Services · I
Process Serving in California and Nationwide
Serve summonses, complaints, subpoenas and other court papers through registered process servers in California and through local process servers in every other state, all ordered and tracked from one account. Built for law firms, attorneys and their paralegals.
Process serving through Legal Hub Group is for law firms. Representing yourself? Our sister company Famous Legal Services handles serves for individuals. Anyone can still have papers mailed through Legal Hub Group (service by mail and Print & Mail).
Who It's For
Built for the people who order serves
- Law firms and attorneys serving one defendant or hundreds, in one state or many.
- Paralegals and legal assistants who need the proof of service back without chasing it.
- Representing yourself? Our sister company Famous Legal Services serves papers for individuals (California requires a server who is at least 18 and not a party to the case). Mailing your papers through us is open to everyone.
- Mass tort and multi-state dockets that need one place to order and track serves across states.
- GPS-verified attempts with time-stamped field notes
- Proofs rendered on the official form, not a lookalike
- Server e-signature under penalty of perjury, dated at signing
- Two-stage review before any document reaches your file
- Substituted-service follow-up mailing tracked to completion
- Real-time status in your portal: no chasing affidavits
- Corporate, registered-agent, and Secretary of State service
The Process
How it works, step by step
- Create a free account and start a serve order. Upload the papers, name the person or business to be served, and give the service address.
- Choose the service level: routine, rush or same-day. The price for that address's state is shown before you submit.
- A process server local to the address takes the job and makes the attempts. In California, serves go to registered process servers.
- Every attempt is logged from the field with a GPS fix, a time stamp and the server's notes, and you watch it in your portal as it happens.
- The proof of service is built from that record on the official form, e-signed by the server under penalty of perjury and reviewed by our team before it reaches your file.
- Get the proof filed. Tick "File the proof of service with the court for me when service is done" when you order, and on a California case in a court we e-file in, the approved proof is filed into the case for you, at no charge from us. Or file it yourself through California e-filing.
What you need to order a serve
- The papers to be served, uploaded as files.
- Who is being served: the person's full name, or the business's legal name and, if you have it, its registered agent.
- The service address. No current address? Start with skip tracing for attorneys.
- The case details: the case number, the court and the parties, which go onto the proof of service.
- Anything that helps the server, in the notes: a description, the best times to find the person, a gate code.
What it costs
In California, a serve is $150 routine, $200 rush or $250 same-day per person served, and each additional defendant at the same address is $95 on routine. You see the price before you submit.
Every other state's routine, rush and same-day rates are published on our pricing page, state by state, along with subscription plans that take up to 20% off every serve.
Service by mail: $45.00 per recipient, which includes the first 50 pages and postage, $0.25 per page after that, mailed within 24 hours of your order. For papers served after a case has started, not a summons.
Running hundreds or thousands of matters? Tell us the volume and the states and you'll have written pricing within one business day.
Turnaround
- Routine: First attempt within 3 business days.
- Rush: First attempt within 24 hours.
- Same-day: for papers that cannot wait, priced per state on the pricing page.
How many attempts a serve takes depends on the address and the person's routine. You see each one as it is logged, not at the end.
Where we serve
California: statewide, through registered California process servers. Nationwide: all 50 states and the District of Columbia, through process servers local to the address, from the same account. See our nationwide coverage.
California rules at a glance
- A summons may be served by anyone at least 18 years old who is not a party to the case (Code of Civil Procedure section 414.10).
- Personal service is complete when the papers are delivered (section 415.10). Substituted service is complete on the 10th day after the follow-up mailing (section 415.20).
- A person who serves process more than 10 times in a calendar year must register as a process server with the county clerk, with some exemptions (Business and Professions Code section 22350).
- A registered process server's proof of service creates a legal presumption that the facts stated in it are true (Evidence Code section 647).
Our guides go deeper: personal service, substituted service, serving a corporation and which proof of service form to use. Can't find the person? Skip tracing for attorneys looks for a current address first.
Questions
Common Questions
Before you serve.
How do I serve someone in California?
California law says a summons may be served by anyone at least 18 years old who is not a party to the case (Code of Civil Procedure section 414.10), which is why most filers use a registered process server. You submit the documents and the address, a registered server makes the attempts, and you receive a completed proof of service to file with the court. Which method of service fits your matter is a question for you or your attorney.
How much does process serving cost in California?
A routine serve in California is $150, rush is $200 and same-day is $250 per person served, plus $95 for each additional defendant at the same address on routine. The price is shown before you submit. Other states have their own rates, all published on our pricing page.
How fast is the first attempt?
Routine: First attempt within 3 business days. Rush: First attempt within 24 hours. Same-day service is also available for papers that cannot wait. Every attempt appears in your portal as soon as the server logs it.
What happens if the person can't be served in person?
If the papers cannot be personally delivered with reasonable diligence, California allows substituted service: leaving them at the home with a competent member of the household, or at the workplace or usual mailing address with the person apparently in charge, at least 18 years old, and then mailing a copy to the same address. Service is complete on the 10th day after the mailing (Code of Civil Procedure section 415.20). Our platform will not issue the proof until that mailing is logged. Which route fits your case is a decision for you or your attorney.
Do you serve papers outside California?
Yes. We serve in all 50 states and the District of Columbia through process servers local to the address, ordered and tracked from the same account. Each state's prices are on our pricing page. The rules for how papers may be served differ from state to state.
How do I get proof of service?
It is generated for you. The server's logged attempt, GPS fix, and receiver details flow straight onto the official proof-of-service form, e-signed under penalty of perjury and reviewed by our team before it reaches your file. It appears in your portal, ready to file with the court.
Can you file the proof of service with the court?
Yes, on a California case in a court we e-file in. Tick "File the proof of service with the court for me when service is done" when you order the serve. Once our team has approved the server's signed proof, it is filed into the case under your firm's own court account and attorney. We charge nothing for it; any court fee goes on your payment method on file.
Put your next serve on the record.
Create a free account and submit your first job, or tell us your volume and we'll send written pricing within one business day.