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Civil Division

Three Sheriff's talking with a Citizen in a parking lot

We desire to be the agency of choice for

your Civil Process needs. 

 

The Civil office is located at 7180 Barrister Drive, Boise, ID  83704.

(208) 577-3750

Hours of operation are 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday. The Civil office will be closed for the following holidays:

New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Duties of the Sheriff

The Sheriff is responsible for diligence in the service of process. Cases are addressed on a first-come, first-served basis or may be prioritized by an upcoming court date. We guarantee that we will attempt to serve your documents in a reasonable and diligent manner.

Sheriff’s Instructions

A letter of instruction must accompany every document brought to the Sheriff’s Office for service. This letter must tell the Sheriff:

  • Who is to be served.
  • Where the documents are to be served.
  • What documents are to be served.

Your attorney must sign this instruction letter. If you have no attorney, then your signature is required.

Letter of Instruction for Garnishments and Levies

Letter of Instruction for Evictions and Process Service

Fees

The Sheriff is required, by law, to charge fees for his services. You must pay the fee in advance (Idaho Code 31-3211). In addition to service fees, other costs may include a charge for moving and storage of goods, towing, recording, publishing in a newspaper, posting, and other miscellaneous fees. Pursuant to Idaho Code 31-3203, the Board of Ada County Commissioners sets the current fees for the Sheriff’s Office. Click here for our Fees and Required Documents.

Additional Info:

  • Civil procedure is different than criminal procedure. In a criminal case, the Sheriff’s Office represents the State of Idaho and performs criminal investigations. In civil cases, the ACSO is the intermediary party. The ACSO does not represent the plaintiff or the defendant in the case. You must have a court-issued document in your possession in order for the Sheriff’s Office to assist you with service of the document.
  • Bring us the papers you want us to serve as soon as you can, especially if there is a pending court date. When the documents are being personally served, it can take multiple attempts before contact is made. The more time you allow us, the better the chances that we will be successful on your behalf.
  • Remember that although we are happy to serve all of your court papers, certain court documents, such as Small Claims Summons, Summons and Complaints, Subpoenas, Orders to Show Cause and Notices, can be served by anyone over the age of 18 who is not a party to the action. Due to the number of cases we receive and the service fees, you may choose to have someone other than the ACSO serve your documents.
  • If your document is an enforcement document (Writ), the Sheriff’s Office is the only agency that can serve this document (a writ of restitution is an exception).
  • Depending on the documents you need served, there are likely additional items that also need to be provided to us. Click here for a list of what’s needed.

Civil Standbys

“Civil standbys” are a type of call used in dispatching patrol units and related to certain situations generally involving non-criminal issues.  Child exchanges, PO/NCO move out orders, property exchanges etc., are to be handled by the agency or patrol unit with jurisdiction and NOT referred to the Ada County Civil deputies or Civil unit to do a “civil standby.” In such calls for service, each police agency needs to determine whether they take action on “civil standbys” in their jurisdiction. ACSO Civil deputies are not responsible for other agencies who decline to do a standby. Any direction for citizens to contact the ACSO Civil unit for these standbys is not the correct course of action.  ACSO Civil deputies take action when they have jurisdiction via a court order or writ and the plaintiff has paid the proper fees associated with civil enforcement.

Things We Cannot Do for You

We cannot do your work for you. You must give us the addresses for the people we are to serve. If there is an identification problem, you must supply us with a Social Security number or date of birth for the individual. It is your responsibility to provide all service information before submitting the papers to us.

We cannot provide legal advice. Many people attempt to utilize the Sheriff’s Office as a place for legal advice. We can supply you with procedures that are required in order to perform a service, but we cannot supply you with how to get the required documents. Only your attorney can advise you. The following links may provide some additional resources:

Ada County Court Assistance     –     Idaho Legal Aid     –     Lawyer Referral Service