// Skip tracing
Skip tracing for process servers
Serving a hard-to-find defendant often means credentialed locate data and, in some states, a license. Here's how process-server skip tracing differs.
The short answer
Process servers skip trace to locate defendants who are avoiding service, which is a litigation-related use that credentialed data providers support and that some states license. The gated, permissible-purpose data used to find an evasive party is a different tier from the non-FCRA marketing data real-estate investors use.
Locating an evasive party
When a defendant is dodging service, finding a current address or workplace is the whole job, and it often needs deeper data than public records give. Use in connection with litigation is a recognized permissible purpose for credentialed platforms, which is why serious process-server skip tracing runs on that gated data rather than a marketing tool.
Licensing varies by state
Some states regulate process servers and investigative locating work, and in a few the deeper locate work sits under a PI license. The federal data rules apply everywhere, so a credentialed provider with a permissible purpose is the reliable path when public data runs out.
When public records are enough
Not every serve needs credentialed data. A cooperative or findable defendant often turns up in public records at a known home or workplace, and that's a straightforward locate. The gated data, and in some states a licensed investigator, come into play when the defendant is actively evading service and the public trail goes cold.
Where Trackyr fits (and doesn't)
Trackyr is non-FCRA marketing and list-hygiene data, not the credentialed litigation-grade locate data process serving relies on. It isn't the right tool for finding an evasive defendant. For that, use a credentialed provider with a permissible purpose for litigation.
// Common questions
Answered.
How do process servers skip trace?+
With credentialed locate data supported by a litigation permissible purpose, and in some states under a license. Finding an evasive defendant needs deeper data than public records, which is why marketing-grade tools aren't the fit.
Can I use a marketing skip-trace tool to serve papers?+
For an easy, public-record locate maybe, but for an evasive party you'll need credentialed data with a litigation permissible purpose. Non-FCRA marketing data isn't built for it.
// Keep reading
More on skip tracing.
Skip tracing laws in California: licensing, privacy, and DNC rules
Is skip tracing legal in California? Do you need a license? Here's California's PI-licensing status, privacy law, and telemarketing rules, plus the federal rules that always apply.
Read →Skip tracing laws in Texas: licensing, privacy, and DNC rules
Is skip tracing legal in Texas? Do you need a license? Here's Texas's PI-licensing status, privacy law, and telemarketing rules, plus the federal rules that always apply.
Read →Skip tracing laws in Florida: licensing, privacy, and DNC rules
Is skip tracing legal in Florida? Do you need a license? Here's Florida's PI-licensing status, privacy law, and telemarketing rules, plus the federal rules that always apply.
Read →Put this into practice.
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