Service
Delivering the claim papers to the other side in a way the court accepts.
Serving · Service of process
The court will not hear the case until the other side has been given the papers properly. Each state lists the ways that count: the clerk mailing them with a return receipt, the sheriff, a professional server, or any adult who is not part of the case.
There is a deadline. Serve too close to the hearing date and the hearing gets moved. Handing the papers over yourself almost never counts.
Related words
Common questions
- What does service mean in small claims court?
- Delivering the claim papers to the other side in a way the court accepts. The court will not hear the case until the other side has been given the papers properly. Each state lists the ways that count: the clerk mailing them with a return receipt, the sheriff, a professional server, or any adult who is not part of the case.
- What does proof of service mean in small claims court?
- The signed form saying who delivered the papers, to whom, when, where, and how. Whoever delivered the papers signs it, not you. It goes back to the court before the hearing.
- What does defendant mean in small claims court?
- The person, business, or agency a claim is brought against. You have to name the defendant the way the court can find them: a person by their full name, a business by the name it is registered under, plus any name it trades under.
- What does hearing mean in small claims court?
- The short session where both sides tell the judge what happened and hand over their evidence. Most small claims hearings run fifteen to thirty minutes. The judge has read the claim, asks questions, looks at what each side brought, and often decides that day.
Verified on 2026-09-06, sources:
Verified on 2026-09-06, sources:
FairSquare assembles documents and explains your court's rules. It is not a substitute for advice about your situation.