Welcome to the official website of the Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner's Office.
Civil News and Updates
Effective January 1, 2026, the Judicial Council SER forms will no longer be available in the Civil Unit. The forms are available on the Judicial Council website to download. You can also visit the court in person to obtain a copy. See the “Helpful Links” section on the right side of this page.
EVICTIONS ARE SCHEDULED ABOUT 2-3 WEEKS OUT AT THE TIME OF RECEIPT OF APPROVED DOCUMENTS FOR SERVICE.
Effective January 1, 2025: (AB-2837)
The law requires the judgment creditor to provide a declaration of address verification to the levying officer when submitting a writ, order, notice, or other paper on any person.
Effective January 1, 2026: (AB-2837 and AB-774)
The Judicial Council form number WG-015/EJ-135 must be used for the declaration of address verification.
Effective July 1, 2026:
The judicial council form number EJ-130 has been updated. If opting to use the judicial council form EJ-130, you must use the current form. Old forms will be rejected.
Effective January 1, 2026, if a service is emailed, the fee will include a copy fee of $1.25 per page.
Mailing Constraint Alert
Any mail sent to an address other than the civil unit address will be subject to delays if received at all. DO NOT use PO Box 1788 or 2200 Fresno Street.
Holiday Closures (2025 - 2027)
The Sheriff’s Civil Unit will be closed on the following observation dates:
- 12/25/2025 - Christmas
- 01/01/2026 - New Year's Day
- 01/19/2026 - MLK Day
- 02/16/2026 - Presidents Day
- 03/31/2026 - Cesar Chavez Day
- 05/25/2026 - Memorial Day
- 06/19/2026 - Juneteenth
- 07/03/2026 - Independence Day
- 09/07/2026 - Labor Day
- 11/11/2026 - Veterans Day
- 11/26 & 11/27/2026 - Thanksgiving
- 12/25/2026 - Christmas Day
- 01/01/2027 - New Year's Day
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Civil Unit is a full-service county. Our office serves civil process in the manner prescribed by law, covering 6,000 square miles daily. Our office is a neutral third party; therefore, we remain impartial between each party requesting and receiving service.
The Civil Unit is not connected to any department of the court. We do not handle civil disputes, civil crimes, or give any legal advice. All civil disputes or civil crimes should be directed to the local jurisdictional agency the address is assigned to—NOT THE CIVIL UNIT. For assistance with a lawsuit, an eviction, a restraining order, or any legal advice, please contact the California Superior Court or an attorney.
Civil Unit Contact Information
Please have your court case number and Sheriff file number when corresponding with the Civil Unit.
- Civil Unit Email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Civil Unit Phone: 559-600-8230 (MWF 9:00am to 3:00pm)
Pursuant to CCP § 262, all requests for service or enforcement (not wage garnishment) must include a signed letter of instruction to the Sheriff, which are forms SER-001 (all requests) and SER-001A (enforcement only, not wage garnishment). The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Civil Unit can only serve documents in accordance with (AB2791 2022/2023) Gov § 26666.2 & 26666.10. Service attempts are completed between the hours of 6:00am - 4:00pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
The Sheriff’s Civil Unit does not guarantee service. The Sheriff’s Civil Unit does not guarantee any requested timeline.
Effective 1/1/2024, the public must use the judicial council letter of instruction SER-001 “Request for Sheriff to Serve Court Papers” to request service. This form is mandated by law (the form can be found here). Again, the Sheriff’s Office is not allowed to give any legal advice or help with completion of the form. If you need assistance with completing the form, please contact an attorney or the court's self-help desk.
Effective 1/1/2026, anyone requesting service must have a completed SER-001 (or SER-001A, if applicable) prior to arriving to the Civil Unit. If you need help completing the SER form, you must contact the court's self-help unit.
The Sheriff is entitled to his/her fee for service whether or not the service is successful pursuant to Gov § 26720, 26736, 26738, & 26746. See the Fees & Service Type page for the fee schedule.
The Civil Unit does not guarantee service of your request. By law, we are required to perform due diligence attempts to accomplish a successful service. For timely service, please submit your requests early.
Any request, order, or submission received after hours will fall to the next business day.
Please follow the steps below:
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Step One: Instructions
Complete the SER-001 form for each person and/or entity to be served. The SER-001 form must be completed and signed by the plaintiff/petitioner, or by their retained attorney. It is very important to complete 5A and 5B on the SER-001 for all regular services. This information will be reflected on your proof of service. The more information you provide to us on the SER-001 form, the better we can serve you.*** Any minor 12 and older requesting a service must sign the SER ***
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Service Address Limit
We must have an address in Fresno County to serve. We will attempt two addresses (i.e., home address and work address). Additional addresses will require an additional fee. See the Fees & Service Type page for the fee schedule. -
Step Two: Document Packets
Provide copies of your documents for each party to be served. We must have physical copies of your documents for service. For more information, see Fees & Service Type and Services (Non-Enforcement) for the specific criteria. -
Step Three: Processing Fees
Include the appropriate fee for service. The completed SER-001 form, documents for service, and fee(s) can be brought to our public window during regular hours or can be mailed to our post office box address. When mailing a request for service, DO NOT MAIL CASH. See Fees & Service Type for acceptable payment structures.
