Process Server in Los Angeles, 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 Los Angeles, that means a company headquartered downtown, minutes from the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, with servers and a filing team covering every Los Angeles Superior Court location.
Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill Street
- Registered & bonded
- Headquartered in Los Angeles
- E&O insurance coverage
- 65+ years in California
Los Angeles Process Servers, From Downtown to Every Neighborhood
Los Angeles is Direct Legal's home. Our headquarters is downtown, near the Stanley Mosk and Spring Street courthouses and the federal courts around the Civic Center, and our servers work the whole city every business day: law firms in the Financial District and along Wilshire Boulevard, entertainment companies in Hollywood, the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, and neighborhoods from Silver Lake and Koreatown to Westwood and the San Fernando Valley, plus the rest of Los Angeles County.
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 Los Angeles and Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles
- 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 Stanley Mosk Courthouse, where most Los Angeles civil, family law, probate, eviction, and small claims cases are filed, the Spring Street Courthouse, and every Los Angeles Superior Court location countywide.
- E-RecordingElectronic recording of abstracts of judgment, liens, deeds, and other recordable documents with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
- 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, opened at the correct Los Angeles County Sheriff's Civil Management Bureau branch.
- E-FilingMandatory e-filing with Los Angeles Superior Court for civil and probate through an approved provider, plus physical filing wherever the court still accepts it.
Los Angeles 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 | $95 | $150 |
| PriorityFirst attempt the next business day, with continued expedited follow-up | $145 | $200 |
| Urgent Same-DayFirst attempt the same day, with expedited follow-up | $175 | $250 |
| On DemandAttempted as soon as possible, including orders received after the deadline. Contact us to confirm availability. | $225 | $300 |
| Support: Law Firms and Legal Departments | Available: Phone (800) 675-5376Available: Email support@ | |
| Support: Parties without an AttorneyPlease include your account number when you email us. | Available: Email support@ | |
- 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 Los Angeles? Look up rates for any city in California and nationwide.
How to Hire a Process Server in Los Angeles
Create Your Account
Register at DirectLegal.com in minutes. No setup fees, no minimum orders.
Submit Your Order
Upload your documents, enter the Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles and Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles
- 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.
Minutes From Stanley Mosk
Our downtown headquarters is minutes from the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, where most Los Angeles civil cases are filed.
In-House Skip Tracing
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 Los Angeles and Los Angeles County
Every Los Angeles neighborhood and every city in Los Angeles County.
Nearby process server pages: Beverly Hills · Century City · Glendale · Burbank · Pasadena · Santa Monica · Long Beach · Torrance · Compton · Bellflower · Van Nuys · Sherman Oaks · Encino · Santa Clarita · CT Corporation, Glendale · All California locations
Courts Serving Los Angeles
Most Los Angeles civil cases start at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse on North Hill Street, though the court's Filing Court Locator assigns some case types by ZIP code.
Stanley Mosk Courthouse
111 N. Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Civil, family law, probate, small claims, and unlawful detainer cases for central Los Angeles ZIP codes, with the civil filing window in Room 102 and post-judgment filings such as writs in Room 118. The clerk's office is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.
More downtown courthouses
- Spring Street Courthouse312 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Civil departments, including complex, personal injury, limited civil, and unlawful detainer.
- Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center210 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Criminal cases.
- U.S. District CourtEdward R. Roybal Federal Building, 255 E. Temple Street, for physical filings in Room 180, and the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. 1st Street. Federal cases for the Central District of California.
Mandatory E-Filing in Los Angeles County
Electronic Filing
Los Angeles Superior Court requires e-filing for represented parties in civil and probate cases through an approved e-filing service provider; self-represented litigants may e-file but aren't required to. In small claims, attorneys must e-file post-judgment documents. Under the court's rules, writs and abstracts are e-filed as a separate electronic envelope, a detail that matters when you're enforcing a judgment on a deadline. Our California e-filing service
Filing Court by ZIP Code
Los Angeles Superior Court assigns many case types by ZIP code through its Filing Court Locator. For most central Los Angeles ZIP codes, civil, family law, probate, eviction, and small claims cases go to Stanley Mosk, but limited civil collection cases go to Norwalk for downtown ZIP codes and Chatsworth for Hollywood-area ZIP codes, and unlimited personal injury cases must be filed at Stanley Mosk (Local Rule 2.3). We check the locator on every filing.
