Calaveras County process server
Process server in Calaveras County
Every Calaveras County case, from small claims to unlimited civil, is filed at one courthouse on Government Center Drive in San Andreas, and Local Rule 3.2 wants a separate POS-010 for each defendant. We serve the papers, file them and return each proof signed.
In a general civil case the Calaveras clerk attaches a delay reduction notice to the complaint at filing, and Local Rule 3.4.3 has it served with the summons; eFiling through Odyssey eFileCA is permitted, not required. We serve papers, file and retrieve documents across Calaveras County, from San Andreas and Angels Camp to Valley Springs, Murphys, Arnold and Copperopolis, and each defendant’s proof comes back on its own signed POS-010.
Step 01 of 04
One San Andreas courthouse and the delay reduction notice
Every case type in Calaveras County is heard in one building, the Superior Court at 400 Government Center Drive in San Andreas, so intake is less about where to file than about what has to travel with the summons. In a general civil case the clerk attaches a Notice of Inclusion in the Civil Case Delay Reduction Program when the complaint is filed, with a first case management conference about 120 days out, and Local Rule 3.4.3 makes the filing party serve that notice with the complaint. For an unlawful detainer the tenant’s ten days to respond are counted at intake, leaving out Saturdays, Sundays and court holidays.
Dates the court sets: the conference date on the delay reduction notice and, for an eviction, the day the response period closes
Step 02 of 04
At the door with the eviction package and the claim of right
The first visit aims at personal delivery under section 415.10: the summons, the complaint and the delay reduction notice handed to the person named. When the papers are an eviction package with a prejudgment claim of right to possession attached, the server also asks whoever answers whether other adults live at the premises, because section 415.46 expects that question to be put. The hour, the person who came to the door and what was said are written down on the spot, since a later declaration of diligence is built from those notes.
At the door the server notes the time, the person who answered and whether any other adults living there were named.
Step 03 of 04
When no one answers in Calaveras County
After reasonable diligence, section 415.20(b) allows the papers to be left at the home, usual place of business or usual mailing address with a competent adult who is told what they are, then mailed first class; a post office box never qualifies, and service is complete ten days after mailing. The version enacted by AB 747 and operative January 1, 2027 treats three good-faith attempts on three different days at three different times as reasonable diligence and adds Priority Mail with tracking or Certified Mail as mailing options. Calaveras has no local rule that adds to either version.
Step 04 of 04
One POS-010 per defendant, eFiled or at the window
Local Rule 3.2 wants a separate POS-010 for each defendant and each cross-defendant, so a complaint against three people comes back as three proofs. Local Rule 2.15 permits eFiling through an approved provider on Odyssey eFileCA without making it mandatory, and the clerk’s window, the mail and the drop box remain open to everyone. Rule 3.110(b) of the California Rules of Court gives sixty days from the complaint to file those proofs, and the case management conference set at filing arrives soon after.
The delay reduction notice that travels with every Calaveras summons
A general civil complaint filed in Calaveras County starts a clock the court runs itself. Its delay reduction rules apply to every general civil case, and they shape what goes into the service envelope and how soon the proofs are needed.
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The clerk attaches a notice. At filing, Local Rule 3.4.3 has the clerk append a Notice of Inclusion in Civil Case Delay Reduction Program and Setting Case Management Conference to the initial pleading, with the date, time and place of the first conference, set about 120 days after filing.
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It is served with the complaint. The same rule makes the filing party responsible for serving every other party with that notice together with the complaint. Under Local Rule 3.4.4 a cross-complainant serves it on each new cross-defendant as well.
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One proof per defendant. Local Rule 3.2 requires a separate POS-010 for each defendant and cross-defendant, and rule 3.110(b) of the California Rules of Court wants those proofs filed within sixty days after the complaint.
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The statement before the conference. Each party files and serves a Case Management Conference Statement on form CM-110 at least 15 calendar days before each conference, under Local Rule 3.4.5.
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A twelve-month track. Cases start on Plan 1 under Local Rule 3.4.6, with disposition aimed at twelve months from filing. A plaintiff who means to finish by default has to obtain the default judgment before the end of the track, or Local Rule 3.6.5(c) treats the case like one where nobody appeared.
Late service squeezes every later step on that track, and the notice itself has to reach each party. It goes out in the same package as the summons and is listed on each proof.
Four ways into the San Andreas clerk’s office, and what each accepts
The Calaveras court takes filings at the window, by mail, through a drop box and electronically, and its local rules and its drop box policy treat each one a little differently. Paper on pink or yellow stock is refused without leave of court under Local Rule 2.1(b), and a fax reaches the court only through a fax filing agency under rule 2.303 of the California Rules of Court.
| Route | What the court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk’s window | Open 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on court days; the clerk endorses up to three copies of each document | Location page; Local Rule 2.1(a) |
| Drop box | Sealed envelope with the fee; deposited before 4:00 p.m. on a court day, deemed filed that day; conformed copies come back only with a stamped return envelope; never for restraining orders | Local Rule 2.1(d); drop box policy |
| Accepted; conformed copies need a self-addressed stamped envelope | Local Rule 2.1(c) | |
| eFiling | Permitted, not required, through an approved provider on Odyssey eFileCA; bonds, subpoenaed documents, trial exhibits and provisionally sealed documents are excluded | Local Rule 2.15 |
| Fax | Only through a fax filing agency; direct fax filing needs leave of court in exceptional circumstances | Local Rule 2.2 |
The eFiling page lists the case types open to electronic filing: limited and unlimited civil, unlawful detainer, family, probate and small claims, with subsequent filings only in criminal and traffic.
The Calaveras Sheriff’s Civil Division or a registered process server
Civil process that goes to law enforcement in Calaveras County goes to the Sheriff’s Civil Division in San Andreas, and its own pages set out how it works. Two statutes mark the line. Section 415.46 lets only a marshal, sheriff or registered process server serve an eviction’s prejudgment claim of right to possession, and section 680.260 makes the sheriff or marshal the levying officer who executes the writ that follows judgment.
The Sheriff’s Civil Division
Takes documents in person at the Sheriff’s Office, 1045 Jeff Tuttle Drive, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, or by mail, with a letter of instruction, the fees and a blank proof of service.
Says it will not use criminal investigative tools or criminal databases to find someone for civil service.
Mails the proof back to the requester, who takes it to the court.
Executes the writ of possession after judgment, posting it and later restoring the landlord to possession.
A registered process server
Serves the summons, the complaint and the delay reduction notice, and files the POS-010 at the court on instruction.
Serves an eviction’s summons, complaint and prejudgment claim of right to possession, and asks at the door about other adult occupants.
Documents every attempt, with the hour and what was found, for a later declaration of diligence.
Cannot carry out a lockout; that stays with the Sheriff.
Servers based in Calaveras County register with the County Clerk-Recorder at 891 Mountain Ranch Road, Building D, in San Andreas, a different building from the court. Its online scheduler books process server filings as a Professional Registration appointment, meant for paperwork that is ready to file, and its public search covers the county’s process server registrations. A server registered in any other California county needs nothing from that office to serve here; how registration works statewide is covered on a single page.
Publishing a summons in the Calaveras Enterprise or the Daily News in Valley Springs
When every other method fails, the Calaveras court’s civil FAQ names two papers for publication: the Calaveras Enterprise, in San Andreas, and the Daily News, in Valley Springs. Neither can run a summons without an order. Section 415.50 lets the court order publication only on an affidavit showing that the person cannot with reasonable diligence be served another way, and the order names the newspaper that is to carry it, chosen to give the person actual notice.
Government Code section 6064 then sets publication once a week for four successive weeks, and service is complete at the end of the twenty-eighth day. Section 415.50 also keeps the court from requiring a search of databases, such as voter rolls or DMV records, that are closed to registered process servers. What the affidavit rests on is the attempt record: each visit, its hour, and what the server saw.
From San Andreas to Amador, Sacramento, Nevada and Mono
Questions we get
Serving papers through the San Andreas courthouse: Calaveras County questions
Do you have an office in Calaveras County?
No. Our contact page lists two offices in Los Angeles, one each in Irvine and Glendale, and one in Sacramento at 2450 Venture Oaks Way; none is in Calaveras County. That leaves the court’s rules and the statutes exactly as they are. Under Local Rule 3.4.3 the delay reduction notice travels with the summons and complaint, and the proofs are filed at the one courthouse, 400 Government Center Drive in San Andreas. Each Calaveras assignment comes back as one signed POS-010 per defendant, listing each visit, the unsuccessful ones as well.
Where is a Calaveras County civil case filed?
At the Superior Court courthouse at 400 Government Center Drive in San Andreas. The court lists no other location and says this one serves all case types, so civil, small claims, unlawful detainer, family and probate filings all go to the same clerk. The clerk’s window is open from 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on court days, and the building from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. People sometimes confuse it with 891 Mountain Ranch Road, which is the County Clerk-Recorder: that office handles process server registration, fictitious business names and recorded documents, not court filings.
What is the delay reduction notice, and does it have to be served with the complaint?
Yes. Under Calaveras Local Rule 3.4.3, when a general civil case is filed the clerk attaches a Notice of Inclusion in Civil Case Delay Reduction Program and Setting Case Management Conference, which gives the date, time and place of the first conference, set about 120 days after filing. The filing party has to serve every other party with that notice along with the complaint, and Local Rule 3.4.4 puts the same duty on a cross-complainant serving new cross-defendants. Send it with the summons and complaint so it goes out in the same package and appears on the proof.
Is eFiling mandatory in Calaveras County?
