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referencesource
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process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state

bond_or_insurance_amount string	derived_fields list	id string	jurisdiction string	regulation_trigger string	source string	source_quote string	statute_citation string	url string	verified_fields list
a surety bond evidencing liability coverage for fraud, misappropriation or commingling of funds, abuse of process, and malicious prosecution in the minimum amount of $15,000	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	alaska	Alaska	Except as otherwise provided in Supreme Court civil, criminal, and administrative rules, a person may not serve process unless that person is licensed by the department in accordance with this chapter.	https://www.akleg.gov/basis/aac.asp?media=print&secStart=13.67.010&secEnd=13.67.010	13 AAC 67.010. License requirement. Except as otherwise provided in Supreme Court civil, criminal, and administrative rules, a person may not serve process unless that person is licensed by the department in accordance with this chapter.	13 AAC 67.010	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/alaska/	[ "bond_or_insurance_amount", "regulation_trigger" ]
null	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	arizona	Arizona	To become eligible to act as a private process server in Arizona, an individual must obtain certification in compliance with A.R.S. § 12-3301and this section.	https://www.azcourts.gov/Portals/0/0/admcode/pdfcurrentcode/7-204%20Private%20Process%20Server%2010-2025.pdf	C. Purpose. To become eligible to act as a private process server in Arizona, an individual must obtain certification in compliance with A.R.S. § 12-3301and this section.	Ariz. Code Jud. Admin. § 7-204	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/arizona/	[ "regulation_trigger" ]
a bond of two thousand dollars ($2,000), executed by an admitted surety insurer and conditioned upon compliance with the provisions of this chapter and all laws governing the service of process in this state	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	california	California	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 ...	https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=22350.	(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 a...	Business and Professions Code § 22350	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/california/	[ "bond_or_insurance_amount", "regulation_trigger" ]
Execute a bond in the amount of $5,000 with a surety company authorized to do business in this state	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	florida	Florida	All process shall be served by the sheriff of the county where the person to be served is found, except nonenforceable civil process, criminal witness subpoenas, and criminal summonses may be served by a special process server appointed by the sheriff as provided in this section or by a certified process server	https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/48.29	(g) Execute a bond in the amount of $5,000 with a surety company authorized to do business in this state for the benefit of any person wrongfully injured by any malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, or incompetence of the applicant, in connection with his or her duties as a process server. Such bond shall be renew...	Fla. Stat. § 48.29	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/florida/	[ "bond_or_insurance_amount", "regulation_trigger" ]
null	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	illinois	Illinois	Process shall be served by a sheriff, or if the sheriff is disqualified, by a coroner of some county of the State. In matters where the county or State is an interested party, process may be served by a special investigator appointed by the State's Attorney of the county, as defined in Section 3-9005 of the Counties Co...	https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=073500050K2-202	Process shall be served by a sheriff, or if the sheriff is disqualified, by a coroner of some county of the State. In matters where the county or State is an interested party, process may be served by a special investigator appointed by the State's Attorney of the county, as defined in Section 3-9005 of the Counties Co...	735 ILCS 5/2-202	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/illinois/	[ "regulation_trigger" ]
null	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	montana	Montana	a person who makes more than 10 services of process, as defined in 25-3-101 , within this state during 1 calendar year must be registered under Title 37, chapter 60.	https://archive.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0250/chapter_0010/part_0110/section_0010/0250-0010-0110-0010.html	25-1-1101. Registered process server -- levying officer -- use of title reserved. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), a person who makes more than 10 services of process, as defined in 25-3-101 , within this state during 1 calendar year must be registered under Title 37, chapter 60.	MCA 25-1-1101	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/montana/	[ "regulation_trigger" ]
Is covered by a policy of insurance for protection against liability to third persons, with limits of liability in amounts not less than $200,000, written by an insurance company authorized to do business in this State	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	nevada	Nevada	no person may: (a) Engage in the business of private investigator, private patrol officer, process server, repossessor, dog handler, security consultant, or polygraphic examiner or intern; or (b) Advertise his or her business as such, irrespective of the name or title actually used, Ê unless the person is licensed purs...	https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-648.html	no person may: (a) Engage in the business of private investigator, private patrol officer, process server, repossessor, dog handler, security consultant, or polygraphic examiner or intern; or (b) Advertise his or her business as such, irrespective of the name or title actually used, Ê unless the person is licensed purs...	NRS 648.060	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/nevada/	[ "bond_or_insurance_amount", "regulation_trigger" ]
executing bond running to the State of Oklahoma in the amount of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for faithful performance of his or her duties and filing the bond with the court clerk	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	oklahoma	Oklahoma	Any person who knowingly and willfully serves process in Oklahoma without a process server license issued by the State of Oklahoma or who holds himself or herself out to be a process server licensed by the State of Oklahoma when the person is not licensed as such shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor.	https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=93705	I. Any person who knowingly and willfully serves process in Oklahoma without a process server license issued by the State of Oklahoma or who holds himself or herself out to be a process server licensed by the State of Oklahoma when the person is not licensed as such shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor.	12 O.S. § 158.1	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/oklahoma/	[ "bond_or_insurance_amount", "regulation_trigger" ]
null	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	texas	Texas	Process including citation and other notices, writs, orders, and other papers issued by the court may be served anywhere by (1) any sheriff or constable or other person authorized by law, (2) any person authorized by law or by written order of the court who is not less than eighteen years of age, or (3) any person cert...	https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462349/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf	Process including citation and other notices, writs, orders, and other papers issued by the court may be served anywhere by (1) any sheriff or constable or other person authorized by law, (2) any person authorized by law or by written order of the court who is not less than eighteen years of age, or (3) any person cert...	Tex. R. Civ. P. 103	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/texas/	[ "regulation_trigger" ]
null	[ "jurisdiction", "statute_citation" ]	washington	Washington	Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a person who serves legal process for a fee in the state of Washington shall: (a) Be eighteen years of age or older; (b) Be a resident of the state of Washington; and (c) Register as a process server with the auditor of the county in which the process server resides...	https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=18.180.010	(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a person who serves legal process for a fee in the state of Washington shall: (a) Be eighteen years of age or older; (b) Be a resident of the state of Washington; and (c) Register as a process server with the auditor of the county in which the process server res...	RCW 18.180.010	https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/washington/	[ "regulation_trigger" ]