Sheriff Civil Management Bureau
The Sheriff's Civil Management Bureau has its Los Angeles branch at 110 N. Grand Avenue, Room 525, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and closed from noon to 1:00 p.m. Los Angeles County levies are opened at the Sheriff's Civil Management Bureau branch for the service area, and registered process server openings are by appointment only. Any levy served on CT Corporation System must be opened at the Los Angeles branch. 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 Los Angeles
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. Los Angeles also has many secured office towers and apartment buildings without a guard, where our servers work with building staff, time attempts carefully, and document each one.
- 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 Los Angeles
Los Angeles has one of the largest economies in the country: law and finance downtown and along Wilshire Boulevard, entertainment and media in Hollywood and beyond, the Port of Los Angeles, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics. Corporate service here can mean a reception desk on a secured floor, a studio's security gate, or a warehouse front office, and many companies use commercial registered agents rather than accepting service at their own offices.
Key Rules for Serving a Business in Los Angeles
- 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.
- Thousands of companies use CT Corporation System as their California agent for service of process. Its Southern California office is at 330 N. Brand Blvd. in Glendale. Serving CT Corporation
- 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)).
Los Angeles Process Serving FAQs
How fast can you serve legal documents in Los Angeles?
We offer routine, rush, and same-day service levels throughout the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles court cases filed?
Most civil, family law, probate, eviction, and small claims cases from central Los Angeles ZIP codes are filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill Street, where the civil filing window is Room 102. The court assigns some case types by ZIP code through its Filing Court Locator: limited civil collection cases from downtown ZIP codes go to the Norwalk Courthouse, for example, and those from Hollywood-area ZIP codes to the Chatsworth Courthouse. Unlimited personal injury cases must be filed at Stanley Mosk under Local Rule 2.3.
Is e-filing mandatory in Los Angeles County?
For represented parties in civil and probate cases, yes. Los Angeles Superior Court requires e-filing through an approved e-filing service provider, and self-represented litigants may e-file but aren't required to. Under the court's rules, writs and abstracts of judgment are e-filed as a separate electronic envelope.
Do you handle writ levies in Los Angeles?
Yes. The Sheriff's Civil Management Bureau has its Los Angeles branch at 110 N. Grand Avenue, Room 525, in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse building. Los Angeles County levies are opened at the Sheriff's Civil Management Bureau branch for the service area, and registered process server openings are by appointment only. Any levy served on CT Corporation System must be opened at the Los Angeles branch. 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 and instructions, open the levy, and serve bank levies, wage garnishments, till taps, keeper levies, and vehicle levies.
Do you serve papers in federal cases in Los Angeles?
Yes. Our registered servers handle federal summonses and subpoenas for the Central District of California. Physical filings go to the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, 255 E. Temple Street, Room 180, and the court's other downtown courthouse is the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez U.S. Courthouse at 350 W. 1st Street.
Where is Direct Legal located?
Our headquarters is in downtown Los Angeles. Our mailing and delivery address is 1200 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 408, Los Angeles, CA 90017, (213) 483-4900, and our corporate office is at 901 Corporate Center Dr., Suite 400, in Monterey Park, (800) 675-5376. You can also place an order online any time.
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 Los Angeles?
For law firms and legal departments, process serving in Los Angeles is $95 for Standard service, $145 for Priority, $175 for Urgent same-day service, and $225 for On Demand. For parties without an attorney, the rates are $150, $200, $250, and $300. Each rate covers one person or entity at one address and includes up to 4 to 6 attempts and the first 50 pages. Rates are higher in some outlying parts of the county, starting at $120 for law firms in Lancaster, Palmdale, and Agoura Hills, and at $175 in Malibu and Avalon. There are no mileage fees for process serving in Los Angeles County. A few hard-to-reach communities, such as Lake Los Angeles and Neenach, carry an additional fee, which the portal shows when you enter the address, before you place the order.
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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