Orange — How to Serve a Bench Warrant

Source: https://www.occourts.org/system/files/selfhelp/shc-cpj-05.pdf

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA Self-Help Services COUNTY OF ORANGE www. occo u rts. org/se lf-h e IP-

HOW TO SERVE A BENCH WARRANT

SELF-HELP FORM PACKET

SHC-CPJ-05 (Rev. 01/01/2026)

Self-Help Services can review your completed forms before you file them with the Court. To request review of your completed forms:

1. Complete the attached forms in black ink.

2. Scan your completed forms and save as a single PDF file.
3. Go to www.occourts.org/self-help (click the button labeled Click Here to Contact Self-Help Services), attach the PDF, and complete the online request form. Make sure to select CIVIL as the case type on the form.

www. occo u rts. o rg/self-he IR.

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF ORANGE www.occourts.org

BENCH WARRANT INSTRUCTIONS

A Bench Warrant is an order of the Court directing a Sheriff within the State of California to arrest a person and bring him or her to the Court.

If a Bench Warrant has been authorized by the court on your case and you want to proceed with the warrant, please do the following:

► Complete the Bench Warrant (#L525) and the Request for Sheriff to Serve Court Papers (#SER-001 ).

► Identifying information must be entered on the Bench Warrant or it may not be entered into the Sheriff's warrant system. Please include as much information on the Service Instructions as possible. For example, is there more than one address at which the person can be found? Is there a particular time of the day when the party can most likely be reached at a particular address? Do you know what kind of car the person drives? Does he or she have any unique characteristics? If the Sheriff (or other peace officer) is not given enough information, it may be impossible to serve the warrant. ► Please submit the appropriate fees, if applicable, with the warrant. Go to the Sheriff s website of the county where your warrant will be served to obtain current fees. ► If your warrant is for an out-of-county Sheriff, please provide address for Sheriff and return this page along with documents noted below:

Address: -------------------------
City: _______________ Zip code: ________

► Hand deliver or mail the completed Bench Warrant, Sheriff Service Instructions, and any required fee to the Clerk's Office at the Justice Center where your case is filed. The Clerk's Office will issue the warrant as appropriate and forward the completed Bench Warrant and fee to the Sheriff's Department.

Should an agreement be reached between you and the party the warrant was issued against, or if the judgment is paid in full, you must immediately submit written notice to the Clerk's Office at the Justice Center where your case is filed so the warrant can be recalled. Failure to do so may result in a wrongful arrest and possible legal action against you.

Information - Bench Warrant Instructions L1166 (Rev. January 17, 2024)

ATTORNEY OR PARTY WITHOUT A HORNEY (Name & Address) FOR COURT USE ONLY

Telephone No.: Fax No.(Optional): E-Mail Address (Optional): Attorney for (Name): Bar No.: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ORANGE JUSTICE CENTER: x Central-700 Civic Center Dr. West, Santa Ana, CA 92701-4045 □ D Civil Complex Center-751 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92701-4512 D Costa Mesa Justice Complex -3390 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1554 D Harbor-Newport Beach-4601 Jamboree Rd., Newport Beach, CA 92660-2595 D Lamoreaux -341 The City Drive, Orange, CA 92868-3205 North-1275 N. Berkeley Ave., P.O. Box 5000, Fullerton, CA 92838-0500 □ th West-8141 13 Street, Westminster, CA 92683-4593 □ PLAINTIFF/PETITIONER: CASE NUMBER:

DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT:

Case assigned to:
Judge: BENCH WARRANT Department:
Date complaint filed:
Hearing/trial date:

TO: 0 SHERIFF OF: COUNTY O ANY PEACE OFFICER OF THIS STATE ------------ YOU ARE COMMANDED TO ARREST (name): ________________________ and bring said person to the above-named Justice Center, or the nearest court if in session, for the setting of bail in the amount of the warrant or to release on the person's own recognizance. Any person arrested pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure § 1993, shall be released from custody if the person cannot be brought before the court within 12 hours of arrest, and the person shall not be arrested if the court will not be in session during the 12-hour period following the arrest. Physical descri ption: Gender: D Male D Female D Nonbinary Height: ____Weight: ____R ace: _______ Hair Color: ______ Eye Color: _______ Age: ____ Date of Birth: _____________

The last known address of the person to be arrested is: __________________________

To be completed by the clerk:

