1. Overview
In certain Florida counties, neither Sheriff Appointments nor Judicial Circuit Certifications are available. When that happens, you must obtain a court-approved Motion & Order (M&O) before service may begin. Proof Serve’s system will automatically detect these counties, draft the necessary Motion, and hold the job until you file the Order with the court.
2. Types of Process-Server Licenses
Special (Sheriff-Appointed) Process Servers
Appointed by the Sheriff’s Office in a specific county.
May serve only in the county that issued the appointment.
Certified Process Servers
Certified by the Judicial Circuit under the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.
Judicial Circuits may cover one or multiple counties.
May serve only within the circuit of certification.
3. When a Motion & Order Is Required
A Motion & Order must be obtained whenever:
The county does not offer Sheriff appointments, and
The circuit does not maintain a Judicial-Circuit certification program.
In these jurisdictions, a judge’s signed Order is the sole authorization permitting service under Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.070.
4. Counties Requiring a Motion & Order
Alachua | Baker | Bradford | Calhoun | Clay | Columbia | Flagler |
Gilchrist | Holmes | Levy | Nassau | Putnam | Union | Volusia |
5. Exceptions: No License Needed
Anyone over age 18 (who is not a party to the case) may serve the following—even outside their licensed county or circuit:
Federal process
Out-of-state process (subject to that state’s rules)
Subpoenas
Property management eviction notices (3-day, 7-day, Notice of Termination—but not the 5-day summons under Florida law)
General correspondence
6. Step-by-Step: Obtaining & Uploading Your Motion & Order
Job Upload
When you submit a job for service in one of the counties listed above, Proof Serve’s system will:
Detect the location automatically.
Flag the job as “M&O Required.”
Hold the job to prevent premature service attempts.
Proof Serve Drafts the Motion
Our Legal Operations team quickly drafts a Motion & proposed Order.
You receive an email notification with the Motion & Order attached.
You File with the Court
Submit the Motion to the clerk of the appropriate circuit court.
Obtain the judge’s signed Order.
Upload the Signed Order
Log into Proof Serve.
Navigate to the Documents tab of your job.
Upload the signed Order PDF.
Review & Service
Our team reviews the uploaded Order for completeness.
Upon approval, we assign the job to an appropriately licensed Florida server.
Service attempts begin immediately once the Order is validated.
Tip: Once uploaded and approved, the Motion & Order remains valid for the life of the case—no need to repeat the process for subsequent service attempts in the same matter.
7. Got Questions?
If you run into any issues—missing Order, upload errors, or licensing questions—please contact your Proof Serve Client Success Manager or email support@proofserve.com. We’re here to keep your service workflows smooth, compliant, and on schedule!