POS-030: Proof of Service by First-Class Mail (Civil)

Caption must show the name, address, and telephone of the attorney or self-represented party. Without it the clerk cannot identify who filed the proof of service.

• Listing the server's information here when the server is a third party (e.g., a friend who mailed for the filer); this caption block identifies the filer (the party or their attorney), not the server. Server information goes in the proof block lower on the form.
• Using a P.O. Box only when the rule expects a residence or office address; for self-represented parties without an office, the residence or mailing address is acceptable here.

Telephone number is part of the required caption block. Many clerks will reject filings missing a phone number on the caption.

• Listing the server's phone instead of the filer's. The caption phone is for court communications back to the filer.
• Omitting area code when the rest of the caption is local; some clerks reject 7-digit numbers as incomplete.

Fax is optional. Most self-represented filers don't have one and the form has no requirement to provide it.

• Listing a phone number in the fax field by accident. The form caption has separate boxes for phone and fax.

Email is required for attorneys but not for self-represented parties. Recommended because some courts use it for case communications.

• Listing the server's email in this caption field; this is the filer's caption block, not the server's contact line.
• Listing a defunct email; once a filer registers for e-service via this email, the court relies on it for hearing and minute-order notices.

Caption must indicate which party the filing is on behalf of. For a self-represented party, the convention is 'in Pro Per' or 'in Propria Persona'.

• Writing 'Pro Se' rather than 'Pro Per' or 'In Propria Persona'; California courts use the Latin 'Pro Per' label by long-standing convention.
• Omitting the role and just writing the party's name; the caption needs the role label so the clerk knows which side filed the proof.

The county where the action is pending must be identified , the form prints 'SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ___'.

• Listing a different county than the underlying form; POS-030 must reference the same court where the underlying paper was filed, or the clerk cannot pair them.
• Filing the proof in the wrong county; if the underlying case is in San Diego, the POS-030 goes to San Diego too.

The form has explicit boxes for street address, mailing address, city/zip, and branch. The street address identifies the courthouse.

• Listing the underlying form's caption address blindly when the courthouse has separate physical and mailing addresses; if the parent form lists a P.O. Box, look up the physical street address on courts.ca.gov.

Most courts use the same address for street and mailing , the form lets you specify a different mailing address only if applicable.

• Repeating the street address here when the courthouse uses the same address for both; leave blank rather than duplicate.

City and ZIP for the courthouse , required to identify the courthouse address fully.

• Listing the county seat city when the courthouse is in a different city. Confirm against courts.ca.gov.

Many large counties (e.g., Los Angeles, San Diego) require a branch name so the clerk routes to the right courthouse. Smaller counties with one courthouse don't need it.

• Naming the city instead of the branch (e.g., 'Compton' vs 'Compton Courthouse'); branches have official names assigned by the court.
• Using a different branch than the underlying form. The proof must reference the same branch where the parent paper was filed.

Title of the case must include all parties; in two-party actions both names appear. Mismatch with the underlying form makes the proof unable to be paired by the clerk.

• Listing only the entity's short name when the underlying complaint uses the full legal name with 'LLC' or 'Inc.'. Copy character-for-character from the parent form's caption.
• For family law: using 'Petitioner' or 'Respondent' labels instead of the actual parties' names; the caption box wants names.

Defendant's name in the caption , must match the underlying form exactly.

• Including 'Doe' defendants from the complaint; Does are placeholders. List only named defendants.
• Using a different spelling than the underlying form.

Case number must appear on every filed paper. Without it the clerk cannot file the proof of service into the case.

• Mistyping a digit so the POS-030 case number does not match the underlying form's. The clerk pairs by case number; a single transposed digit can land the proof in the wrong file.
• Filing POS-030 with a blank case number when the underlying form has been filed and the clerk has assigned one. Always check the conformed copy of the underlying form for the assigned number.

The proof of service must show the residence or business address of the person who deposited the envelope. The server must also be at least 18 and not a party , those facts are baked into the printed declaration on the form.

