How It Works
A clear process, from intake to proof of service
Service of process is a legal requirement with strict rules. Here is exactly what happens after you hand us your documents.
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Send us your documents
Email your documents to service@californiaprocessservers.com or send them through our online submission portal. Intake is online as scanned PDFs for most matters; if your court or matter requires hard copies, call 818-857-4333 to coordinate. Include the name and address of the person to be served and any deadline or hearing date.
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We confirm the details and quote you
We review the paperwork, confirm the service address and county, and give you a flat price and expected turnaround before we start. Jobs are sent to a process server on business days; orders received on a weekend or court holiday go out the next business day. Once the server has the job, Routine service typically has a first attempt within 3-4 days, and attempts may be made on any day, including evenings and weekends. Rush orders get priority handling: orders received before 12pm on a business day are prioritized for a same-day first attempt, otherwise the first attempt is typically made within 1-2 days. Same-day attempts are not guaranteed. Restraining orders, evictions, and orders due within 8 days are always attempted as Rush. All timing depends on server availability and schedule.
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Attempts begin
A registered server makes attempts at different times of day and on different days, mornings, evenings and weekends, logging the date, time, address and observations for each one.
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You get status updates
You are notified after each attempt, not just at the end. If the address is bad or the person has moved, we aim to tell you promptly and can begin skip tracing.
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Proof of service is prepared
Proofs of service are batched and typically sent within 2-3 business days after service is completed, since signed confirmation has to come back from the field server first. If proof needs to be filed with the court, return time can also vary depending on the court's own processing.
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Filing and follow-up
Need the proof filed with the court? We handle court filing and can arrange service by posting or substituted service when the court requires additional steps.
What we need from you to start
- • The documents to be served as scanned PDFs (if hard copies are required, call us to coordinate)
- • Full name of the party being served
- • Service address, plus any second address such as a workplace
- • A physical description if available
- • Court name, case number and any hearing or response deadline
- • Best times the person is likely to be home
What happens behind each step
The six steps above describe what you see. Underneath them is a set of judgment calls that decide whether a serve takes two days or two weeks. Understanding those decisions helps you send us better information at the start, which is by far the biggest factor in how quickly a case gets served anywhere in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside or San Diego counties.
Reviewing the documents before dispatch
Before a server ever leaves, someone reads the paperwork. We check that the party name on the documents matches the person at the address, that the document type is one the court expects to be personally served, whether a witness fee or a specific form of proof is required, and whether the address is residential, commercial, or a registered agent. Catching a mismatch at this stage costs a phone call. Catching it after four failed attempts costs you a hearing date.
How attempts are scheduled
Standard service includes four attempts, varied by day and time so that a person with an unusual schedule is not missed. Early mornings and evenings work best for residences, business hours for workplaces and registered agents. Timing is set by server judgment and by anything you tell us about the party's habits. Each attempt is logged with date, time, address and observations, which is what later supports substituted service or a declaration of due diligence if personal service proves impossible.
When plans change mid-assignment
Addresses go stale, people move, and some parties actively avoid service. When that happens we aim to notify you promptly rather than wait until the end of the cycle, and we lay out the options: skip tracing to find a current address or workplace, stakeouts for genuinely evasive parties, substituted service under California Code of Civil Procedure section 415.20, or a motion for service by publication or posting where the court allows it. You decide how far to take it.
Proof of service and court filing
Proofs are batched and typically returned within two to three business days after service completes, because the signed confirmation has to come back from the field server first. If you need it filed rather than returned, we file at the Van Nuys, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Orange County, Stanley Mosk, Glendale, Anaheim and Chatsworth courthouses, with return times that depend partly on each court's own processing speed.
Need Papers Served in California?
Documents submitted online are reviewed promptly. Get a quote and we'll discuss the real timeline before you commit to anything.