Service of Process Upon a Business

While all Service of Process throughout all New York is considered "Routine," there are distinctions between Business & Personal Service with regard to pricing, commensurate with the effort required.

A "Business Serve" is one where a location is open and someone is authorized to accept Service of Legal Process on behalf of the entity (business, government, religious organization, etc.) during normal business hours. This type of Service requires all the steps be followed while only requiring a single trip / visit (attempt) to complete.

In the event that the business has permanently closed, it may still be possible to have them Served through the New York State Secretary of State!

Witness Fee Checks

Corporate requests for Service upon an Entity )such as a "Subpoena Duces Tecum" or "Subpoena Duces Testificandum") will often require that a Witness Fee Check be provided to the Respondent with the document(s). Please be sure to let us know if this is the case.

Other types of Serves

Personal Service, or Service Upon an Individual (Personal Delivery Required) can in many instances requires multiple attempts to catch someone at home. A Process Server may be required to make up to three (3) attempts, on three (3) different days, at three (3) different times of day.

Routine Service is also commonly referred to as Substitute Service (a Sub-Serve), meaning that anyone on the premises who is of age or authorized may accept service on behalf of the Respondent, be it a person, business, corporation, or government entity.

Conspicuous Service may (in some instances) be completed by affixing documents to the main entryway for a specific dwelling or business and providing the appropriate copies via USPS once the required attempts have been made.

How an address is zoned also can play a role in determining how to bill a particular Serve. Service upon a business where the door is always open with an authorized agent waiting inside is far easier than someone who lists their home office as their business address, and purposefully makes it difficult to tell whether or not they're home.