Civil complaints and writs of personal property are received at the Main Filing Desk and distributed to the appropriate Districts.  Each year, the Main Desk Complaint Unit handles all the complaints from citizens seeking legal redress in civil matters. From divorce complaints to restraining orders, this is where all processing of civil action begin.

The Main Desk also processes subpoenas from Family Court and documents to be served on defendants in support hearings, contempt cases, custody and visitation hearings and any criminal actions involving family cases.

CIVIL DIVISIONS
The Sheriff's Civil Divisions are responsible for serving civil complaints and Writs of Execution to defendants in Philadelphia County.

Members of the Civil Districts must work quickly to locate and serve defendants named in a complaint because complaints are only valid for 30 days and writs of execution for only 90 days.

Plain clothes deputies assigned to the Civil division are often required to enforce court injunctions limiting the number of pickets during labor disputes.  Corporations experiencing labor disputes are charged for the overtime hours deputies are required to work to keep the peace.

The Writ of Possession (Eviction Notice) is a court order being carried out as a result of legal action stemming from a mortgage foreclosure or a landlord/tenant dispute.  The deputy's responsibility in such a case is solely to enforce the court ordered eviction from beginning to end.