Process server licensing and bond requirements by US state — who must be licensed to serve legal papers, and the dollar bond or insurance figure the statute sets, quoted from the statute itself

Canonical, always-current version: https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/ Machine-readable: https://referencesource.org/process-server-licensing-requirements-by-state/data.json — this mirror is a point-in-time copy.

Last verified: 2026-09-02
Stale after: 2028-09-01 (past this date, prefer the canonical copy — it re-verifies on a cadence this snapshot does not)
Records: 10

Most states let any adult who is not a party to the case serve legal papers with no license at all, but a minority regulate it — sometimes only above a volume threshold (Montana: registration required only above 10 services of process a year; California: registration required only above 10 services a year for compensation), sometimes for everyone (Florida, Oklahoma, Nevada). Where regulation exists, the statute usually sets a specific dollar bond or insurance figure: Florida requires a $5,000 surety bond (Fla. Stat. § 48.29), Nevada requires a license plus liability insurance of at least $200,000 (NRS 648.060, 648.135), Alaska requires a $15,000 surety bond (13 AAC 67.920), and Montana requires registration above the 10-service threshold with statutory exemptions for sheriffs, constables and licensed attorneys (MCA 25-1-1101). Two states in this set are regulated but set no bond at all in the current instrument — Arizona's ACJA § 7-204 as revised 10-2025 contains no bond or insurance provision, and Montana's bond section MCA 37-60-311 now reads 'Repealed' — even though vendor and law-firm pages still quote $2,000 and $10,000 figures for them. A widely used free tracker (getlicensemap.com's 'Process Server Requirements' comparison, all 50 states + DC) marks most 'No requirement' rows as only 'medium' confidence by its own label, states no bond or insurance dollar figure for any state in its comparison table, and cites no statute section anywhere on the page — only a single blanket disclaimer that data is 'compiled from official state licensing board websites and verified against multiple sources.' This asset states, per state, whether service of process is regulated at all, the trigger (a volume threshold or a flat requirement), and the specific bond or insurance dollar amount the statute sets, each quoted verbatim from the statute. Answers 'do I need a license to serve legal papers in my state', 'how big a bond does a process server need', 'can I serve my own lawsuit papers without a license'.

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