Serving Civil Process

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office is mandated by the Code of Iowa to charge a fee for service of civil documents. Iowa Attorneys in good standing and certain pre-approved companies may be billed for the service fees. All others must pay advance service fees.

The type of paper served and the location for service determines the amount of service fees required.

Before the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office will serve any civil process, Directions to the Sheriff and the required advance fees must be received, along with the documents you want served. A printable copy of the Directions to the Sheriff's is available on this website.

Pursuant to the Iowa Court Rules (Rules of Civil Procedure) after serving a document with a court case number, the Return of Service will be sent to the appropriate Clerk of Court where the document was filed, unless requested to do differently. If no court case number is indicated, the Return of Service will be sent to the person or firm who requested the service.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office cannot give legal advice.

• Direction to the Sheriff for Serving Civil Process
• Serving Civil Process and Fees
• Evictions
• Garnishments
• Foreclosures