San Jose, California Process Servers

Santa Clara County court addresses in San Jose

Most Santa Clara County Superior Court cases are heard in a short stretch of North First Street downtown (court locations):

Downtown Superior Court (civil, probate, small claims)
191 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Old Courthouse (civil)
161 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Family Justice Center Courthouse (family, juvenile dependency, restraining orders)
201 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Hall of Justice (criminal)
190 West Hedding Street
San Jose, CA 95110

A San Jose process server handling a civil case will usually be returning proofs to the Downtown Superior Court clerk.

Small claims or limited civil?

In California, an individual can sue for up to $12,500 in small claims, and a business or other entity for up to $6,250 (California Courts Self-Help). Limited civil cases go up to $35,000; anything above that is unlimited civil (Self-Help, civil lawsuits). Small claims papers are often served by a person who isn't part of the case; see how to serve small claims forms.

Timing after you file

The California Rules of Court expect proof of service on every named defendant to be filed within 60 days after the complaint is filed, and within 30 days for a defendant added later (Rule 3.110). That is a short window if the defendant is hard to find, so it helps to hand the papers to a server soon after filing. More in service of process deadlines.

Who can serve in San Jose

Any adult who isn't a party to the case can serve (Self-Help, serving papers). Someone who serves papers for pay more than 10 times a year must register as a process server with the county clerk where they live or work (Bus. & Prof. Code § 22350). Santa Clara County registers servers through its Clerk-Recorder. If a defendant can't be found after several tries, a server can use substituted service at the home or workplace, followed by mailing.

Suing the city or the county

A claim usually has to be presented to a public entity before a lawsuit is filed. When it comes to serving a suit, these are the offices that keep records for the city and county:

San Jose City Clerk
200 East Santa Clara Street, Tower 14th Floor
San Jose, CA 95113

Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, Santa Clara County
70 West Hedding Street, 10th Floor, East Wing
San Jose, CA 95110

Confirm who must be served under Code of Civil Procedure § 416.50 before sending a server.

Companies

Many Silicon Valley companies name one of the national registered agents, and those agents take California service in Southern California or Sacramento, not San Jose. CT Corporation, for example, receives California papers in Glendale. Look up the agent with the California Secretary of State and serve the address on file. See what an agent for service of process is.

Nearby

Servers listed here also cover Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Milpitas and San Francisco. For state rules, read the California process serving laws, and for fees, how much it costs to hire a process server.

This is a general summary, not legal advice.