The procedure for becoming a process server in Florida is not one-size-fits-all. According to the 2010 Florida Statutes, either the sheriff in each county or the chief judge of each judicial circuit may maintain a list of approved process servers. In counties where no list is maintained, the process server must be approved by a judge in each case. Here in Tallahassee, process servers are approved by Florida’s 2nd judicial circuit under Administrative Order # 2015-06.
Several steps must be completed to apply to become a process server in Tallahassee. Since we are included in the 2nd circuit, an application to the circuit will allow you to work in Leon County, and also Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, and Wakulla counties. To become a process server in Tallahassee, you must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Not have a mental or legal disability
- Permanently reside in Florida
- Submit to and pay for a background check that includes your criminal history
- Submit a complete application
- Submit letters from each sheriff in the circuit’s six counties confirming they have no objection to your certification as a process server
- Obtain a certificate of good conduct and file it with your application affirming:
- You have no pending criminal charges
- You have no record of a felony conviction
- You have a felony conviction, but your civil rights have been restored
- You have no record of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or dishonesty in the past five years
- Pay a $250 application and testing fee to Leon County
- Execute a bond for $5,000, to be renewed annually, for the benefit of anyone wrongfully injured due to your process service duties
- Complete a circuit approved education seminar on service of process
- Pass an exam on the laws are rules of service of process (the exam MUST be taken last after everything is submitted and paid)
- Make a sworn oath of office
In Leon County, applications to become a new process server and renewal applications are all due near the end of February, with the required education seminar typically scheduled for the beginning of March. Renewal applications require a $150 fee paid to Leon County, and applicants must retake the examination within two years of the initial exam. Renewal exams are then given at the discretion of the Second Judicial Circuit Certified Civil Process Server Review Board. Renewal applicants are also subject to inquiry by any of the six sheriffs in the circuit.
Process servers are trained professionals who are essential to the functioning of Florida’s court system. The path to becoming a process server depends on where you plan to work. Different regions and counties in Florida may have specialized rules for the certification of process servers in their area. Our process servers here at Accurate Serve Tallahassee are all fully certified to serve process in all six counties of Florida’s 2nd judicial circuit. Call us at (850) 519-5494 to see how we can give you and your client’s peace of mind with reliable, compliant service.
