Service of Process · Updated October 2026

Served Right the First Time: Ordering Service of Process

A lot of service problems can be headed off when the order is placed. What your process server needs from your office, and what to check before the proof of service is filed.

Direct Legal Blog

Service of Process

First published 2026 · Updated October 2026

Law firms and legal departments order service of process every week, and most orders go smoothly. The ones that don’t often have a cause that was visible before the first attempt: a name that doesn’t match the summons, an address that’s out of date, a locked gate, a deadline nobody passed along. This article covers what to send with a service order in California, what the attempt notes are telling you, and what to check in the proof of service. It’s also a free six-page guide, Served Right the First Time (PDF), with a one-page checklist for your desk.

Before you order

Match the Order to the Papers

Work from the summons or subpoena, not from intake notes. The name on the order should match the papers exactly, including any capacity, such as an individual doing business under a trade name or a trustee.

One order for each person or entity. Each party is a separate service with its own proof of service, even at a shared address.
Tell relatives apart. A middle initial, Jr. or Sr., or an approximate age keeps the server from handing the papers to the wrong family member.
Individual or entity. The rules differ. A corporation is served through its agent for service of process, or an officer or general manager (CCP § 416.10), and LLCs and partnerships are usually served through their agent. Check the current agent on the Secretary of State’s bizfile Online before you order.

Many companies use a commercial agent; see our pages on serving CT Corporation in Glendale and CSC in Sacramento. When an agent has resigned or can’t be found, a court can order service through the Secretary of State (Corporations Code § 1702 for a California corporation). Our registered agent article covers the steps.

Where

What the Address Check Tells You, and What It Doesn’t

Send every address that could work, home and work, each with its unit or suite number. When you enter an address in a process serving order in our portal, it’s checked against USPS address data. Missing details such as the ZIP code are filled in, and the portal shows whether the address is a residence or a business.

What the check confirms: the address exists and mail can be delivered there.
What it doesn’t: who lives or works there, or whether the person you need to serve has moved. That comes from your own records or a skip trace.

The difference matters. If an address turns out to be vacant, no longer the person’s, or nonexistent, the full fee applies and no more attempts are made there. When you aren’t sure an address is current, order the skip trace first.

A few addresses follow their own rules. A USPS post office box can’t be used for service. A private mailbox at a mail store, such as a UPS Store, can be, by leaving the papers there on the first attempt and mailing a copy, when it’s the only address reasonably known (CCP § 415.20(c)). And when a guard or security staff controls the entrance to a gated community or a larger apartment or condominium building, they have to let a registered process server in for a reasonable time (CCP § 415.21). When no one is staffing the gate, send the code or the call box name.

What the server needs

Put What You Know in Special Instructions

A server who knows when someone leaves for work, what they drive, and which door they use plans better attempts. Add what you can to Special Instructions:

Description: approximate age, height and build, hair, glasses, tattoos, and a recent photo if you have one.
Schedule: work hours, shifts, days off, regular appointments, travel.
Vehicles: make, model, color, plate, and where they park.
Access: gate codes, the name on the call box, the building office, the right entrance.
Work: the employer, location and hours, and whether service at work is all right with you.
Safety: dogs, threats, a history of confrontation, a restraining order in the case.
Counsel: whether the person has a lawyer who might accept service. Service by mail with a Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt (form POS-015) is complete only when it’s signed and returned (CCP § 415.30).

Timing

Complete Papers and a Stated Deadline

The papers: the issued summons, the complaint, the court’s ADR information package (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.221(c)), any notice of case assignment or hearing, and every exhibit, with a complete set for each party. For a subpoena that requires attendance, have the witness fees ready; our witness fee calculator shows the amounts.
The deadline and the reason: a hearing date, a response deadline, or the 60 days allowed for filing the proof of service of the summons (rule 3.110(b)). Put it in the order, not just in an email.
The service level: Standard (first attempt in 3 to 5 days), Priority (the next day), Urgent (the same day for California orders received by 1:30 p.m. Pacific) or On Demand (a server sent as soon as possible).
Time for substituted service: the attempts, the mailing, and 10 days after the mailing before service is complete (CCP § 415.20).

While it’s underway

Read the Attempt Notes

Every California order includes up to 4 to 6 attempts at the address you give us, at different times of day, with no more than one attempt a day unless you arrange more. Our servers post each update from the field with the date, time, and GPS location, and photos can be attached. You see the updates on the order’s Status tab in the portal, and a copy is emailed to you. The notes often answer the next question:

“Moved” or “unknown at address” means the address has gone bad. A skip trace will help more than another attempt.
“No access” means the server needs a gate code, a call box name, or a time when the entrance is staffed.
When someone answers but won’t say whether the person lives there, a description or photo helps the server know who they’re talking to.
No answer on every attempt at a good address is the time for an early morning or evening attempt, a work address, or a stakeout.

Pass along anything new right away, such as a new job, a new car, or a change in schedule. If the person is avoiding service, our article on defendants avoiding service covers substituted service and the court-ordered options, including email service under CCP § 413.30 since January 1, 2026.

After service

Check the Proof Before It’s Filed

The signed proof of service is emailed to you and saved in your account when service is complete. Before anyone files it or relies on it for a default, check that:

The name and capacity match the summons exactly, and the documents listed match what you sent.
The method, date, time, and address are right. For substituted service, the person who took the papers is named or described and the mailing date is shown; service is complete on the 10th day after the mailing.
The server’s registration details are filled in. A registered process server’s proof of service is presumed true (Evidence Code § 647).

If something looks wrong, call us before you file. When the facts support it, an error can be fixed with an amended proof of service. Our article Before You Request Default, Check the Proof of Service goes further. To have us e-file the proof once the server signs it, check the eFile Proof box when you order process serving (an added fee).

Coming soon

What Changes on January 1, 2027

AB 747 (Stats. 2025, ch. 563) and AB 2042 (Stats. 2026, ch. 379) change service of the summons for service on or after January 1, 2027:

Substituted service on an individual requires at least three attempts at personal delivery, on three different days, at three different times (CCP § 415.20(b)). In consumer debt cases, one attempt has to be at the defendant’s home if it’s known or can be found with reasonable effort.
The proof of service includes photos of the site of each service or attempt, stamped with the date, time, and GPS coordinates (CCP § 417.10).
A defendant who offers evidence that service wasn’t lawful shifts the burden to the party that took the default (CCP § 473.2).

CALSPro, the California Association of Legal Support Professionals, reads AB 2042 as treating a photograph as evidence of service rather than a condition of it, leaving the court to weigh all the evidence. The Judicial Council approved revised proof of service forms on October 16, 2026, for use starting January 1, 2027, including a new optional Declaration of Diligence (POS-012). Our articles on California proofs of service and what changes on January 1, 2027 have the details.

Download

Get the Free Guide

Served Right the First Time (PDF, 6 pages) covers each step above, with the California rules and a one-page checklist to use before you submit an order. It’s free, with no sign-up. Share it with your staff.

Ready to order? Our process serving page has rates for every California city and every state, or call our Litigation Division at (800) 675-5376.

Please note

About This Article

This article is general information about California law and court procedure as of October 2026. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Direct Legal Support is a registered process serving and litigation support company, not a law firm. Statutes, court rules, and forms change, so check the current versions and your court’s local rules, and talk with an attorney about your specific matter.