Civil Process Information

"All process of the circuit court in said city of St. Louis...shall be directed to and executed by the sheriff of said city." (RsMO 57.470)

The Sheriff's Deparment receives over 65,000 court papers per year for service. These include city, foreign, garnishment, property tax, juror, and ex parte orders of protection papers.

---

Court Time Limits for Service

• Papers without a court date, including Circuit Court Summons, have 30 days from the date of the court seal. (Missouri Supreme Court Rule 54.21)
• Associate Circuit Court Summons have to be served 10 days before the court date.
• Papers dealing with rent have to be served 4 days before the court date.
• Serve or Post papers have to be served 4 days before the court date or have to be posted 10 days before the court date. (Missouri Revised Statute 535.030)
• Post only summons have to be posted 10 days before the court date.
• Order of Publications have to be posted 10 days before the court date.
• Subpoenas may be served anytime before the court date.

The service fee in the City of St. Louis is $20.00 per defendant. If your case is filed outside of Missouri, the fee is $22.50 per defendant.

We serve only those defendant who reside or work in the City of St. Louis. To verify if an address falls within our jurisdiction, check the city address locator or the United States Postal Service website.

For more information or to check service call 314-622-4851.