Civil Process Division offices in Salem and Lawrence

The Civil Process Division is a professional law enforcement unit responsible for executing and serving legal and court documents across all 34 cities and towns in Essex County.

Key duties include:

• Serving summonses, complaints, subpoenas, and court orders—detectives make multiple delivery attempts and typically complete service within 40 days.
• Executing writs of execution and attachment, enforcing judgments through asset seizures, levies, wage garnishments, and property sales at Sheriff’s auctions – see our Civil Process page.
• Carrying out writs of possession to recover real or personal property and facilitating civil arrest warrants (Capias) when necessary.

The division maintains two office locations — Salem and Lawrence — staffed by uniformed deputies and administrative personnel. They assist attorneys and individuals in filing and processing legal requests efficiently.