Three Surprising Rules that Private Process Servers Have to Follow

There are a lot of rules that private process servers have to follow. The courts have specific rules and regulations for how papers must be served depending on the type of case involved, but there are also some rules about how the process server must conduct themselves. Here are three rules that might surprise you.

Be Honest About Who They Are

You might have seen some tactics used on television or in movies where process servers pretend to be delivering a pizza then present someone with papers. These tactics are actually illegal. A private process server does not have to volunteer who they are immediately, but they do have to answer honestly when asked who they are.

Leave the Mailbox Alone

It is a federal offense to tamper with mail that belongs to someone else. A process server cannot touch the mailbox at all. They cannot go through any of the mail to gather information, because that mail does not belong to them and is federally protected. They also cannot deliver papers by leaving them in the mailbox, which is another federal offense.

Stay Off Private Property

If someone owns private property and they have “no trespassing” signs or other signs posted to prevent entry, private process servers cannot enter the property. Because they are not law enforcement, they must abide by the laws that apply to all civilians. This means that they are not able to enter any private property if they are not invited to do so or it is publicly accessible.

If you are looking for a private process server who can accurately and quickly serve papers on your behalf in spite of these rules, contact us today for more information or to get started.