Important Rules Process Servers Must Follow

The State of Florida has strict laws related to process servers, and counties or judicial circuits are even legally permitted to impose even stricter laws, at their discretion. The process of following all local and state laws is extremely important as any deviation could pose devastating results for a client’s case. 

By not adhering to the laws, process servers in Sarasota County, which is part of Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit, it can easily damage your client’s reputation, add extra expenses to the case, waste court resources, and ultimately lead to an end of your relationship with the client. This will undoubtedly affect your revenue and tarnish your own reputation, resulting in future clients passing you by.

At Accurate Serve®, we require that all of our servers closely follow all laws at all times. We have a zero-tolerance policy for any server who uses unethical or dishonest tactics to do their jobs, and we strongly discourage these practices across the entire industry. 

There are two main areas where process servers must maintain legal compliance to retain the legal right to practice in the field.

Obtaining Official Certification

All process servers in the 12th Judicial Circuit, which includes Sarasota, DeSoto, and Manatee counties, must be approved by a judge in the judicial circuit before being legally permitted to serve processes. This certification process involves:

• A thorough application review
• Successful application payment fee 
• A background check
• Passing an examination
• Posting a $5,000 bond

If a process server is not on the 12th circuit’s official server list, they are not allowed to serve processes in the three counties covered by our circuit. Any work completed by an uncertified process server is considered invalid and must be reserved. This may result in unnecessary delays, confusion, and extra expenses to the case. In extreme circumstances, attorneys have used improper service as grounds for dismissal.

Working in the Field

The law doesn’t end at certification. While working in the field, whether a business, a residence, or in a public space, process servers must abide by the following laws and rules:

• Servers must not be directly involved or know anyone involved in the case
• Dishonesty about the servers identify or wearing of disguises is prohibited
• Servers must never make any threats, intimidate, or abuse the recipient
• Trespassing is illegal, even while serving a process
• Serving processes on Sunday is strictly prohibited
• Servers must notify employers before attempting to serve a person at their workplace
• If attempting to serve an owner of a business, the service must only occur during regular business hours
• A person must be served in person unless an alternative service is approved by a judge 

Sarasota Process Servers That Adhere to All Laws

If your legal firm needs quality process servers that are aware of and follow all local and state laws, you need not look any further than the experts at Accurate Serve® in Sarasota. Our servers are up to date on industry-leading practices, emerging laws, and all current trends to ensure that we provide the best process service in Florida. Call us today at (941) 586-7897 or send us a work request online to get started!