Any service request submitted to our office that has a time restraint and does not allow our office the time to make due diligence attempts in a timely manner, may be ineffective with the court.
You must follow California Civil Procedure Code 262—see the “Civil Process” panel above for more information.
Unless you provide specific information in writing regarding how service is to be executed, our office will follow default California rules of court. You must mail in your request.
Any mail sent to an address other than the civil unit post office box address is subject to delays if received at all.
Once our office has received and reviewed your request, a receipt will be mailed to the address provided on the instruction form for all paid requests.
Most services will take up to two weeks for due diligence attempts. Once the service is complete, a proof of service or a proof of due diligence will be mailed to the address that was provided on the instruction form. We will not email a proof of service. The proof of service will reflect the titles of the documents exactly as you have listed them on your instruction form.
A proof of service will be sent directly to the court if there is a court hearing acknowledged on the instruction form. (*** California courts only ***)
You may contact our office by phone or email to check the status of your service. Status requests are monitored and answered in the order they are received. Please allow 72 hours for a response.
Civil Unit Contact Details:
- Email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Phone: 559-600-8230 (MWF 9:00am to 3:00pm)
Cancelling any service must be done in writing. You may mail, email, or bring in a written document signed by the person who requested the service. If the request to cancel is submitted by email, the request must originate from the individual who requested the service. Attorneys utilizing professional staff must be CC’d in the email. Requests to cancel must contain the following:
- Case name
- Case number
- Levy number (if available)
- Reason for cancellation
- Requestor name and signature
- Mailing Address
- Contact Phone Number
The Civil Unit will serve an inmate located in the local county jail. However, we will not attempt to take documents and wait for them to be signed. If you require notarization of any document, you must contact the jail directly. See Jail Notary Information.
If the respondent is in custody with the Fresno County Jail, see inmate search for their jail identification (JID) and booking number. The jail identification and booking number can be explicitly listed on your instruction form. See Inmate Search Portal.
If the respondent is in a prison located within Fresno County, you must provide the exact physical address of the facility and any identifying factors (e.g., registration number) for the inmate.
If you need to update your address with our office, please complete the change of address form located under forms. You can mail the form to our post office box address or email it to
The Civil Unit makes every effort to attempt to perform our due diligence. It is important to note that we need the public's help in order to serve the public.
If you are aware of any officer safety concerns, please make note of the specific concerns on the instruction form. The health and safety of the public and our staff is part of our mission.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience!
Frequently Asked Questions
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SER-001
Effective 1/1/2024, this form is required for all services excluding wage garnishments. -
Important Notice
This form is not available in the Civil Unit. The form is available on the Judicial Council website to download. You can also visit the court in person to obtain a copy. See the "Helpful Links" section on the right side of this page to access the Judicial Council website.
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To cancel a service, you can use this form. The completed form can be emailed to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or mailed to our post office box address.
The information below is used for office protocols. Our office does not give legal advice. If you need legal advice, please call an attorney, or contact the court.
The following forms are to be used for filing a Wage Garnishment:
- Application for Earnings Withholding Order
- Confidential Statement
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If the following forms are used, the originals are to be completed and filed with Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
- Claim of Exemption - Wage Garnishment
- Financial Statement Wage Garnishment and Enforcement of Judgment
- Claim of Exemption - Appeal Waiver Form
If the following forms are used, the originals are to be completed and filed with Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
The following forms include information required for the Sheriff to execute your levy. This form is not a substitute for the SER-001 and SER-001A. Transfer information from the old forms to the SER-001 or SER-001A. DO NOT SUBMIT OLD FORMS. DO NOT DUPLICATE INFORMATION.
Electronic Submission Portal
GOV § 26666.5 | State of California
The law states that our office provide a way for the public to send a request electronically. To protect our office and the privacy of your information, you may submit a request for free using our electronic submission portal. You will be charged if correct copies are not furnished to our office for service. The copy fee will be added to the fee for service.
If submitting your request electronically, all fees must be paid in person. For more information, see https://www.fresnosheriff.org/civil/fees-service-type.html.
