About Civil Process
The Civil Process Division of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office is tasked with executing evictions, repossessions, levies and sheriff sales. As a public service, the Sheriff's Office provides online lookups for the general public to view an existing paper's service status. To perform a lookup, you must have both the case number and the last name of a plaintiff, deponent or defendant. Additionally, once you have retrieved a paper in the system, you may subscribe to notification of service by providing your email address. You will receive real-time notification when the paper is served. Click here to use this service.
Civil Process is responsible for the serving of court papers issued from all Virginia state courts and processes issued from other states being served in the city of Virginia Beach. To deliver processes in a timely, efficient manner, the city is divided into 13 zones, with one deputy assigned to each zone. Two clustered zones are partnered together to aid in continuous service when deputies are on leave.
Hours of Operation
Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone
757-385-6336 (messages received after business hours will be answered the following business day)
Fax
757-385-6348
Location
Virginia Beach Courthouse Extension (Municipal Center Building 10B)
2425 Nimmo Parkway
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Mailing Address (U.S. Postal Service)
Sheriff/High Constable of Virginia Beach
Civil Process Division
P.O. Box 6098
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Mailing Address (FedEx and UPS)
Sheriff/High Constable of Virginia Beach
Civil Process Division
2501 James Madison Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Fees for Service of Process:
Fees for service are generally governed by § 17.1-272 of the Code of Virginia, which are:
“A. The fee for process and service in the following instances shall be $12:
- Service on any person, firm or corporation, an order, notice, summons or any other civil process, except as herein otherwise provided, and for service on any person, firm, or corporation any process when the body is not taken and making a return thereof, except that no fee shall be charged for service pursuant to § 2.2-4022.
- Summoning a witness or garnishee on an attachment.
- Service on any person of an attachment or other process under which the body is taken and making a return thereon.
- Service of any order of court not otherwise provided for, except that no fees shall be charged for protective orders issued pursuant to Chapter 11 (§ 16.1-226 et seq.) of Title 16.1.
- Making a return of a writ of fieri facias where no levy is made or forthcoming bond is taken.
- Summoning a witness in any case in which custody or visitation of a minor child or children is at issue.
B. The fees for process and service in the following instances shall be $25:
- Service and publication of any notice of a publicly-advertised public sale.
- Service of a writ of possession, except that there shall be an additional fee of $12 for each additional defendant.
- Levying upon current money, bank notes, goods or chattels of a judgment debtor pursuant to § 8.01-478.
- Service of a declaration in ejectment on any person, firm or corporation, except that there shall be an additional fee of $12 for each additional defendant.
- Levying distress warrant or an attachment.
- Levying an execution.
C. The process and service fee for serving any papers returnable out of state shall be $75, except no fees shall be charged for the service of papers in connection with the prosecution of any misdemeanor or felony domestic violence offense, or in connection with the filing, issuance, registration, or service of a protective order or a petition for a protective order. A victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault shall not bear the costs associated with the filing of criminal charges against the offender, and no victim shall bear the costs associated with the filing, issuance, registration, or service of a warrant, protective order, petition for a protective order, or witness subpoena, issued inside or outside the Commonwealth.
D. The fees set out in this section shall be allowable for services provided by such officers in the circuit and district courts.”
Fees for processes returnable to states outside the Commonwealth of Virginia are to be paid in advance and are as follows:
$75 per entity (corporation, individual)
$75 per address where service is to be attempted
$75 per document served
$75 per case number assigned
$150 two persons at one address
$150 one person at two different addresses
$5 notary fee (effective July 1, 2005, by Virginia Code § 47.1-19)
Service will be 'IN HAND' ONLY unless substitute service is authorized by you.
The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office tax I.D. number is 540722061.
**Please note that the Virginia Code makes no distinction for the type of process served, nor the respective courts to which they are returnable when they are returnable to states outside the Commonwealth (“The process and service fee for serving any papers returnable out of state shall be $75”).
Out-of-state services (those coming from another state which are being served in Virginia Beach):
To reduce postage costs, it is not necessary that we have a full set of the process for our office copy. We make a copy of the first process for our records. When mailing your papers for service, please include a cover letter indicating to where the affidavit of service should be returned. If you would like your affidavit of service completed, please indicate so. Otherwise, we will use our affidavit of service. If you have special instructions on service, or information detrimental to obtaining service, please spell that out in your letter. Of course, if you feel the individual may avoid service, a photograph is helpful, but not mandatory. The fee for out-of-state services is $75 per person, per address, effective July 1, 2004.