The Sheriff is required by Florida Statute to serve any legal process originating from the Supreme Courts, Circuit Courts, County Courts, local governmental code enforcement boards and other governmental agencies. The Sheriff is also required to serve other processes directed to him. This task is accomplished by the Court Process Section.
The Court Process Section also serves non-enforceable papers issued out of courts other than the state of Florida. However, the authority is limited to service of process only and does not permit the Sheriff to take any action against personal property, real property, or persons, even though directed to do so by the out of state court.
a. There are remedies pursuant to Florida Statute for out of state court orders to be domesticated through the Florida courts. If applicable, these orders would be signed by a Circuit Judge from Polk County directing law enforcement to carry out the provisions of the out of state court order. The out of state court order must contain specific direction to law enforcement included in the body of said order.
b. There is an exception which requires the Sheriffs of the State of Florida to enforce the provisions of a foreign protection order. The out of state protective order is enforced just as if it were issued by a Florida court.
For information concerning the service of process, you may contact the Court Process Section at 863-534-6264, or visit our public window during regular business hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the following location:
Polk County Sheriff's Office- Operations Center
455 North Broadway Avenue
Bartow, Florida 33830
The Court Process Section will accept documents by mail with the appropriate service fee included. Please make checks payable to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. When contacting the Court Process Section by mail, please send all mail to the Polk County Sheriff's office Court Process Section, 455 North Broadway Avenue, Bartow, Florida 33830 (863-534-6264). Please include a self-addressed, stamped, envelope for a Return of Service to be mailed.
| To see if documents given to the Polk County Sheriff have been served, search our online database. If the Polk County Sheriff's Office is serving your documents, you can use our online search to see if service has been completed. |
Court Process Fees for Service
The fee for service of process is set by Florida Statute 30.231 and is due upon receipt of the process. This fee is non-refundable.
All checks must be made payable to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
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TYPE OF SERVICE |
COST OF SERVICE |
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Non-Enforceable Process |
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Summons, Notices, Garnishments, Notice |
$40.00 for each person or entity served. |
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Enforceable Process |
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Writs of Possession, Attachment, Replevin or any type of writ requiring service of process plus enforcement. |
$90.00 |
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NOTE: A standby fee will be assessed after the first hour if the plaintiff requests or the situation requires a deputy sheriff. The fee is $25.00 per hour, per deputy. If you need information regarding Landlord/Tenant Rights & Responsibilities, you may click the following link. |
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Levy Fees |
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TYPE OF LEVY |
COST DEPOSIT |
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Real estate: The legal description, street address, current title search, judgment lien certificate, same name affidavit, warranty deed, and creditor's affidavit for the property must be provided. |
$1,500.00 cost deposit |
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Vehicles, boats, motors, motorcycles, etc. The description of the property, tag numbers, vehicle identification numbers, and an address where the property may be located must be provided. |
$2,500.00 levy deposit |
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Personal Property levy, levy on assets of a business, etc: A specific inventory of the property or business assets must be provided. |
$1,500.00 and up
Amount of deposit is based upon type of property and cost of moving and storage. |
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Large volume of property, such as heavy equipment, etc: Contact the Court Process Section at 863-534-6264 prior to forwarding your instructions for levy to obtain the cost deposit amount.
NOTE: A standby fee or inventory fee is required after the first hour on a levy. The fee is $25.00 per hour, per deputy sheriff.
Advanced cost deposit is required prior to levying upon real or personal property. The above deposits are an estimate of the anticipated charges. If the actual cost to levy exceeds the cost deposit the additional monies must be paid immediately upon request.
If you have questions regarding a levy, please contact the Court Process Section at 863-534-6264 during normal business hours. |