For service by mail, when is service effective?

For service by mail, when is service effective?

• A. Upon mailing by plaintiff
• B. When defendant signs and returns acknowledgment within 30 days
• C. After 60 days
• D. When plaintiff files affidavit of service

Answer: (B)

When service by mail is used, the notice is only effective if the recipient actually acknowledges it. The clearest way the law ensures that is by requiring the defendant to sign and return an acknowledgment of receipt within a set time, typically 30 days. This signed acknowledgment proves the documents were received and validly served, and it marks the moment service becomes effective. If no acknowledgment is returned within that window, service by mail generally isn’t complete, and the plaintiff may need to try another method. Filing an affidavit of service documents what happened, but it doesn’t by itself make service effective if there’s no proper acknowledgment or proper mailing proof in line with the rule. Mailing the papers alone isn’t sufficient to establish service, and waiting an extended period like 60 days isn’t how the rule operates.

When service by mail is used, the notice is only effective if the recipient actually acknowledges it. The clearest way the law ensures that is by requiring the defendant to sign and return an acknowledgment of receipt within a set time, typically 30 days. This signed acknowledgment proves the documents were received and validly served, and it marks the moment service becomes effective. If no acknowledgment is returned within that window, service by mail generally isn’t complete, and the plaintiff may need to try another method.

Filing an affidavit of service documents what happened, but it doesn’t by itself make service effective if there’s no proper acknowledgment or proper mailing proof in line with the rule. Mailing the papers alone isn’t sufficient to establish service, and waiting an extended period like 60 days isn’t how the rule operates.