Civil Process

Colorado State Law mandates that all sheriffs’ offices within the state must maintain a civil section. The civil section is responsible for the service of all civil papers received by the Sheriff's Office. The civil section satisfies statutory responsibilities. Service of civil papers is done according to Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure.

The Delta County Sheriff's Office administrative section is responsible for civil process, records management, budget and the general day-to-day operations of the Sheriff's Office. 

Process of Service - Serving Someone with Civil Papers

Step 1:  Obtain Civil Paperwork from the Courts

• You must first obtain all necessary paperwork from the necessary courts and have it properly completed before it can be served. The Sheriff's Office does not provide legal advice or legal forms. 
• If you need court forms, please visit the Delta County Combined Courts - Court Clerk Office located on the 3rd floor of the Delta County Courthouse at 501 Palmer Street in Delta. This is also where you will file your paperwork with the courts and get it stamped and pay any required court fees. 

Step 2: Verify the physical location of the person/business you need served

• The party or business to be served must be in Delta County, Colorado. We cannot serve someone in another county.
•  The Sheriff's Office can not serve employees of Delta Health Hospital at the hospital or an underground coal miner at work. These employees must be served at their home address in Delta County not at work. 

Step 3: Complete the Delta County Sheriff's Office Request for Service form. 

• Download Sheriff's Office Request for Service from or complete it in person at the Sheriff’s Office at 211 W 6th Street in Delta, CO. 
• A date of birth or approximate age is required for both the person requesting the service and for the person(s) to be served.
• The Sheriff's Office will not accept requests for service without a physical address for the party to be served. Post Office box numbers are not acceptable. It is up to you as the requestor to provide as much information about the individual/business to be served as possible. 
• Please note, it is not standard policy for the Sheriff's Office to notarize returns of service. If a notarized return of service is required, you must request this in your instructions for service, include the notary fee with your payment and include a return of service page with your paperwork for service.
• Attorneys and businesses can submit a letter with service instructions on company letterhead instead of completing the Sheriff's Office Form. 

Step 4: Submit the Form and Pay the Service Fees

• Submit the Request for Service form, along with the paperwork to be served, to the Sheriff’s Office and pay the appropriate fee. Recurring attorneys, businesses and other government agencies in Colorado will be billed. 
• To submit the form and pay service fees you may:
  • Submit the Form and Pay Fees online; or 
  • Submit Paperwork and Pay fees in person at the Sheriff's Office - 211 W 6th Street in Delta, CO 
• Please note - the Sheriff's Office Service Fee does not include mileage to attempt service. Mileage is calculated on a round trip daily attempt to serve basis and based on a zip code fee structure (see Civil Fee Schedule for fees). For all new customers, one round trip mileage fee plus the service fee will be collected prior to service. You will be billed for any additional service attempts.

Contacting the Sheriff's Office Civil Division:

US Mail:

Delta County Sheriff's Office
Attention: Civil Division
PO Box 172
Delta, CO 81416

In Person:

211 W 6th Street

Delta, CO 81416

Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We do not accept requests for service on weekends.

E-Mail: 

Requests for service via email are only be accepted from attorneys and businesses or other government agencies that are currently on our billing account list. All other requests will be rejected and you will be asked to complete a request for service in Person or by submitting through the online payment portal. 

Call us with Questions:

• 970-874-2011 Civil Office
• 970-874-2000 Sheriff's Office Front Desk

Return of Service

Once the party has been successfully served, we will complete the Return of Service and mail the completed Return of Service, along with our invoice for service, to all attorneys and businesses. If the paperwork is originally filed in the Delta Courts, as a courtesy, we will forward the completed Return of Service to the Delta Courts for filing and mail the statement to you.

If we cannot locate the party after three attempts to serve, we will complete a non-found Return of Service and that will be forwarded to the courts or returned to you with the rest of the service packet.

If you filed in a different county, the completed Return of Service or non-found Return will be returned to the customer and you will be responsible for filing the return of service with the appropriate court.

You can call the Civil Office during normal business hours to check status of your service request. If you have further questions, please contact the Civil Office at 970-874-2011.