According to Massachusetts General Law c.37, sections 11&12, the High Sheriff of the County is mandated to serve civil process. MGL c.37, section 3 empowers the Sheriff to appoint Deputy Sheriffs to perform official acts regarding service of process. In Massachusetts, as in most states, the service of process is carried out by the Sheriff, through deputies (link to line 32), as public ministerial offices to the judicial branch. Appointed Deputy Sheriffs are trained to properly deliver important court and non-court documents and are held to the same high standards as any law enforcement official in the Commonwealth.

Unlike constables, Norfolk Deputy Sheriffs are not limited in the types or value of process they may serve, nor are they restricted to a particular town. Norfolk Deputies can serve your legal process in all of the 28 cities and towns of Norfolk County. If your defendant is outside of Norfolk Coutny we would be happy to assist you in arrange service anywhere in the Commonwealth.

The Civil Process Office also enforces judgments made by the court which include but are not limited to seizing property and selling property through a Sheriff’s Sale, garnishing wages, and facilitating Capias arrests. Our Business Office staff and Deputy Sheriffs are committed to a high standard of excellence and work each and every day to improve both our delivery of service and our communication with our clients and the public we serve. We understand the importance of achieving court related deadlines and we are highly proficient in the application of enforcing civil actions.

We are constantly looking for ways to improve our civil process operations. In 1996, the Civil Process Office became a fully accountable public agency under the direction of the Sheriff, an agency that has always been fully dedicated to serving its county, and a valuable part of the public safety community. We have implemented new technology initiatives to better serve the legal community including utilizing tablets to record service information. This will enable our office to provide real time email notification of service status to attorneys and law firms.

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Services

Summons and Complaint

Mail or deliver the original summons with the court seal with the complaint and any other documents which need to be served to Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, Civil Process Division for service. kindly include one copy of each document. The original will be forwarded back to you with a Return of Service.


Judgment Debtor Summons

Mail or deliver the original summons with the court seal and complaint to Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, Civil Process Division for service. Kindly include one copy of each document. The original will be forwarded back to you with the return of service affixed.


Writ of Attachment


Levy on Personal Property( Executions on Money Judgment)


Notice to Show Cause

Mail or deliver the original Notice to Show Cause to the Norfolk Sheriff's Office, Civil Process Division. Kindly include one copy of this document. The original will be forwarded back to you with the return of service affixed. You will be responsible to return the original to the court in a timely fashion.


Notice to Quit / Evictions (Executions for Possesion)


Probate Citation

Because of the unique characteristics of each legal service, please contact the NSO Civil Process Office at 781-326-1787 regarding information and fees for these service.


Subpoenas


Capias and Arrest Capias

See Capias


Execution on Money Judgment

See Levies


Probate Summonses: Divorce, Modification, etc.

The Probate Court issues Summons with complaint for Divorce, Modification, Contempt, Paternity, Support, Visitation and other probate matters. These services require immediate attention. Please contact the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office for more information (781-326-1787).


Order of Notice

The Order of Notice is more often than not issued by Land Court. This document must be served 14 days prior to the hearing date. Please contact the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office Civil Process Office to discuss appropriate service details.


Supplementary Process/Summons to Judgment Debtor

This paperwork may also be called “Notice to Show Cause” depending on the issuing court and route of action.

You will need to forward the original document to the Civil Process Office with one copy for service. This document must be served within 7 days of the hearing date. After service you will be forward the original and the appropriate return of service to return to the court.