(a) Any natural person who makes more than 10 services of process within this state during one calendar year, for specific compensation or in expectation of specific compensation, where that compensation is directly attributable to the service of process, shall file and maintain a verified certificate of registration as a process server with the county clerk of the county in which he or she resides or has his or her principal place of business. Any corporation or partnership that derives or expects to derive compensation from service of process within this state shall also file and maintain a verified certificate of registration as a process server with the county clerk of the county in which the corporation or partnership has its principal place of business.
(b) This chapter shall not apply to any of the following:
(1) Any sheriff, marshal, or government employee who is acting within the course and scope of his or her employment.
(2) An attorney or his or her employees, when serving process related to cases for which the attorney is providing legal services.
(3) Any person who is specially appointed by a court to serve its process.
(4) A licensed private investigator or his or her employees.
(5) A professional photocopier registered under Section 22450, or an employee thereof, whose only service of process relates to subpoenas for the production of records, which subpoenas specify that the records be copied by that registered professional photocopier.
(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 300, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2006.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018