Routine
$150
First attempt within 3 business days.
Each additional defendant at the same address: $95.
Process Serving · California
California Process Server for Law Firms
Have summonses, complaints and other court papers served anywhere in California, ordered and tracked from one account. Below: who can serve papers in California, how service is made, the deadlines, the proof of service form and our prices.
Process serving through Legal Hub Group is for law firms, attorneys and their staff. Representing yourself? Our sister company Famous Legal Services handles serves for individuals.
How it is done
How papers are served in California
- Personal service
Handing a copy of the summons and complaint to the person being served. Service is complete at the moment of delivery. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 415.10 ↗
- Substituted service
If the person cannot be handed the papers with reasonable diligence, leaving them at the home, usual place of business or usual mailing address (not a post office box) with a competent adult who is told what they are, then mailing a copy. Complete on the 10th day after mailing. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 415.20(b) ↗
- Mail with notice and acknowledgment
Mailing the summons and complaint with two copies of a notice and acknowledgment of receipt (POS-015) and a prepaid return envelope. Complete on the date the acknowledgment is signed, if it is returned. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 415.30 ↗
- Out of state by mail
A person outside California may be served by first-class mail requiring a return receipt; service is complete on the 10th day after mailing. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 415.40 ↗
Who
Who can serve papers in California
A summons may be served by any person who is at least 18 years old and not a party to the case. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 414.10 ↗
A person who makes more than 10 services of process in California in a calendar year for compensation must register as a process server with the county clerk where they live or have their main place of business. Sheriffs and marshals, attorneys and their employees in their own cases, court-appointed servers and licensed private investigators are exempt. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22350 ↗
Timelines
How fast, and the court's deadline
Our first-attempt promises:
- Routine: First attempt within 3 business days.
- Rush: First attempt within 24 hours.
- Same-day: for papers that cannot wait.
Every attempt shows in your account as soon as the server logs it.
The court's deadline for service: Proofs of service on named defendants are to be filed within 60 days after the complaint is filed. The summons and complaint must be served within three years after the complaint is filed, or the case must be dismissed. Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.110(b); Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§ 583.210, 583.250 ↗
Proof
The proof of service in California
POS-010, Proof of Service of Summons. Adopted for mandatory use; one proof for each party served, signed by the server under penalty of perjury. Family law cases use FL-115. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 417.10(f); Judicial Council form POS-010 ↗
Your server's proof is built from the field record of the serve.
Price
What a California serve costs
Per person served, shown before you submit. Subscription plans take up to 20% off every serve.
Rush
$200
First attempt within 24 hours.
Same-day
$250
For papers that cannot wait.
Cities
Process serving in California cities
Questions
Serving papers in California: questions
Who can serve papers in California?
Any person at least 18 who is not a party (Code Civ. Proc. § 414.10). Someone who serves more than 10 times a year for pay must register as a process server with their county clerk (Bus. & Prof. Code § 22350).
When must the proof of service be filed in California?
Within 60 days after the complaint is filed for named defendants (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.110(b)). The outer limit to serve is three years (Code Civ. Proc. § 583.210).
What changes in California on January 1, 2027?
Under AB 747, reasonable diligence before substituted service means at least three attempts on three different days at three different times, and proofs of personal and substituted service must include date-, time- and location-stamped photos of each attempt (Code Civ. Proc. §§ 415.20, 417.10, as amended).
Keep reading
Guides to serving papers
- Who Can Accept Served Papers?
- How to Serve Someone Court Papers Without an Address
- Can You Serve Someone Yourself?
- What Happens If You Are Not Properly Served?
- Can Court Papers Be Served by Mail?
- What Does a Process Server Do?
- How Much Does a Process Server Cost?
- What Is a Return of Service?
- What Is a Declaration of Non-Service?
- What Is Insufficient Service of Process?
- How to Serve Someone in California: The Ways to Serve Court Papers
- Personal Service in California: What CCP §415.10 Requires
- Substituted Service in California: What CCP §415.20 Actually Requires
- Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt in California
- POS-010 vs. POS-040: Which Proof of Service Form to Use
- What Makes a Registered California Process Server
Serving in another state? See process serving in every state.
General information, not legal advice. The rules above are the ones in force when we checked them (October 2026); the court and the cited rules control.
Serve papers in California today.
Create your free firm account, upload the papers and choose routine, rush or same-day.