This is a press release from the Houston County District Clerk's office:
Houston, April 3, 2020 – Given the current situation caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19), which has forced the Harris County District Clerk’s Office (DCO) to suspend in-person services, District Clerk Marilyn Burgess wants to highlight that our e-Issuance service is the way to go to get your service papers timely.
Through e-Issuance, attorneys can request that service papers get delivered directly back to the requester’s email account with attached documents. This email can then be forwarded directly to the process server of the attorney’s choice.
E-Issuance service documents are often processed the next day, with a maximum turnaround time of 3-5 business days. With this service, documents can also be accessed by logging in to the DCO website, where retrieval is available 24/7.
E-Issuance is easy to request, but you need to have the new form. Just submit the completed Civil Process Request form as a Word document when filing electronically.
You can access the form through this link:
https://www.hcdistrictclerk.com/Common/Forms/pdf/cpr.doc
Alternatively, the form can be downloaded at www.hcdistrictclerk.com/Common/Forms/forms.aspx. Click on the General Forms tab and select Civil Process Request (Word document for e-filing). When completing the form, be sure to select Service by e-Issuance in the last section. Currently, service is not available for pickup and if the mail option is selected it will take much longer as most of our staff are now working remotely.
An extra advantage to the e-Issuance service is that there are no postage fees and no copy fees are incurred because the filer provides their own copies.