Not under the local rules. Local Rule 2.15 permits electronic filing under Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6 and the Rules of Court, through an approved electronic filing service provider on Odyssey eFileCA, and the court accepts new and subsequent filings that way in limited and unlimited civil, unlawful detainer, family, probate and small claims. Some items cannot be eFiled at all, among them bonds and undertakings, subpoenaed documents, trial exhibits, documents lodged provisionally under seal and attachments too large or of a type that cannot be transmitted accurately. Those go in at the window or by mail.
Does every defendant need a separate proof of service in Calaveras?
Yes. Local Rule 3.2 requires a separate Proof of Service of Summons on Judicial Council form POS-010 for each defendant and each cross-defendant, even when they were served together at one address. For a proof signed by a registered process server, section 417.40 as it reads today requires the county of registration and the registration number. The version enacted by AB 747, operative January 1, 2027, asks only for the number assigned by the county clerk. Either way, the details come from item 7 of the form and match the server’s registration card.
How are ex parte applications handled at the Calaveras court?
Local Rule 3.1 splits them in two. Routine applications, such as a stipulated order, a fee waiver or a default judgment application, are decided without a hearing. Every other ex parte application is extraordinary: the applicant must appear, must file the court’s local form Application for Immediate Court Hearing and Order, and must comply with Rules of Court 3.1200 through 3.1207. Applications for temporary relief, with a proposed order, are due by 12:00 p.m. at least one court day before the hearing. The court’s civil FAQ lists ex parte matters in Courtroom 1 at 11:30 a.m. on weekdays.
When is a contested eviction tried in Calaveras County?
Once a tenant answers, either side asks for trial on form UD-150. Under Local Rule 3.7, if possession is still in dispute the case is set for trial no more than 20 days after the request is filed, and the clerk mails notice at least 10 days before trial; if possession is no longer an issue, it goes to the case management calendar in roughly 30 days. Local Rule 3.7.1 sets unlawful detainer trials on Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. in Department 4, before a commissioner, unless a written objection is filed at least five court days ahead, in which case the commissioner sits as a referee.
Who carries out the lockout after a Calaveras eviction judgment?
The Sheriff. The court’s own eviction page says plainly that only a sheriff can evict someone, and section 680.260 defines the levying officer who executes a writ of possession as the sheriff or marshal. The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Civil Division takes the writ, posts it and later restores the landlord to possession. Documents go to the Sheriff’s Office at 1045 Jeff Tuttle Drive in person on weekdays, or by mail, with a letter of instruction and the fees. Under section 715.020 the occupants are removed if they have not left within five days of service or posting. The summons, complaint and claim of right to possession before judgment are a different job, one a registered process server can do.
Which newspapers publish a summons in Calaveras County?
The court’s civil FAQ names two: the Calaveras Enterprise in San Andreas and the Daily News in Valley Springs. Publication still needs an order first. Under section 415.50 the court has to be satisfied, on affidavit, that the person cannot with reasonable diligence be served another way, and the order names the paper that is to carry it, chosen to give the person actual notice. Government Code section 6064 then calls for publication once a week for four successive weeks. If a current address turns up before the period ends, the order requires the papers to be mailed there.
When would a motion about service be heard, and can we appear remotely?
Civil law and motion in Calaveras is heard on Fridays at 9:00 a.m. in Department 2, with a cap of ten matters per calendar under Local Rule 3.3. Local Rule 3.3.7 makes the tentative ruling the ruling unless someone gives notice by 4:00 p.m. the court day before that they want to be heard, and the notice of motion has to carry the rule’s required wording. Local Rule 3.8 allows remote appearance at non-evidentiary law and motion hearings, using the court’s chosen vendor and the words Remote Appearance under the title of the papers or forms RA-010 and RA-020.
How much notice does a Calaveras small claims defendant need?
The court’s small claims page says the Plaintiff’s Claim and Order to Defendant, form SC-100, has to be served at least 15 calendar days before the trial date, or 20 days if the defendant lives or does business outside the county. When no defendant has been served yet, the plaintiff can ask for a new trial date in writing or at the counter, with no fee, as long as the court receives the request at least three court days before trial. Once any defendant has been served, a postponement needs a written request with a good reason and a fee.
Does Calaveras have its own rule on how many attempts come before substituted service?
No. The local rules say nothing on the number, so section 415.20 decides it. As that section reads today, no count is written in; a judge looks at the record and decides whether the effort was reasonable. From January 1, 2027, the version enacted by AB 747 treats good-faith attempts on at least three occasions, on three different days and at three different times, as reasonable diligence, and in consumer debt cases one of them has to be at the home when it is known or can be found with reasonable effort.
Judicial Council figures show the Calaveras County Superior Court received 1,025 civil filings in fiscal year 2024-25, or 22.04 for every 1,000 residents, against 26.35 across California. The civil filings table for all 58 counties breaks that down into unlimited civil, limited civil, evictions and small claims.
This page describes how service of process and court filing work in Calaveras County. It is general information about procedure, not legal advice.
Papers bound for the San Andreas courthouse or a Calaveras address?
Send the summons, the complaint and the delay reduction notice together. Each defendant gets a separate proof, listing the documents served and every visit.