Use Case

Skip tracing for process servers

When a defendant moves and the address on the affidavit is stale, you need the current one — not a record from three years ago.

Process serving falls apart at the same point every time: the address on the complaint is wrong. The defendant moved, the relative who used to live there doesn't anymore, or the property is vacant. Skip Trace API is built for the moment you need to find someone right now, not next week. The National Association of Professional Process Servers (NAPPS) is the practitioner trade body if you want broader industry context on legal service standards.

Built for legal urgency

Most skip tracing tools are designed around marketing list workflows: bulk uploads, batch processing, overnight delivery. Process servers don't operate on overnight cycles. Our single-lookup endpoint returns matches in under a second so you can run a trace from your phone in the field, get the current address, and decide whether to drive there.

What you get back

  • Current verified mailing address (USPS-validated when possible)
  • Up to 3 historical addresses with date ranges
  • Phone numbers (mobile + landline) with carrier and line type
  • Email addresses for contact verification
  • Associated relatives and known associates (subject to permissible purpose)

Legal use cases

Service of process for civil and family court matters. Witness location for trial preparation. Asset location for judgment enforcement (paired with property records). Subpoena delivery for discovery. Bail bond skip tracing for fugitive recovery. Each of these has different legal requirements; we provide the data layer.

Permissible purpose

Skip tracing data has FCRA implications when used for credit, employment, or insurance. Service of process and legal investigation generally fall under different permissible purposes (FCRA §604(a)(1), court order; §604(a)(3)(D), legitimate business need). Talk to your attorney about which purpose applies to your matter type and document it in your case file.

Frequently asked questions

How fast is a single lookup?
Under one second for most queries from the REST API. Single-lookup pricing is the same $0.05 per successful match — no minimum, no commitment.
Can I use this from a mobile app in the field?
Yes. The REST API is mobile-friendly and we'll have a hosted lookup form for non-developer users at launch.