Submitting your request electronically is not required. You may submit your documents by mail or in person during window hours. See “Service Documents-Request for service” for more information.
https://www.fresnosheriff.org/civil.html
If you cannot come into the office to pay the fee or provide a fee waiver, you should not submit your request electronically. Instead, you can choose another option to have your documents served. See “Service Documents-Request for Service” for more information. https://www.fresnosheriff.org/civil.html
Out of State
If you are out of state, you can only submit Protection Orders/Temporary Orders electronically. All other services MUST be mailed with your payment. See Service Documents (Out of State Request)” https://www.fresnosheriff.org/civil.html
ALL FEES must be paid before the reviewing of any request. If you are choosing to submit your request electronically, you will be provided a ticket number once the submission has been completed. You must include the ticket number with your payment. For all forms of payment, see https://www.fresnosheriff.org/civil/fees-service-type.html.
Unclaimed Ticket Numbers
Once the electronic submission is completed, it will be held for 10 days. If we have not received payment for the electronic submission, the electronic submission will be deleted. You will have to restart a new electronic submission.
Gov 26720
"For services performed by them sheriffs shall charge and collect the fees fixed in this article."
Gov 26666.5 (c)
"This section shall not be construed to require a marshal or sheriff, including their department or office, to attempt service of documents prior to receipt of any fees owed pursuant to this chapter."
Copy Fee
The fee for copies is $1.25 per page. Once your documents are submitted, see the count (number of pages) and multiply it by 1.25. i.e. (40 pages x 1.25 = $50.00).
Gov 26727
"The fee for a copy of any writ, process, paper, order, or notice actually made by the sheriff when required or demanded is one dollar and twenty-five cents ($1.25) per page, except that when correct copies are furnished to the sheriff for use no charge shall be made for those copies."
Fee Waiver
If you have a fee waiver for a case, you must submit the fee waiver prior to completing the online submission. If the request does not have a fee waiver attached, the service will be rejected.
Fee waivers only cover “Sheriff’s Notice” (the service of the documents). It does not cover the cost to make copies.
If you are requesting to have a notice of hearing, temporary order, or order after hearing served, you must make sure the court has given you an endorsed copy. For more information see https://www.fresnosheriff.org/civil/restraining-orders.html
(DV, EA Temporary/Denied/Granted)
FAM 6383
(b) (1) … The petitioner shall provide the officer with an endorsed copy of the order…
If your order is granted, you will not have to pay a fee. If your order is denied, it is a possibility that you will have to pay a fee. You may use a court ordered fee waiver given for this case as payment.
(CH Temporary/Denied/Granted)
CCP 527.6
(r)(5) …The petitioner shall provide the officer with an endorsed copy of the order…
If your order is granted, you will not have to pay a fee. If your order is denied, it is a possibility that you will have to pay a fee. You may use a court ordered fee waiver given for this case as payment.
Service on a Minor or Service for a Minor
Any child 12 and under can be served. However, a parent or guardian must be served.
Any child 12 and older must be served in addition to the parent or guardian.
Each set of papers you need served must have their own electronic submission.
Each Defendant/Respondent to be served must have a separate completed SER-001. (Each electronic submission should be for each Defendant/Respondent to be served. You cannot submit multiple Defendant/Respondents to be served in one submission).
If your SER-001 is incomplete, your electronic submission will be rejected. See instructions on SER-001.
If you have a court ordered fee waiver, the fee waiver must be a separate attachment from the service documents before submission is completed. The fee waiver must be for the specific case submitted.
If you do not submit your fee waiver during the electronic submission process, your submission will be rejected.
DO NOT UPLOAD YOUR DOCUMENTS IN MULTIPLE SETS. If your submission exceeds the memory requirements, STOP YOUR SUBMISSION and use any one of the other options to submit your request. See “Service Documents-Request for service” for more information. https://www.fresnosheriff.org/civil.html
Multiple Types of Services AND Multiple Defendant/Respondent Submission
You may have multiple types of documents the court has given you to have served. Even though the documents are served at the same time, they cannot be submitted at the same time. See “What to Attach for Service” for explanation.
You cannot submit multiple types of services at one time. If you submit multiple services at one time, your submission will be rejected.
Examples of multiple types of service submissions:
Each electronic submission must be for each type of service. You cannot submit multiple types of services at the same time.
Example 1:
- Summons/Petition is one service.
- A Request for Order is one service.
You cannot submit a Summons/Petition and a Request for Order in one submission because this is considered a multiple service submission.
Example 2:
- Civil Subpoena is one service.
- An Application and Order to Produce Statement of Assets and To Appear for Examination is one service.
You cannot submit a Civil Subpoena and an Application and Order to Produce Statement of Assets and To Appear for Examination because this is considered a multiple service submission.
If you submit multiple types of services as one submission, your electronic submission will be rejected.
Examples of multiple Defendants/Respondents submission
Each electronic submission should be for each Defendant/Respondent to be served. You cannot submit multiple Defendants/Respondents to be served at the same time.
- Example of Submission 1: John Doe (Defendant/Respondent) is one submission.
