comes in: we prepare clients for the assessment and for mediation, and review any agreement the mediation produces before it is signed.
The steps are not universal. They do not apply to an application only for a protection order, a priority parenting matter, a relocation order, a consent order, a case management order or an enforcement order, and the needs assessor can excuse the parenting program or the mediation session in the situations the rules list. Once you have done your part, the case can move ahead even if the other parent will not take part.
When safety cannot wait
A protection order under Part 9 of the Family Law Act can be made where the court finds family violence is likely to occur and a family member is at risk. It can stop contact, keep a person away from a home, school or workplace, and set other conditions. Three points in the Provincial Court rules matter for a Langley family in a hurry:
- An application about a protection order, or a priority parenting matter such as urgent medical consent, can be made before the early resolution steps are finished.
- With the court’s permission, either can be brought in any registry, not only the one the address would point to.
- The needs assessment includes screening for family violence, so tell the counsellor, and us, about any safety concern at the outset.
In an emergency, call 911. VictimLinkBC answers by call or text at 1-800-563-0808, around the clock and in many languages. Our article on the tort of family violence looks at claims for damages based on family violence.
Supreme Court: divorce, property and where to file
No Supreme Court registry sits in Langley or Surrey. The three within reach are Port Coquitlam (Unit A, 2620 Mary Hill Road), New Westminster (651 Carnarvon Street) and Abbotsford (32375 Veterans Way). We have found no Supreme Court Family Rule that ties a home address to one of them. The notice of family claim names a place of trial, the trial is held there unless the court orders a change, and later steps follow the registry where the case began. So pick it deliberately: think about where the other spouse lives, where any witnesses are, and which building you can reach for conferences.
To grant a divorce, a BC court needs one spouse to have been habitually resident in the province for at least one year before the case starts. The only ground is breakdown of the marriage, proved by a year of living separate and apart, or by adultery or cruelty. A divorce takes effect on the 31st day after the judgment, subject to the rules on appeals. Our guides cover how to file for divorce in BC and an uncontested divorce, and our divorce lawyers handle contested and agreed files.
Property, support and the two-year clock
Under the Family Law Act, each spouse is entitled to half of the family property and responsible for half of the family debt from the date of separation, unless an agreement or court order says otherwise. Property a spouse brought into the relationship, or received by gift or inheritance, can be excluded, although growth in its value during the relationship is shared, and a court can divide unequally where an equal split would be significantly unfair. Unmarried couples who lived together in a marriage-like relationship for two years are treated as spouses. Read more on property division and on whether an inheritance is shared.
Timing is where claims are lost. Section 198(2) of the Act sets a two-year limit for claims to divide property, family debt or a pension, and for spousal support. For a married couple it runs from the divorce judgment (or an order of nullity); for an unmarried couple, from “the date the spouses separated.” A couple who were never married can therefore lose a claim two years after one of them moves out, while a married couple who never divorce face no limit under that subsection. Section 198(5) pauses the period while the spouses are in family dispute resolution with a family dispute resolution professional, or in a prescribed process. Whether a given set of talks qualifies can be argued later, so keep a record of dates and get advice before relying on extra time. Our article on how long after separation you can claim assets goes further.
The Federal Child Support Guidelines set child support from the payor’s income and how many children there are. Spousal support starts with entitlement; the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines then guide amount and duration. A court deciding parenting arrangements looks only at what is best for the child. See child support, spousal support and co-parenting responsibilities.
Couples who settle without a judge record the terms in a separation agreement; couples planning ahead can sign a marriage or cohabitation agreement. Full financial disclosure and independent legal advice for each side make either kind much harder to set aside.
Our family law team
Judith A. Janzen leads the family law practice. She and Candace Cho, KC, the firm’s two principals, joined forces in 2012. The family team:
Common questions
Is there a family court in Langley?
No. Neither the City nor the Township has a courthouse. Provincial Court family files for central Langley go to the Surrey registry, Supreme Court files to a registry such as Port Coquitlam, New Westminster or Abbotsford. The Langley Family Justice Centre on 64th Avenue is a government service, not a court.
Must I see a family justice counsellor before a Provincial Court application?
At the Surrey registry, generally yes, unless an exception applies: the notice to resolve, the needs assessment, the parenting course and a dispute resolution session come first. An application only for protection, a priority parenting matter, relocation, a consent order, case management or enforcement skips them.
Can I get a divorce in the Provincial Court?
No. Only the Supreme Court grants a divorce, and only it can divide property other than a companion animal.
What does a first meeting cost?
Family law files at Onyx are billed at an hourly rate. Ask about the cost of an initial consultation when you book on (604) 900-2538.
Does it matter whether we live in the City or the Township of Langley?
Not for the law: the Family Law Act and the Divorce Act apply the same way across BC. What can matter is the address of the child’s main home, because the Provincial Court rule uses it to find the nearest registry.
Which Supreme Court registry is nearest?
By road from Langley City, Port Coquitlam is about 24 km and New Westminster and Abbotsford about 29 km each. Distance does not decide a Supreme Court filing; the place of trial named in the claim and practical convenience do.
