Frequently asked questions

Every service of process includes four attempts at the address you provide. Rural areas receive three attempts. If we exhaust the attempts without service, you receive a declaration of due diligence.

For San Diego County courts we mail the proof of service/declaration on behalf of self-represented individuals at no extra charge, and email you a copy for your records. For every other court, we email or mail the proof of service/declaration back to you for filing.

Add the specific date and time option to a Same Day, Next Day or Standard service and tell us the window you need. If the window requires waiting, a stakeout is the better fit.

Yes. Incarceration service covers a recipient in custody: a first attempt within 1–3 days, and four attempts total. It is not on the order form.

Yes, at any San Diego County military base. Base approval is required, and we refund service fees if the attempt cannot be arranged.

Outlying towns such as Jamul, Alpine, Ramona, Bonsall, Valley Center, Fallbrook and Lakeside carry a $45 surcharge and receive three attempts rather than four. Extra-rural back-country towns are $100 and two attempts — call the office before you order those.

Skip tracing uses credit, application and utility history to locate a current address. If the search returns no results you are refunded in full. There is no refund if it returns addresses that turn out to be out of date, and no guarantee a current residence exists in the data.

Printing is $.30 per page after the first 40 pages. A witness check, and court filing, certification, and copy fees that Rockstar advances, add 8% or $4.00, whichever is greater. Postage, the serve price, and the filing-trip price do not.

Orders placed after closing are processed the next business day. Mail services submitted before 12PM PST go out the same day. After 12PM we may get to them the next business day.

Same Day is $195, and the first attempt is the same day the order starts. Next Day is $175, and the first attempt is by the next day. Standard is $150, and the first attempt is within 1–3 days. Each includes four attempts, and an order placed after the office closes (Mon–Fri, 5pm PST) starts the next business day. A witness fee is the check written to that person. The order adds 8% or $4.00, whichever is greater.

Yes. Chula Vista, Oceanside, and North County cities such as Carlsbad, Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, and Encinitas are standard coverage. Same Day is $195, Next Day is $175, and Standard is $150, each with four attempts. Fallbrook, Bonsall, and Valley Center are rural instead, at $45 more with three attempts.

Service by email is $60. We send the documents to the email address you provide on the order. During office hours (Mon–Fri, 7am–5pm PST) that send goes out the same day, and an order placed after closing starts the next business day. It does not include the four in-person attempts.

Service attempts are also made outside of these office hours.

First-class mail is $60. Certified mail is $75, and the order asks whether a green signature return receipt or standard return receipt is required. Both leave the same day when the order is in by the 12PM PST cutoff. When it misses that cutoff, we may mail them the next business day. First-class postage may apply on packets over 35 pages. A witness fee is the check written to that person. The order adds 8% or $4.00, whichever is greater. Postage does not.

Court filing or retrieval at San Diego County courts is a separate order: $250 the same day, $200 the next business day, or $150 within 1–3 business days. Drop or department box filing is $150, $115, or $70 on those same turnarounds, including a proof you want hand-delivered instead of mailed. San Diego County proofs of service/declarations are mailed for self-represented people as part of the serve. For any other court, the proof comes back to you to file. Filing, certification, and copy fees that Rockstar advances add 8% or $4.00, whichever is greater. The trip price does not.

A stakeout is $80 an hour with a two-hour minimum, added to a Same Day, Next Day, or Standard serve. The minimum is billed even if the person is found sooner, and there is no promise they will be there. Put the dates, times, and place on the order, or call 619-399-3278 to check availability first (Mon–Fri, 7am–5pm PST).

Service attempts are also made outside of these office hours.

An extra person at the same address is $40, and only on Same Day, Next Day, and Standard service. Add that person on the job details page and the fee is included in the total. Email service does not add this charge. A different address is a separate serve at the full price.

When the included attempts are used and the person is not served, you receive a declaration of due diligence describing what was tried. Same Day, Next Day, and Standard include four attempts; a rural address includes three, and an extra-rural address includes two. That declaration records the tries and is not a proof of service. Call 619-399-3278 if you want another attempt or a skip trace for a different address.

Yes. Small claims papers use the same Same Day, Next Day, and Standard prices: $195, $175, and $150, with four attempts. For a San Diego County case, the proof of service/declaration is mailed when you are representing yourself. Add the service on the order page and upload the papers with that job. An order placed after Mon–Fri, 5pm PST starts the next business day.

Yes. On the job details page, name the person who will receive the papers and mark them as an agent, officer, attorney, or representative, then enter the business they are served on behalf of. Same Day is $195, Next Day is $175, and Standard is $150. If you do not yet know who should be named, call 619-399-3278 before you order.

Yes. Temecula and Murrieta are standard coverage, so Same Day is $195, Next Day is $175, and Standard is $150, each with four attempts. The rural surcharge does not apply to either city. Both cities are in Riverside County, so the proof of service comes back to you to file. Order them online the same way as a San Diego address.

Open the order page and add the services you need to the cart. Each job has its own page for the people, the case, and the papers. You can sign in, create an account, or continue as a guest, then pay by card. Orders placed after Mon–Fri, 5pm PST start the next business day.