Sheriff Vs. Private Process Server: What You Need to Know

When you have any type of case in the state of Florida, you will find that you have a burden of serving documents to the other parties in the case. When this happens, you only have two choices in Jackson— the sheriff’s department or a certified private process server. Here’s what you need to know about the differences between the two, and how to make a decision about which way to have your papers served.

Cost

The sheriff’s department charges a fee for process service, and it is usually very similar to the fees charged by private process servers in the area. Sometimes the county fee is actually more than a process server will charge for basic service. For the most part, the only time you will run into higher costs with private process service is if additional services such as skip tracing become necessary.

Timeliness

It is much more likely that you will get your papers served faster with a private process server than with the sheriff’s department. This is because the sheriff’s department has many other responsibilities and duties, and most of them are much more important than serving papers. Very little time is dedicated to this task. On the other hand, private process servers make it their entire focus to get your papers served, which means it happens very quickly in most cases.

Tracking People Down

While certainly it could be argued that a sheriff could track down a criminal, the fact of the matter is that this takes manpower and resources that simply cannot be used to find people just to serve them papers. That means that if the person can’t be easily found, your papers may be returned to the courts, who may demand further efforts. 

By contrast, a private process server can use skip tracing and other methods to ensure that the person is found and served as quickly as possible.

If you are in the middle of a case in Jackson and need a private process server, contact us today for assistance.