Process Server in Fresno, California
Since 1961, California law firms have relied on Direct Legal for more than process serving: statewide service of process backed by court filing, records retrieval, subpoena preparation, and judgment enforcement. In Fresno, that means coverage from downtown and the Tower District to Clovis and the farm towns of the valley, and filing at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse, where Fresno civil and family cases begin.
Where Fresno civil cases are filed
B.F. Sisk Courthouse
1130 O Street
Fresno, CA 93721
- 1:30 PMsame-day order deadline
- Up to 4 to 6attempts included
- Since 1961serving California
- Registered & bonded
- Same-day service available
- E&O insurance coverage
- 65+ years in California
Fresno Process Servers, Across Fresno County
Fresno is the largest city in the San Joaquin Valley and the seat of Fresno County: the courthouses and county offices downtown, the federal courthouse on Tulare Street, Fresno State, hospitals and medical centers, and the agriculture, food processing, and distribution businesses that drive the valley's economy. Its neighborhoods run from downtown and the Tower District to north Fresno and the neighboring city of Clovis. Our servers cover Fresno and the rest of the county every business day.
And because Direct Legal is a full litigation support company, not just a serve-and-go operation, the same team that serves your documents can file them at the right courthouse, subpoena the records, run the skip trace, and handle the levy when you win. One partner, from intake through judgment enforcement.
Same-Day & Rush Service Routine, rush, and same-day service levels throughout Fresno and Fresno County, with documented attempt records and prompt proofs of service.
Law Firms & Self-Represented Parties We serve attorneys, paralegals, businesses, and parties without an attorney, with clear flat-rate pricing published below.
Legal Support Services in Fresno
- Process ServingSummons and complaints, subpoenas, family law documents, unlawful detainers, and small claims, served in compliance with the California Code of Civil Procedure.
- Court FilingFiling at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse on O Street, where Fresno civil, eviction, small claims, family law, and probate cases are filed, plus the federal courthouse on Tulare Street.
- E-RecordingElectronic recording of abstracts of judgment, liens, deeds, and other recordable documents with the Fresno County Recorder.
- Skip TracingIf a subject can't be located, our licensed skip tracers can search for a current address using licensed databases and field intelligence.
- Records RetrievalMedical, employment, and business records by subpoena, with deposition officer services.
- Subpoena DomesticationOut-of-state subpoenas domesticated for use in California and California subpoenas prepared for actions pending in other states, then issued, served, and returned.
- Writ LeviesBank levies, wage garnishments, till taps, keeper levies, and vehicle levies under your writ of execution, submitted to the Fresno County Sheriff's Civil Unit.
- E-FilingMandatory e-filing with Fresno County Superior Court for represented parties in civil, family law, and probate cases through an approved provider, plus physical filing at the courthouse where the court still accepts it.
Fresno Process Server Pricing & Rates
Flat rates by service level. Choose the level that fits your deadline.
| Service Level | Law Firms / Legal Departments | Party without Attorney |
|---|---|---|
| StandardFirst attempt in 3 to 5 days, up to 4 to 6 total attempts | $120 | $175 |
| PriorityFirst attempt the next business day, with continued expedited follow-up | $175 | $225 |
| Urgent Same-DayFirst attempt the same day, with expedited follow-up | $195 | $275 |
| On DemandAttempted as soon as possible, including orders received after the deadline. Contact us to confirm availability. | $245 | $325 |
- Order deadline and processing. California orders must be received by 1:30 PM Pacific to begin processing that business day, and orders for service outside California by 10:30 AM Pacific. Orders received after the deadline are processed as if received the next business day. Urgent (same-day) and On Demand requests received after 1:30 PM are subject to availability.
- Pages and pricing. Each order includes the first 50 pages; additional pages are $0.50 each. Prices and service times are per person or entity and per address attempted, and include up to 4 to 6 attempts per address in California or 3 to 5 attempts outside California, unless otherwise stated.
- Address and attempt policy. If an address is invalid, vacant, or nonexistent, or the order is canceled after the first attempt, the full fee remains due and no further attempts are made at that address.
- Additional fees. The portal shows the fees for your order before you submit it. Substitute service mailing, when required by law, is an additional $15. Filing the proof of service with the court, if you request it, is an additional fee; the prices shown do not include it.
See all of our process serving terms.
Serving someone outside Fresno? Look up rates for any city in California and nationwide.
How to Hire a Process Server in Fresno
Create your account
Register at DirectLegal.com in minutes. No setup fees, no minimum orders.
Submit your order
Upload your documents, enter the Fresno or Fresno County address, and choose your service level. Our system is available 24 hours a day.
We dispatch a registered process server
A registered process server covering Fresno and Fresno County is dispatched. Unsuccessful attempts are followed up automatically at varied times of day.
Digital proof of service delivered
Your signed proof of service is emailed when service is complete and is available for download, ready to file with the court.
