POS-010 Is Getting Rewritten: What the Judicial Council’s AB 747 Form Revisions Mean for You

Most of the AB 747 conversation has centered on apps and GPS cameras. But there’s a quieter change happening in Sacramento that will affect every proof of service you file starting January 1, 2027: the mandatory Judicial Council forms themselves are being rewritten.

The Judicial Council of California has proposed revisions to POS-010 (Proof of Service of Summons) and a range of related forms through two formal invitations to comment — SPR26-08 (civil and small claims) and SPR26-21 (family law). Both proposals align the forms with what AB 747 actually requires on the ground.

Here’s what’s changing, what it means for your workflow, and what you should be watching.

Why the Forms Have to Change

AB 747 — the Service of Process Accountability, Reform and Equity (SPARE) Act — doesn’t just create new documentation requirements. It mandates that those requirements appear on the proof of service itself. Under California law, proofs of personal service must generally use Judicial Council forms. So if the statute requires GPS photo documentation, the form has to have a field for it.

That’s SPR26-08 and SPR26-21 in a nutshell: the Judicial Council making the paperwork match the law.

The proposals were circulated for public comment (deadline around May 2026) and, if adopted on schedule, take effect January 1, 2027 — the same date the underlying statute kicks in.

What’s Changing on POS-010

The civil/small claims proposal (SPR26-08) adds a new item to POS-010 — likely Item 8 — specifically for “photo of the location of service.”

Under the revised form, servers will need to indicate:

• Photo attached — confirming that the required GPS/timestamp photo accompanies the proof of service
• GPS coordinate stamp visible — documenting that the photo contains readable coordinates and timestamp
• Door/entrance depicted — for service at a dwelling or business, at least one photo must show the door or accessible entrance
• Signal unavailable exception — if GPS or cellular signal wasn’t available, a detailed written explanation is required on or with the proof of service
• Safety exception — if, in the server’s reasonable judgment, taking a photo would compromise safety, a written explanation substitutes for the photo requirement

There are also updated mailing fields specifying that first-class, Priority Mail with tracking, or Certified Mail with return receipt are the accepted methods — a cleanup that eliminates ambiguity on substituted and mail service.

What’s Changing on Family Law Forms (SPR26-21)

The family law proposal covers FL-115 (Proof of Service of Summons), SUR-115, and related forms. The changes mirror what’s happening to POS-010: new photo documentation fields, GPS/timestamp stamp requirements, diligence declarations, and similar exception checkboxes.

SPR26-21 also proposes a new optional form — FL-116 — as a standalone diligence declaration for substituted service. Under AB 747’s tightened standards, “reasonable diligence” now requires documented attempts on at least three occasions, on three different days, at three different times, with an additional requirement in consumer debt cases. FL-116 would give servers a standardized place to record those attempts in a format courts can evaluate.

For servers who regularly work family law matters — divorces, domestic violence restraining orders, custody disputes — the FL-115 revisions are the ones to watch closely.

The Exceptions Are as Important as the Requirements

The new form fields make one thing explicit that the statute leaves somewhat implicit: you don’t always need a photo, but you always need documentation.

If you can’t get GPS signal in a rural or below-ground location, you can’t just skip the documentation. You write a detailed explanation. If a photograph would put you in danger — an aggressive subject, a volatile situation — you document that judgment call on the form.

This is actually protective for servers. Right now, if you can’t photograph a serve, there’s no standardized way to note why. The revised forms give you a defensible, court-recognized mechanism for recording exceptions. Use them.

What This Means for Your Workflow Right Now

1. Your current POS-010 has no GPS field. The form you’re filing today doesn’t have a place for this documentation. That means if you’re building compliant GPS photo workflows now (which you should be), you’re attaching photos as supplemental documentation without a formal form field for them. That changes on January 1, 2027.

2. You’ll need to attach the actual photos to the filed proof of service. The revised form references attached photos — which means e-filing workflows will need to include the GPS photo as an exhibit, not just a note in your records. If you’re using an e-filing platform, verify now whether it supports multi-document submissions with photo exhibits. Platforms that don’t adapt will create compliance gaps.

3. The “three occasions, three days, three times” diligence standard is form-embedded now. When FL-116 gets adopted, substituted service diligence will have a standardized disclosure format. Courts and opposing counsel will have a template for evaluating your diligence documentation. Make sure your attempt logs are detailed enough to complete that form — date, time, result, and address for each attempt.

4. Watch courts.ca.gov for the final adopted versions. The proposals have cleared the public comment stage. Final adoption and published form revisions will appear on the Judicial Council’s website. Subscribe to or periodically check the forms page — the revised POS-010 will look different from the current version, and you’ll want to update your practice before the old form creates problems.

The Bigger Picture

AB 747 gets discussed as a GPS camera problem. What SPR26-08 and SPR26-21 make clear is that it’s also a paperwork problem. The mandatory form is changing. The fields are changing. The documentation chain — photo, stamp, form, exhibit — has to be complete from the moment of service to the moment of filing.

The servers who will handle January 2027 without a hitch aren’t just the ones who bought the right app. They’re the ones who understand the full documentation chain: capture the photo in the field, attach it to the right case record, and file it with a form that has a field for it.

That last step — the form — is now officially in motion. Build your workflow around the revised POS-010, not the current one.

Resources

• SPR26-08 (civil/small claims proposals, including POS-010): courts.ca.gov/system/files/itc/spr26-08.pdf
• SPR26-21 (family law proposals, including FL-115): courts.ca.gov/system/files/itc/spr26-21.pdf
• AB 747 statute text: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

This article does not constitute legal advice. Consult the AB 747 statute text and qualified legal counsel for authoritative compliance guidance. Form revisions are proposals pending final Judicial Council adoption; verify current status at courts.ca.gov.

Pete Campbell is a registered process server in Amador County, California, and the founder of Served Wire.