Civil Processes

Aerial view from the Denver Capital Building across Downtown Denver.

The mission of the Denver Sheriff Department (DSD) Civil Division is to provide quality customer service in the processing and execution of civil process. The duties of the Civil Division are widely varied, which include, but are not limited to:

Information regarding whom is to be served and where they may be located will be provided by the person requesting service. Any additional information provided is helpful. Examples of additional information: age, place of employment, best time to serve, vehicle description, and physical description. This information should be provided on a DSD service information form.

NOTE: the Civil Unit is prohibited from providing legal advice.

The Denver Sheriff Department only serves within the boundaries of the City and County of Denver. Furthermore, we use the address provided to affect service. If the address is not valid, complete (i.e., does not include a direction in the street address (North, South, East, West), an apartment or unit number, an access code, etc.) or within the City and County of Denver limits, your paperwork will be returned to you unserved. To ensure you have a complete and valid Denver address, visit the Assessor Maps page, type in the address, and tap search.

Refer to the Addressing Accuracy page on the Denver Transportation & Infrastructure website to ensure that you are correctly addressing any and all correspondence. To learn more about the addressing policy, read the Engineering Addressing Policy document.

Additional requirements include:

Please send all papers for service, payment, and civil process information to the address provided on the Civil Processes page.

You will receive a return of service. This will notify you if the service was successful and will serve as proof of service to the court. The Return of Service will tell you the name of the person served, the date and time of service and the address where service occurred.

If the service was unsuccessful, the Return of Service will provide an explanation such as: moved, no such address, address not in Denver, etc. If the service was unsuccessful you may be due a partial refund. You will receive the refund approximately four to six weeks after you receive the Return of Service. This refund is mailed directly from the Denver Auditor's Office.