Documents We Serve in Fresno
- Summons and complaints
- Subpoenas (civil, criminal, and deposition)
- Divorce and family law papers
- Child custody and support orders
- Eviction notices (unlawful detainer)
- Wage attachments and bank levy orders
- Orders for examination of judgment debtor
- Small claims filings (SC-100)
- Motions, pleadings, and discovery documents
- Out-of-state subpoena domestication
- Petitions (probate, civil harassment, elder abuse)
Why Law Firms Choose Direct Legal
Registered & bonded
Every process server is registered and bonded under California Business & Professions Code § 22350.
Real-time case tracking
Check your order any time in your account, from the first attempt to completed service.
Same-day & rush service
Standard, Priority, Urgent, and On Demand levels, with Urgent same-day service for orders received by 1:30 PM Pacific.
Digital proof of service
Your signed proof of service is ready to download as soon as service is complete.
One civil courthouse
Fresno civil, family, and probate cases are all filed at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse downtown, and our filing team knows its counters and its e-filing rules.
Skip tracing in house
When an address goes bad, our skip tracers find a current one so service can continue.
Built for Law Firms, Not One-Time Serves
There's a difference between someone who serves papers and a litigation support partner. Since 1961, as California's oldest family-owned process serving company, we've helped attorneys solve litigation problems: complex service, records subpoenas on major matters, out-of-state domestication, and judgment enforcement. When unusual issues arise (and in litigation, they always do), you'll be working with professionals who've likely solved that problem before.
Leadership recognized throughout the profession Direct Legal is led by CEO Mike Kern, past president of both CALSPro and NAPPS. In 2023 NAPPS gave him its highest honor, the Donald C. “Mac” MacDonald Award. He also speaks at continuing education programs for paralegals and legal secretaries across California.
Records retrieval with decades behind it Our Records Retrieval Division is managed by professionals with over 40 years of experience, including work on some of California's largest litigation matters.
California
business
deadline
Our Process Servers Cover Fresno and Fresno County
Every Fresno neighborhood and every Fresno County community, from the valley floor to the foothills.
Nearby process server pages: Merced · Modesto · Bakersfield · Stockton · All California locations
Courts Serving Fresno
Fresno County files its civil, family, and probate cases in one building downtown: the B.F. Sisk Courthouse on O Street.
B.F. Sisk Courthouse
1130 O Street
Fresno, CA 93721
Limited and unlimited civil, unlawful detainer, small claims, family law, probate, and civil harassment cases, plus the Self-Help Center. The clerk's office is open 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Friday, and documents left in the courthouse drop box before 5:00 p.m. are processed as of that day.
More for Fresno cases
- Fresno Superior Courthouse1100 Van Ness Avenue, Fresno, CA 93724. Criminal and juvenile dependency cases.
- U.S. District Court, FresnoRobert E. Coyle U.S. Courthouse, 2500 Tulare Street, Fresno, CA 93721. Federal cases for the Eastern District of California, with the bankruptcy court in the same building.
- Fresno County Sheriff Civil Unit770 E. Shaw Avenue, Suite 300, Fresno, CA 93710. The levying officer for writs, bank levies, and wage garnishments in Fresno County.
Mandatory E-Filing in Fresno County
Mandatory e-filing in Fresno County
Represented parties must e-file in all civil, family law, and probate cases unless the court excuses them (Local Rule 4.1.2), and since July 1, 2025 they must accept electronic service. The court moved to its new e-Court case management system on April 1, 2026. Self-represented parties are encouraged to e-file but aren't required to. Fresno County e-filing details
One courthouse for civil and family
Civil, unlawful detainer, small claims, family law, and probate cases are all filed at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse, with the family law clerk on the second floor and the probate clerk on the third. The clerk's office is open 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Friday, and documents left in the courthouse drop box before 5:00 p.m. are processed as of that day.
Fresno County Sheriff Civil Unit
Fresno County levies are handled by the Fresno County Sheriff's Civil Unit, whose office is at 770 E. Shaw Avenue, Suite 300 (mail goes to its P.O. box instead). Levy packets go in by mail or at the window with the writ and the levying officer instructions, and the Sheriff accepts electronically issued writs with its Electronic Writ Declaration. Since January 1, 2025, levy instructions on a judgment for a personal debt must include a declaration under CCP 684.130, now made on the Judicial Council's Declaration of Address Verification (form WG-015/EJ-135). Writ levy services
How Individuals Are Served in Fresno
California law allows several ways to serve a person. We always try personal service first and document every attempt so your proof of service holds up to challenge.
- CCP § 415.10
Personal service
Documents are handed directly to the individual. This is the most defensible method in court and always our first approach.
- CCP § 415.20
Substitute service
After reasonable diligence, documents may be left with a competent adult at the person's home or usual place of business, then mailed first-class to the same address. Every prior attempt is documented in writing so the proof of service holds up to challenge.
Starting January 1, 2027, AB 747 requires at least three good faith attempts at personal delivery, on three different days at three different times, before substitute service on an individual. Each attempt will also need a photo of the service location stamped with the date, time, and GPS coordinates. Every Direct Legal order already includes up to 4 to 6 attempts at a single California address.