- Example of Submission 2: John Doe Tires Inc. (Defendant/Respondent) is one submission.
You cannot submit a request for both Defendant/Respondent at the same time.
If you submit multiple Defendants/Respondents at the same time, your electronic submission will be rejected.
Fee Schedule
The Sheriff is entitled to his/her fee for service whether the service is successful or not pursuant to Gov § 26720, 26736, 26738, & 26746.
*** Fees increased 1/1/2024. ***
If you have a fee waiver as a fee for your service, you must have the court-ordered fee waiver at the time you request service.
The court-ordered fee waiver must be for the same case that is being served. The court-ordered fee waiver does not waive fees for copies at the sheriff's office. For more information about fee waivers, contact the Superior Court.
Fees (including ordered fee waiver) must accompany the request for service. We do not process "piece mail." Any check or document that is not mailed together will be returned.
A fee deposit is required when attempting to serve a Summons Complaint UD with a Prejudgment Claim of Right to Possession.
The additional funds are to have on account in case we serve any identified occupants. It is a best practice to notify our office at the time the request is submitted of how many adult individuals are living on the premises. If you are not sure, a guestimate is sufficient.
The fees should be made at the time the request is submitted. If we do not have the funds on account and we serve identified occupants, the proofs of service you need to move forward with your case will be delayed until we receive the required funds. If funds are not used, they will be returned.
*** A court-ordered fee waiver is allowed for this service. ***
In addition to fees for service and fee deposits, an additional deposit may be required to execute a levy. Levy deposits are estimates of costs based upon the combination of statutory fees and anticipated expenses related to performing a particular type of levy.
Additional deposits may be required to offset the actual expenses related to the handling of inventory, moving, safekeeping of property, and conducting execution sales.
A deposit, sufficient to pay the costs of seizing and storing property, is a prerequisite to the performance of any levy by the Sheriff’s Civil Unit. Any portion of the deposit that is not used will be refunded to the judgment creditor. Any deposits paid and used by the Sheriff’s Civil Unit to execute the levy will increase the total amount to satisfy the judgment.
*** A court-ordered fee waiver cannot be used for payment on levy deposits. ***
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Civil Unit only accepts the following forms of payment:
- Business Check: The name of the business or business entity must be clearly identified on the check. The check must include an address.
- Cashier’s Check
- Money Order
- Cash: (Do not send cash in the mail) - It is helpful to try to have exact change.
- Granted Court Order to Waive Fees: A fee waiver must be presented and turned over as a form of payment every time a service is requested. A court order to waive fees does not waive fees for copies at the Sheriff's Office.
Payments must be made payable to: Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Civil Unit.
Service Type
Any court process and notice that is to be served in any proceedings before any court. There is a fee to serve any type of document that falls in this category. See the "Payment Type" section for acceptable payment options.
Examples of Common Services (Non-Enforcement):
- Summons & Petition
- Summons & Complaint
- Request For Order
- Summons & Complaint UD
- Small Claims
- Order Of Exam
- Civil Bench Warrant
- Order To Show Cause
- Civil Subpoena
- Miscellaneous Notices
- Notice Of Hearing
- Temporary Emergency (Ex Parte) Orders
*** Please contact an attorney for legal advice or the court for more information. ***
The Civil Unit only serves restraining orders; we do not issue them. If you are looking to get a restraining order issued, you must contact the County Superior Court. The court can issue several types of restraining orders. The Civil Unit can serve your granted restraining order free of charge, with some exceptions.
Restraining Order Services & Exceptions:
| Type of Restraining Order | Status | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary Domestic Violence RO | ✅ GRANTED | FREE |
| Temporary Domestic Violence RO | ❌ DENIED | NOT FREE |
| Temporary Civil Harassment RO | ✅ GRANTED | FREE |
| Temporary Civil Harassment RO | ❌ DENIED | NOT FREE |
| Temporary Elder Abuse RO | ✅ GRANTED | FREE |
| Temporary Elder Abuse RO | ❌ DENIED | NOT FREE |
| Temporary Workplace Violence RO | ✅ GRANTED | FREE |
| Temporary Workplace Violence RO | ❌ DENIED | NOT FREE |
| Order After Hearing on RO | ✅ GRANTED | FREE |
*** Please contact an attorney for legal advice or the court for more information. ***
A Writ of Execution for Possession of Real Property must be ordered and issued by the court to proceed with an eviction (lockout). See the Fees & Service Type and Evictions pages for detailed instructions.
*** Please contact an attorney for legal advice or the court for more information. ***
A valid writ (pre-judgment or post-judgment) must be ordered and issued by the court. A levy enforcement is a means to satisfy a judgment. An enforcement action is used to collect property (real or personal) or possession. See the Fees & Service Type and Levy Enforcement pages for more information.
*** Please contact an attorney for legal advice or the court for more information. ***