• Filing party signing as the server; the rule requires the server to NOT be a party. The party gets a friend, roommate, family member 18+, or paid process server to mail and sign POS-030. A POS-030 signed by the party is invalid on its face.
• Server's address in a different county than the place of mailing; CCP section 1013a(1) requires the server to be a resident of or employed in the county where the mailing occurs.
• Listing a P.O. Box only; the rule asks for residence or business address, not a mailbox.

The date of deposit in the mail is the operative date , service is complete on this date and triggers the 5-day add-on under § 1013(a). Without it the court cannot calculate response deadlines.

• Backdating to the day the document was generated rather than the day it was actually deposited in the mail; service is complete on deposit, not on drafting.
• Forward-dating to schedule a future mailing; sign and date POS-030 the same day the envelope is actually deposited.
• Using the postmark date when it differs from the deposit date; the operative date is the deposit by the server, even if the post office cancels later.

The 'place of deposit' must be identified. The server must be a resident of or employed in the county where the mailing occurs , so this should be in the same county as the server's address.

• Listing a city in a different county than the server's residence or workplace; section 1013a(1) ties the place-of-deposit county to the server's connection.
• Using a generic state designator ('California') without a city; the rule asks for the place where the envelope was actually deposited.

The exact title of every document mailed must be listed. Vague descriptions like 'my response' are insufficient , the court must be able to confirm the specific filing was served.

• Writing 'my answer' or 'my response' instead of the form name (e.g., 'Answer , Unlawful Detainer (UD-105)'); section 1013a(1) requires the 'exact title' of each document.
• Listing only the first document when multiple were mailed in the same envelope; every paper in the envelope must be listed.
• Forgetting attachments (MC-025 continuation pages, exhibits); list them by name with the parent form.

POS-030 item 4 distinguishes between Method 1 (personal deposit with USPS) and Method 3 (organizational ordinary-business-practice mailing). Each has different statutory requirements; choosing the wrong one can void the proof.

• Self-represented filer checking 4b (business mailroom practice). 4b applies only when an organization has a regular practice of collecting outgoing mail and depositing it with USPS the same day; pro se filers who walk to the post office themselves use 4a.
• Checking both 4a and 4b. Method choice is mutually exclusive.

The proof must name the person served. § 1015 requires that when a party has counsel of record, service is on the attorney , not the party. Mailing to the wrong person can render the service ineffective.

• Mailing to the landlord directly when the landlord has filed through counsel; CCP section 1015 requires service on the attorney once counsel is on record. Check the complaint's caption for an attorney signature.
• Listing the law firm name without an attorney name; the recipient should be the attorney listed on the complaint, with the firm name as part of the address.
• Listing 'all parties' or a generic phrase; each recipient must be named individually. For multiple recipients, file separate POS-030 sheets or attach MC-025.

The mailing address used on the envelope. Must be the recipient's address as set forth on a paper filed in the action, or otherwise known to the server.

• Using the recipient's old address from a prior pleading when the recipient has filed a notice of address change.
• Listing the recipient's home when their attorney's office address is the proper address under section 1015.
• Mailing to a P.O. Box when the recipient's filed paper lists a street address; use the address from their last filed paper unless they have updated it.

A declaration under penalty of perjury must show the date and place of execution. POS-030's signature block prints 'I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct' , the date completes that declaration.

• Signing on a different date than the mailing date and not noticing; the sign date and mailing date may legitimately differ if the server signs the proof after returning from the post office, but the sign date should be on or after the mailing date.
• Leaving blank to sign at filing; an undated declaration under penalty of perjury is invalid under CCP section 2015.5.

The server's name must appear on the proof. The form requires a printed name AND a handwritten signature , the printed name identifies who is signing the declaration.

• Printing the filing party's name; the server signs and prints, not the party. The party gets a friend, roommate, or coworker (18+, not a party) to mail and sign POS-030.
• Using a nickname or initial; print the full legal name so the court can match the printed name to the handwritten signature.