- § 415.20(c)
Private mailboxes
When a private mailbox at a mail store, such as a UPS Store, is the only address we can find, the papers can be left with the store on the first attempt. The store then mails them to the box holder. A regular USPS P.O. Box cannot be used for service.
- CCP § 415.21
Gated communities
When a gated community is staffed by a guard or other security personnel, they must let a registered process server in for a reasonable time to serve papers. North Fresno and Clovis have gated neighborhoods and apartment communities, and our servers work with gate staff and document each attempt.
- CCP § 415.50
Service by publication
When a defendant can't be located after standard methods are exhausted, a court may authorize publication in a qualifying newspaper. We can prepare the declaration of diligence the court requires.
- Court-ready
Proof of service
Every completed service produces a signed proof of service on the Judicial Council form, in your account and inbox the moment service is done, ready to file.
Serving Corporations and Businesses in Fresno
Fresno County's economy runs on agriculture and food processing, healthcare, logistics, and government. Corporate service here can mean a downtown office, a hospital or clinic administration office, a packing house or farm office out in the county, or the front office of a distribution center along Highway 99.
Key Rules for Serving a Business in Fresno
- A corporation can be served through its registered agent for service of process, or through an officer or general manager (CCP § 416.10).
- Limited liability companies and partnerships are usually served through their registered agent. You can look up an agent on the California Secretary of State business search.
- When a company's registered agent is a commercial agent in Los Angeles County or Sacramento, our statewide servers handle that too, on the same order.
- A standard USPS P.O. Box is never a valid address for service; a physical street address is required. If the only address we can find is a private mailbox at a mail store, such as a UPS Store, the papers can be left with the store on the first attempt (CCP § 415.20(c)).
Fresno Process Serving FAQs
How fast can you serve legal documents in Fresno?
We offer routine, rush, and same-day service levels throughout Fresno and Fresno County. Our servers work this territory every business day, so rush assignments go to a server already in the area, not into tomorrow's queue.
Where are Fresno court cases filed?
Civil, unlawful detainer, small claims, family law, and probate cases from Fresno are all filed at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse at 1130 O Street, downtown. The family law clerk is on the second floor and the probate clerk on the third. The Fresno Superior Courthouse at 1100 Van Ness Avenue handles criminal and juvenile dependency cases. The clerk's office is open 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Friday, and documents left in the courthouse drop box before 5:00 p.m. are processed as of that day.
Is e-filing mandatory in Fresno County?
For attorneys, yes. Represented parties must e-file in all civil, family law, and probate cases unless the court excuses them, under Code of Civil Procedure 1010.6 and Local Rule 4.1.2, and they must accept electronic service. Self-represented parties are encouraged to e-file but aren't required to. The court switched to its new e-Court case management system on April 1, 2026, and e-filings go through the court's approved e-filing service providers.
Do you handle writ levies in Fresno?
Yes. Fresno County levies are handled by the Fresno County Sheriff's Civil Unit, whose office is at 770 E. Shaw Avenue, Suite 300 (mail goes to its P.O. box instead). Levy packets go in by mail or at the window with the writ and the levying officer instructions, and the Sheriff accepts electronically issued writs with its Electronic Writ Declaration. Since January 1, 2025, levy instructions on a judgment for a personal debt must include a declaration under CCP 684.130, now made on the Judicial Council's Declaration of Address Verification (form WG-015/EJ-135). We prepare the writ of execution and the Sheriff's instructions, submit them, serve bank levies at each institution's designated central location for legal process, and handle wage garnishments, till taps, keeper levies, and vehicle levies.
Can you file in the federal court in Fresno?
Yes. The Eastern District of California's Fresno division sits in the Robert E. Coyle U.S. Courthouse at 2500 Tulare Street, and the bankruptcy court is in the same building. Our filing team files there as well as at the Superior Court.
What areas do you cover around Fresno?
Every Fresno neighborhood, plus Clovis, Sanger, Selma, Kingsburg, Fowler, Reedley, Parlier, Kerman, and the rest of Fresno County, out to Coalinga, Mendota, and the Sierra foothills, and through our statewide network, every city in California.
What happens if the person can't be found at the address I provide?
Our servers make multiple attempts at different times of day and document each attempt. Where permitted, we can complete substituted service under California law. If the subject can't be located at all, our licensed skip tracers can search for a current address before your deadline passes.
How much does a process server cost in Fresno?
For law firms and legal departments, process serving in Fresno is $120 for Standard service, $175 for Priority, $195 for Urgent same-day service, and $245 for On Demand. For parties without an attorney, the rates are $175, $225, $275, and $325. Each rate covers one person or entity at one address and includes up to 4 to 6 attempts and the first 50 pages. Outlying Fresno County communities such as Coalinga, Mendota, Firebaugh, Huron, and Shaver Lake are in a higher rate tier starting at $175 for law firms.
What is changing for substitute service in California in 2027?
Beginning January 1, 2027, AB 747 requires at least three good faith attempts at personal delivery, on three different days at three different times, before substitute service can be used on an individual. Each attempt must also be documented with a photo of the service location stamped with the date, time, and GPS coordinates. Every Direct Legal order includes up to 4 to 6 attempts at a single California address.
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