BAIL SET AT:$________ This warrant expires on (date): ____________ Upon posting bail or promising to appear, set appearance on (date): _____________________ at (time): __________ (Dept.): _________located at the above Justice Center. D Good cause is shown as provided in Penal Code § 840 for nighttime service. D This person may be released upon a promise to appear as provided by Code of Civil Procedure § 1993.1. The issuance of this warrant is for the following reason: D Failure to appear on (date): ____ for an examination hearing (CCP 491.160, 708.170), served on (date): ____ D Failure to appear on (date): ---Rpursuant to a subpoena (CCP 1993), served on (date): ______ D Contempt (CCP 1209), served on (date): _________ D Failure of witness to attend hearing (CCP 1993) on (date): ______ , served on (date): _______ D Other (specify): , served on (date): _________

Issued in the County of Orange on (date): ______ Seal Judicial Officer

Form Adopted for Mandatory L525 (Rev. Apr. 04, 2023) Use BENCH WARRANT Code of Civil Procedure,§§708.170, 1209,491.160,1993

SER-001 Request for Sheriff to Serve Court Papers

CONFIDENTIAL Instructions: Each county in California has a sheriff (and sometimes a

marshal’s office) that can serve different types of court papers, including To Court Clerk: Do not file this form. restraining orders. Note that the sheriff cannot guarantee that they will be successful in finding the person you need served, but they will try to serve based on the information you put on this form. Sheriff File Number (for sheriff to complete, if needed): Complete this form for each set of papers you need served. You must complete a separate form for each person you need served.

Find out where the person you need served is located. Give your papers to Fill in case number: the sheriff or marshal’s office in that county. Court Case Number:

You may have to pay for service of some court papers. For more information, see page 5 of this form, or go to selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/sheriff-serves.

Do not use this form if you are asking the sheriff to enforce a wage garnishment order on an employer. Instead, use forms WG-001, Application for Earnings Withholding Order, and WG-035, Confidential Statement of Judgment Debtor’s Social Security Number.

If you want the sheriff to enforce a writ or levy, complete this form and form

SER-001A, Special Instructions for Writs and Levies—Attachment.

All information is required unless it is listed as optional or does not apply to your case.

1 To the Sheriff or Marshal of (name of county):

2 Your Information a. Your name (party requesting service):

b. Your lawyer’s information (if you have one)
Name:
Firm name:

c. Court case name:
(example: Garcia v. Smith)

d. Contact information for the sheriff or marshal to reach you
(Give an address where you can receive mail regularly, like a post office box, a Safe at Home address, or
another safe address. If you have a lawyer, give the lawyer’s information.)
Address to receive mail:
City: State: Zip:
Telephone number (optional): Email address (optional):

CONFIDENTIAL
This is not a court form. Do not file with the court.

Judicial Council of California, courts.ca.gov Rev. January 1, 2026, Mandatory Form Request for Sheriff to Serve Court Papers SER-001, Page 1 of 5 Gov. Code, §§ 7927.430, 26666, 26666.5, 26666.10

Court Case Number:

3 Information About Person or Entity You Want Served (Check a or b)

a. I ask the sheriff to serve a person (complete section below)
(1) Name of person:
Nicknames or aliases (optional):

(2) Telephone number (optional):

(3) Can you describe the person?
No, I do not have any information about the person’s description.
Yes (complete the section below with any information you have):
Gender: Male Female Nonbinary
Height: Weight: Hair color: Eye color:
Date of birth or age (give estimate, if unknown):
Race/Ethnicity:
Special marks or features (tattoos, scars, etc.):
Vehicle (type, model, year, color, plate number):
Check here if you are including a picture of the person.

(4) Do you know of any safety or accessibility issues?
No
Yes (complete the section below with any information you have):
The person (check all that apply):
Has a gun or other weapon. Is on probation or parole.
Has a history of violence or abuse. Has an aggressive animal.
Has special training (examples: military, first responder). Has mental health issues.
Is deaf or hard of hearing.
Does not speak English (list language):
Add any other information about safety or accessibility that you know about:

b. I ask the sheriff to serve an entity (examples: business or government agency)
(1) Name and type of entity:
Telephone number (optional):

(2) If there is a specific person who should be served, give name:

(3) If there is an agent for service of process, give name:

(4) List any safety or accessibility issues (examples: weapons, aggressive animals, language barrier):

CONFIDENTIAL
This is not a court form. Do not file with the court.

Rev. January 1, 2026 Request for Sheriff to Serve Court Papers SER-001, Page 2 of 5

Court Case Number:

4 Address Where Person or Entity Should Be Served (The sheriff typically serves during normal business hours. Check with the sheriff’s office for the exact times.)

