GPS, Photos, and Timestamps for Process Servers

What GPS, photos, and timestamps should show on a process serving attempt, plus privacy limits and why written notes still come first.

Location and time records support the note. They do not replace it. Capture the address as you found it, then write what happened. What location and time should establish A GPS point and a timestamp should show that you were at the authorized address at the time in the note. Pair them with that visit. Do not reuse a photo from an earlier stop. If the pin is off because the complex is large, say so in the note and identify the building with a marker photo. Photographs that identify the place Useful frames are the exterior, the unit plate, the mailbox, the directory, or the building number. Take them from a place a guest would stand. The picture should answer “which door was this?” Photos that respect privacy Do not photograph through private windows. Do not capture children, mail contents, or bystanders. Do not collect extra personal information just because the camera is already out. If a person is in the frame by accident, do not keep a close crop of their face unless that person is the recipient and the photo is part of the attempt you were sent to make. Notes still come first A pin and a picture help a reviewer see the place. They do not explain a refused name, a closed gate, or a conversation. Write the note. Attach the files to that visit. The attempt documentation checklist is the written format; this page is the proof that sits next to it. Is a GPS pin enough if I forget the note? No. The written note is the record. GPS and photos support it when they identify the location and the time. Can I photograph inside a unit? Stay at the entry a guest would use. Do not go inside to take pictures, and do not shoot through windows.