Civil Process
Civil Unit
800 South Victoria Avenue, Hall of Justice, Room 101, Ventura, CA 93009
Phone (805) 654-2391/ Fax: (805) 645-1342
Email: sheriff.civil@ventura.org
Public Hours:
Office: 10:00am – 4:00 pm
Telephone: 8:00am – 12:00 pm
Monday-Friday (excluding holidays)
Our offices operate during business hours only and will not respond to emails or phone calls over the weekend. All inquiries are addressed in the order they are received.
Mission
It is the goal of the Civil Unit to serve all received process in a reasonable and timely manner while maintaining an impartial stance between all parties involved or having an interest in a case.
The Sheriff provides a cost effective, credible service and successfully serves most defendants. However, the case is civil in nature and the Sheriff cannot utilize criminal investigative tactics such as stakeouts or computer inquiries (DMV, arrest records, etc.) to serve process, therefore we cannot guarantee service.
The Civil Unit can only answer civil process procedural questions. We cannot give legal advice. If you have legal questions, please contact legal aid, an attorney, or visit Court Information.
Execution of Orders Issued by the Court
The Civil Unit of the Sheriff’s Office receives, serves, and executes all civil processes and orders that are accepted for service in the manner prescribed by law. The law requires that any civil process brought to the Sheriff for service must be valid on its face, issued by a competent authority, and accompanied by adequate legal instructions.
Service and Enforcement of Civil Processes
We serve civil and criminal arrest warrants. The instructions must state the process to be served, the person or entity to be served, the location for service, and be signed by the attorney of the party or by the party if they have no attorney. We cannot take information off the court documents, nor can we attempt service at post office boxes. The Sheriff’s Department will not conduct investigations to locate persons for service of civil process.
The majority of procedures and laws governing the service and execution of civil processes are covered in the California Code of Civil Procedure (CCP). Instruction forms for specific types of levies and service requests can be downloaded from the FORMS webpage. Also, there are generally time restrictions regarding the service and enforcement of various types of civil processes that must be adhered to. The fees for service of civil processes are set in accordance with the California Government Code, 26720 et. seq.
Out of State Requests
All non-enforcement civil process delivered to Ventura County from outside of the State of California will be served if the appropriate fees are filed with the process. You must submit written instructions specifying exactly who to serve and at what physical street address. Instructions MUST be signed by the attorney for the party or the party if he/she does not have an attorney. We cannot take information off the court documents, nor can we attempt service at post office boxes. The Sheriff’s Department will not conduct investigations to locate persons for service of civil process. The service fee is $50.00 per party being served. If your court requires the signature on the proof of service to be notarized, the Notary fee is an additional $15.00. We accept cashier’s checks or money orders only, made payable to: Ventura County Sheriff. No personal checks. Instructions can be downloaded from the FORMS webpage.