Address: Home Business
City: State: Zip:
Gate code or special instructions:
Best time to serve at this address (example: 8 a.m.–noon):
Check here if the person is in jail or prison (give name of facility):

Alternate address (optional)
(If the person cannot be found at the address listed above, some sheriffs may try a second address if it’s in the
same county. If you have a second address for the person you want served, complete the section below.)

Address: Home Business
City: State: Zip:
Gate code or special instructions:
Best time to serve at this address (example: 8 a.m.–noon):

5 Information About Your Request

a. What type of court papers are you giving the sheriff to serve (examples: summons, restraining order, eviction, small claims, bank levy, or writ of attachment)?

b. List all forms or court papers you want served on the person in 3 a. (optional). (Note: You can list each form by its form number (example: FL-100, SC-100). If there is no form number, give the title of the document. The court may have ordered you to serve certain papers. Look at the court’s order and list all forms required. If you do not know which papers you need to serve, ask a lawyer, or contact your local self-help center for free information.)

c. Is there a court hearing (court date)? I don’t know No Yes (if yes, give date of hearing):

CONFIDENTIAL

This is not a court form. Do not file with the court.

Rev. January 1, 2026 Request for Sheriff to Serve Court Papers SER-001, Page 3 of 5

Court Case Number:

5 d. Is there a deadline for service? I don’t know No Yes (if yes, give deadline):

e. Has the court allowed you to serve your court papers in another way besides personal service (example: substituted service)? I don’t know No Yes (if yes, include a copy of the order allowing another type of service)

f. Is there any other information you want or need to give to the sheriff to serve your court papers? No Yes (if yes, give information below):

6 Enforcement of Writ or Levy

If you want the sheriff to enforce a writ or levy, you must complete form SER-001A, Special Instructions for Writs and Levies—Attachment, and turn it in with this form.

(Only complete this section if you want the sheriff to enforce a writ or levy.)

Do you want the sheriff to both serve your court papers and act as levying officer? Yes No. I only want the sheriff to act as levying officer. A registered process server has or will serve my papers.

Your Signature (party asking for service, or their lawyer)

Date:

Type or print your name Sign your name (may be electronic)

CONFIDENTIAL
This is not a court form. Do not file with the court.

Rev. January 1, 2026 Request for Sheriff to Serve Court Papers SER-001, Page 4 of 5

Court Case Number:

Your Next Steps

Find out if you need to pay a fee for service by asking the court’s self-help center, a lawyer, or the sheriff’s office. Here are some situations where you do not need to pay for service:

If you have a fee waiver in your case (fee waiver granted by a judge on form FW-003 or FW-005). If you are serving a domestic violence, elder abuse, or gun violence restraining order. If you have a civil harassment, workplace violence, or school violence restraining order based on a credible threat of violence or stalking.

Give this form and a copy of all the court papers you need served to the sheriff or marshal, including a copy of a fee waiver (if you have one). You can turn in your papers in person or send them electronically.

You should get a form back from the sheriff.

If the sheriff was able to serve your court papers, you should receive a form (called a proof of service). Make sure

you get a copy from the sheriff and file it with the court. Note that if there is a court stamp at the top right corner of the first page, it has already been filed and you do not need to file it with the court. If the sheriff was unable to serve your court papers, you should receive a form (sometimes called declaration of due diligence) that tells you that service was unsuccessful and will give details about when the sheriff tried to serve the person. If the sheriff was unable to serve your papers, you can ask a lawyer or court’s self-help center about your next steps.

To find your local court self-help center, go to selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/. Self-help center staff will not act as your lawyer but may be able to give you information to help you decide what to do in your case. Services are free.

To Sheriff or Marshal

This form is confidential and must not be made public.

Any papers submitted with this form should be served and listed on the applicable proof of service form.

Note that 5 b is optional and may help to identify documents that should have been submitted but were not received by your office.

Under Government Code section 26666.2, once you’ve received a completed copy of this form and forms for service, you must attempt service unless: Any order submitted does not have a judge’s signature or other representation of a judge’s signature; clerk’s endorsement; or court stamp, seal, or other court endorsement; or

A court case number is not listed on the order, summons, or other notice.

CONFIDENTIAL

This is not a court form. Do not file with the court.

Rev. January 1, 2026 Request for Sheriff to Serve Court Papers SER-001, Page 5 of 5