CIVIL DIVISION

GENERAL INFORMATION

 

The Lake County Sheriff is tasked with serving and executing all civil process directed to him/her by a legal authority originating within Lake County, other in-state counties as well as jurisdictions outside of Indiana. Civil officers serve, but are not limited to, the following:

 

-Summons	-Protection Orders
-Subpoenas	-Eviction/Possession Orders
-Notices of Claim	-Replevin Orders (Property Repo)
-Notices of Sheriff Sale	-Orders to Appear/Pay
-Mortgage Foreclosures
-Dissolution (Divorce) Decrees

 

The Civil Division carries out other duties to include:

 

• -Providing status information on SHERIFF SERVICE of documents.

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• -Holding a monthly auction, known as a SHERIFF’S SALE, to sell properties that are

•  under Court- ordered bank foreclosure for the non-payment of a monthly mortgage.

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• -Issuing TAX WARRANTS on behalf of the State and collecting monies from those who

•  are delinquent on their state taxes.

   

  LOCATIONS

   

  The Lake County Civil Sheriff has three (3) offices to serve the citizens of Lake County. Each office is open to the public Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

   

  CROWN POINT  (Main Office) Lake County Government Center 2293 N. Main St. - Rm A117 Crown Point, IN. 46307   PH: (219) 755-3190 FX: (219) 755-3194   Area Served: Crown Point (Winfield), Merrillville, Hobart, Dyer, Schererville, St. John, Cedar Lake, Lowell, Schneider, Shelby and unincorporated areas of south Lake County

  GARY  (Satellite Office) Lake County Superior Court Bldg. 400 Broadway Gary, IN. 46402   PH: (219) 881-6091 FX: (219) 881-6086   Area Served: Gary, Lake Station, Griffith, unincorporated Hobart and Calumet Township

  EAST CHICAGO  (Satelllite Office) Lake County Superior Court Bldg. 3711 Main St. East Chicago, IN. 46394   PH: (219) 392-2476 FX: (219) 392-2496   Area Served: East Chicago, Hammond, Highland, Munster and Whiting

   

  Please note that not all mailing addresses are found within Lake County and may be located within adjacent Porter County.

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SHERIFF SERVICE

 

Based on the city/town that the defendant resides, you may call the respective civil office for questions regarding service of documents. Please find the areas served and the corresponding office under our “LOCATIONS” section.

 

DOCUMENT PREPARATION

 

Mail or hand-deliver three (3) copies of each document with proof of payment for $28.00 Sheriff Service Fee.  Please staple each packet prior to mailing/delivering to our office as we will not be responsible for loose or insecure documents that are not properly secured.  A large binder clip will suffice for instances where a staple is impossible.  Any documentation that is not properly prepared for Sheriff service will be returned to your office.  See ILLUSTRATION

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• FOREIGN WRITS (Out-of-State Service)

•      A sixty ($60) service fee shall be collected per defendant/per address for all requests for service (per I.C. 33-37-5-15). The fee is payable by business check (law firm only), cashier’s check or money order and made payable to “Lake County Sheriff’s Dept.” No personal checks are accepted!

   

•      Please mail three (3) copies of both summons and complaint along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the appropriate office (found under our locations). Please assure the address of the person/entity being served is on the summons.

•         One (1) copy will be left at the address provided.

•         One (1) copy will be mailed to the address provided.

•         One (1) copy will be stamped by the officer certifying either good or bad service

•         and a signed affidavit will accompany the return copy.

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• If your state or jurisdiction REQUIRES personal service, please notate that personal service is required. If personal service is not noted and highlighted on your documentation, our officers will follow the procedure for regular service. For required personal service, we will attempt to make personal contact and, if unsuccessful, we will return your documentation along with the appropriate service affidavit to reflect unsuccessful service. We do not make multiple service attempts on personal service. We suggest the assistance of a private process server if you require multiple service attempts or have special instructions (e.g. – attempt service after 6:oopm).

   

  EVICTIONS

  If you seek the eviction of any occupant(s), the process is as follows:

  1. 1.  File an eviction case through the Small Claims Division of the Lake County Clerk.

  2.  

  3. 2. Once a case is initiated by the Clerk, the Civil Sheriff will serve a notice of claim to the defendant(s). This notice contains a court date that allows the defendant(s) an opportunity to appear to answer the complaint against him/her/them.

      

  4. 3. After the court hearing, the Judge MAY grant an order that gives possession of the property to the plaintiff and directs the defendant to vacate. This order will be (and must be) served by a Lake County Civil Sheriff’s officer in order for a Civil Sheriff’s officer to forcibly evict occupant(s) per the department’s eviction policy.

      

  5. 4. If the defendant(s) does/do not vacate the property, you may request the assistance of the Lake

     County Civil Sheriff’s officers in order to remove any defendant(s) that are listed on the order.

      

  6. 5. To request assistance from Lake County Civil Sheriff officers at this point, you must visit the Lake County Civil Sheriff’s main office and pay a non-refundable forced eviction fee of one-hundred dollars ($100) per county ordinance 1305A. Per I.C. 32-30-3-10, officers cannot remove occupants until at least forty-eight (48) hours from the date the eviction order was served.

      

  7. 6. Once receipt of payment is received, an officer will call you at the number you provide in order to schedule a date and time for eviction.

  8.  

Please note the department’s eviction policy. The plaintiff is responsible for changing locks on doors.

Sheriff’s officers do not remove property from homes or apartments.

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• TAX WARRANTS

   

  Indiana authorizes the Sheriff of each county to collect delinquent income taxes upon its behalf. If you received notification of a tax warrant, our records indicate that you owe delinquent state income taxes. Please follow the instructions within the letter and send payment to the address listed on the paperwork.

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  • Exact cash, cashier’s check or money order are the only forms of accepted payment. 
  • Please include your warrant number on the check or money order.
  • No personal checks will be accepted.
  • To set up a payment arrangement, please call our bookkeeper at (219) 755-3197 during our normal business hours.

• -You may pay online at www.indianataxwarrants.com.

   

  If you wish to dispute the amount you owe, please contact the Indiana Department of Revenue in Indianapolis at (317) 232-2240.

   

  SHERIFF SALES

   

  At this auction-style sale hosted by the Sheriff’s office, homes that have a mortgage foreclosure judgment on record are sold to the highest bidder. The Sheriff’s sale is different from tax sales, where homes are auctioned due to delinquent property taxes and/or special assessments. The Lake County Auditor’s office hosts the Tax Sale.

• CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE SHERIFF’S SALE

• CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF ALL PROPERTIES

• CLICK HERE FOR THE BID REQUEST FORM (for bidders only)

• CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO BEGIN A FORECLOSURE (for attorneys only)