Office of the General Counsel

CDFW's General Counsel advises and reports to the Director on legal matters; conducts legal actions and directs the State Attorney General in representing the Department; and provides in-house legal services to CDFW divisions and regions.

Personal Service of Documents

For service of a Summons and Complaint, or any other documents requiring personal service, please contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Office of the General Counsel at (916) 654-3821 to schedule an appointment. Service will take place at:
715 P Street, Sacramento, California.

Service of Documents by Email

For documents that do not require personal service, please email:
serviceofprocess@wildlife.ca.gov.

For District Attorneys and Prosecutors

If you are a prosecutor attempting to serve a subpoena duces tecum or subpoena for personal appearance, please email it to serviceofprocess@wildlife.ca.gov and include a contact person from your office for coordination.

Parties for whom CDFW Can Accept Service:

CDFW can only accept service on behalf of the following:

• CDFW
• The Director of CDFW
• The Chief Deputy Director of CDFW
• The Wildlife Conservation Board
• The Executive Director of the Wildlife Conservation Board

Important Note:

CDFW will not accept service for CDFW executives or employees in their individual capacity, either through personal service or the email address above, and attempted service will be rejected.

Documents Naming “State of California”

If your documents name the "State of California," they must be served on the Office of the Attorney General, not CDFW.

Frequently Requested Resources

• Public Records Act Requests
• Regulations implementing the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) are found in Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations(opens in new tab) as follows:
  • Article 1. Take Prohibition; Permits for incidental take of Endangered Species, Threatened Species and Candidate Species (§§ 783.0-783.8)
  • Article 2. Take Incidental to Routine and Ongoing Agricultural Activities (§§ 786.0-786.8)
• Additional information on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
• Persons bringing legally taken fish or game into California need to complete a Declaration for Entry form.
• For information on obtaining an agreement to substantially divert or obstruct; change the bed, channel, or bank; or use material from a river, stream, or lake, see Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreements.