How to Serve a Business Through Maryland SDAT, the Virginia SCC, or D.C. DLCP

A practical guide to substituted service when a resident or registered agent cannot be served.

Quick answer: A failed visit to a business location does not, by itself, authorize service through SDAT, the Virginia SCC, or D.C. DLCP. You have to identify the exact legal entity, attempt the correct resident or registered agent as the statute requires, document the qualifying condition, and submit the correct copies, form, fee, address, and proof.

Serving a corporation, LLC, partnership, or other business entity normally starts with the entity’s resident or registered agent. That person or company is listed in the public business record and is designated to receive lawsuits, summonses, subpoenas, and other legal process.

When the agent is missing, deceased, no longer at the official address, or cannot be found after the diligence the law requires, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. each provide a substitute procedure. Those procedures are useful, but they are technical, and a government office is not a universal backup address for every difficult assignment.

The agency may accept your package either way. That is the part filers misread. Intake is a clerical function, not a ruling, and a court can still decide the service was invalid if the prerequisites were never met. Treat agency service as a documented legal sequence rather than a shortcut after somebody fails to answer a door.

The first question is not which agency to serve

It is whether the named defendant is the correct legal entity and whether the law authorizes agency service on the actual facts. Before any attempt, pull a current business entity record and confirm all of the following:

• The defendant’s exact legal name, including punctuation and entity ending
• Whether that name matches the complaint and summons
• The entity type: corporation, nonprofit corporation, LLC, limited partnership, LLP, business trust, or another form
• Whether the entity is domestic or foreign
• The status: active, forfeited, canceled, revoked, withdrawn, dissolved, merged, or unregistered
• The resident or registered agent’s exact name and official service address
• The principal office or other forwarding address in the current record
• The court, case number, summons expiration, return date, and response deadline
• The exact statute or rule that permits service on the government recipient

Why the storefront may be irrelevant

A storefront, worksite, mailing address, virtual office, or principal place of business can be completely different from the registered agent address. An unsuccessful attempt at the operating location may be useful evidence, but it does not satisfy a statute that asks whether the registered agent could be found at the registered office.

A trade name is not an entity, either. The shop on the corner may be operated by an LLC with a different name, or by a franchisee, a management company, or a property owner. Serving an agency under the wrong name does not repair a pleading mismatch.

The three jurisdictions at a glance

	Maryland	Virginia	Washington, D.C.
Recipient	State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT)	Clerk of the State Corporation Commission (SCC)	Superintendent of Corporations within DLCP, as the Mayor’s designee
Common prerequisite	No resident agent; agent deceased; agent no longer at the listed address; or two good faith attempts on separate days fail	A specific statute appoints the Clerk, commonly because no agent is maintained or the agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the registered office	No agent is maintained, or the agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found. DLCP also states it accepts certain unregistered entities operating in D.C.
Form	No separate state form. Use the complete service packet and nonservice affidavits	SOP 19.1, described as optional but strongly recommended	GN 6, plus a supporting declaration
Copies	Two complete sets	Three forms and two process sets	Duplicate process
Government fee	$50 per defendant	$30 per defendant	$50 per entity, plus the expedite fee for walk ins

Government fees are separate from process server fees, investigation charges, copying, mailing, rush handling, affidavit preparation, and court filing costs. Recheck fees and procedures before every submission.

Maryland: serving a business through SDAT

Maryland uses the term resident agent. Circuit Court cases are governed by Maryland Rule 2-124 and District Court cases by Rule 3-124. The substituted service language in subsection (o) is materially the same in both.

Maryland Rule 2-124(o), Circuit Court

Service may be made upon a corporation, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or other entity required by statute of this State to have a resident agent by serving two copies of the summons, complaint, and all other papers filed with it, together with the requisite fee, upon the State Department of Assessments and Taxation if (i) the entity has no resident agent; (ii) the resident agent is dead or is no longer at the address for service of process maintained with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; or (iii) two good faith attempts on separate days to serve the resident agent have failed.

What it means: SDAT service is available only when one of those three conditions exists. When you rely on failed attempts, the attempts must target the resident agent and occur on separate days.

Rule 3-124(o) contains the same framework for District Court cases. Do not cite Rule 2-124 in a District Court matter or Rule 3-124 in a Circuit Court matter. The factual standard is identical, but the correct procedural rule belongs in the service record.

What must happen before SDAT service

There are three separate paths, and you need only one. The affidavit should identify the applicable path and state the facts supporting it.

Rule condition	Evidence to preserve
No resident agent	The current SDAT record showing the entity has no resident agent
Agent is deceased or no longer at the listed address	How this was learned: confirmation from an occupant, property manager, office staff, postal information, signage, vacancy evidence, or other reliable information
Two good faith attempts on separate days failed	Attempts directed to the resident agent at the address maintained with SDAT, with each date, time, exact address, observations, contacts, and result

Two attempts during the same visit, or two visits on the same day, do not satisfy the separate day language. The attempts also have to be genuine efforts. A token attempt at an unreasonable hour invites a challenge.

Maryland’s high court has described SDAT service as an additional method available only in the limited circumstances the rule states. In Mayor and City Council of Baltimore v. Prime Realty Associates, LLC, the court held that Rule 3-124(o) satisfies due process when its requirements are followed, and that the entity’s own failure to update its resident agent address did not invalidate attempts at the address maintained with SDAT. Federal courts applying Maryland service law have likewise wanted documentation supporting the two attempts. A bare statement that service was unsuccessful may not be enough when the court is asked to enter default.

Maryland SDAT packet checklist

• Two complete copies of the summons
• Two complete copies of the complaint
• Two complete copies of every exhibit and every other paper filed with the complaint that must be served
• A current SDAT entity record showing the legal name, status, resident agent, and agent address
• Affidavits of nonservice documenting the qualifying condition, including two attempts on separate days where that is the basis
• A $50 check per defendant payable to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation
• A cover letter identifying the court, case number, defendant, sender, return contact, and enclosures
• A valid, unexpired summons with enough time left to complete service and file proof

The affidavit of service on SDAT should state that two copies of the summons, complaint, and all other enclosed papers were delivered together with the required fee. The nonservice affidavit separately documents why Rule 2-124(o) or 3-124(o) was available.

Maryland addresses and contacts

Item	Current procedure
Business Services Helpline	410-767-1330, option 7
Service of Process Division	410-767-8195
Service of Process email	[email protected]
Hand delivery only	Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, Service of Process, 123 Market Place, Baltimore, MD 21202
Mailing only	Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, Service of Process, 700 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Payment	$50 check per defendant, payable to State Department of Assessments and Taxation

No service of process dropbox. SDAT has dropboxes for certain charter filings. Service of process is not one of them and must be mailed or hand-delivered to the Service of Process unit. Call the division before a time-sensitive dispatch.

Common Maryland mistakes

• Attempting the storefront or principal office instead of the resident agent at the official SDAT address
• Completing both attempts on the same day
• Two vague “no answer” attempts with no facts showing good faith
• No affidavit of nonservice supporting the statutory condition
• Sending one copy rather than two complete sets
• Omitting exhibits or other papers filed with the complaint
• Serving a name that does not match the summons and the SDAT record
• Treating a forfeited, canceled, dissolved, or merged entity exactly like an active one
• Failing to state in the proof that two copies were served on SDAT
• Using a charter filing dropbox instead of the Service of Process unit

Virginia: serving through the Clerk of the SCC

Virginia is statute-specific. The Clerk of the State Corporation Commission is not a universal substitute agent for every business. You have to identify the statute that appoints or deems the Clerk to be that defendant’s statutory agent, and you name it on the form.

Virginia Code § 13.1-637(B), stock corporations

Whenever a corporation fails to appoint or maintain a registered agent in this Commonwealth, or whenever its registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the registered office, then the clerk of the Commission shall be an agent of the corporation upon whom service may be made in accordance with § 12.1-19.1.

Virginia Code § 13.1-1018(B), limited liability companies

Whenever a domestic or foreign limited liability company fails to appoint or maintain a registered agent in this Commonwealth, or whenever its registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the registered office, then the clerk of the Commission shall be an agent of the limited liability company upon whom service may be made in accordance with § 12.1-19.1.

What it means: the same core trigger covers stock corporations and LLCs, but other entity types and status situations run under different sections entirely.

Section 12.1-19.1 supplies the mechanics. It requires two copies of the process for each defendant, the statutory authority, the defendant’s mailing address, and the fee. Service is effective when made on the Clerk, but the defendant’s response time runs from the filing of the Clerk’s certificate of compliance. The Clerk mails the process to the defendant and files that certificate. The fee is $30 for each defendant.

Virginia does not use Maryland’s two-attempt rule

For the common corporation and LLC statutes, Virginia asks whether the registered agent can be found at the registered office with reasonable diligence. No statute says that exactly two attempts always satisfy that standard. Number and timing should fit the address and the circumstances.

• Confirm the registered office before the first attempt
• Attempt at times when the agent or office would reasonably be available
• Use more than a single token visit unless the facts already establish the address is invalid
• Document locked buildings, suite directories, security restrictions, occupant statements, vacancy signs, and posted business hours
• Preserve any reliable information that the agent moved or the office closed
• Do not claim reasonable diligence based only on a failed attempt at a different operational address

A Virginia court can examine the quality of the diligence rather than count the visits. A professional affidavit should let a judge understand exactly why the agent could not be found at the registered office.

Virginia SOP 19.1 packet checklist

• Three copies of completed form SOP 19.1
• Two complete copies of the process and all papers to be served
• A $30 check per defendant payable to the State Corporation Commission. Do not send cash
• The exact style of the proceeding, the court, jurisdiction, case number, and court mailing address
• One applicable Virginia Code section
• The exact defendant name and the address where the Clerk must mail the process
• A separate form, fee, and copies for each defendant, and for each additional forwarding address
• A return address for the receipt, certificate copy, or rejection letter
• Supporting affidavits and entity records sufficient to show the statutory condition

The SCC website calls SOP 19.1 optional. In practice, it organizes exactly what the Clerk needs and reduces avoidable rejections, so Freestate uses it for standard submissions unless a specialized statute requires something else.

Virginia delivery and timing

Item	Procedure
Mailing	Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, P.O. Box 1197, Richmond, VA 23218-1197
Hand delivery	Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, 1300 East Main Street, Tyler Building, 1st Floor, Richmond, VA 23219
Clerk’s Office telephone	804-371-9733 or 1-866-722-2551
Payment	$30 per defendant, payable to State Corporation Commission
Freestate deadline	Package received at least 10 business days before any response deadline, return date, hearing, or other due date

Why we require ten business days. The Clerk has to receive and review the package, mail the process, keep a record, and file a certificate of compliance. The response period runs from that certificate filing, but a court return date, an expiring summons, or a client deadline can still make a last-minute submission unusable. This is a Freestate operational requirement and a minimum planning buffer, not a statutory rule and not a guarantee.

Virginia statutory authority matrix

Based on Schedule A to the July 1, 2024 SCC instructions. It is not exhaustive. Always confirm the section is current and that the facts fit the circumstance.

Entity or sector	Circumstance	Virginia Code
Virginia stock corporation	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	13.1-637 B
Foreign stock corporation	Transacting business without certificate of authority	13.1-758 F
Foreign stock corporation	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	13.1-766 B
Foreign stock corporation	Authority voluntarily withdrawn	13.1-767 B
Foreign stock corporation	Authority automatically revoked	13.1-768 D
Foreign stock corporation	Authority involuntarily revoked	13.1-769 E
Foreign stock corporation	Formerly incorporated as Virginia stock corporation	13.1-722.5 A 6
Virginia nonstock corporation	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	13.1-836 B
Foreign nonstock corporation	Transacting business without certificate of authority	13.1-920 E
Foreign nonstock corporation	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	13.1-928 B
Foreign nonstock corporation	Authority voluntarily withdrawn	13.1-929 E
Foreign nonstock corporation	Authority automatically revoked	13.1-930 D
Foreign nonstock corporation	Authority involuntarily revoked	13.1-931 E
Foreign nonstock corporation	Formerly incorporated as Virginia nonstock corporation	13.1-898.5 A 7
Virginia LLC	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	13.1-1018 B
Foreign LLC	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	13.1-1018 B
Foreign LLC	Registration voluntarily canceled	13.1-1056 D
Foreign LLC	Registration automatically canceled	13.1-1056.1 C
Foreign LLC	Registration involuntarily canceled	13.1-1056.2 D
Foreign LLC	Transacting business without registration	13.1-1057 E
Foreign LLC	Formerly organized as Virginia LLC	13.1-1078 A 6
Virginia limited partnership	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	50-73.7 B
Foreign limited partnership	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	50-73.7 B
Foreign limited partnership	Registration voluntarily canceled	50-73.58 D
Foreign limited partnership	Registration automatically canceled	50-73.58:1 C
Foreign limited partnership	Registration involuntarily canceled	50-73.58:2 D
Foreign limited partnership	Transacting business without registration	50-73.59 E
Virginia registered LLP	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	50-73.135 G
Foreign registered LLP	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	50-73.135 G
Foreign registered LLP	Transacting business without registration	50-73.134 F
Foreign registered LLP	Registration voluntarily canceled	50-73.139
Foreign registered LLP	Transacting business without registration	50-73.140
Virginia business trust	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	13.1-1223 B
Foreign business trust	Registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found	13.1-1223 B
Foreign business trust	Registration voluntarily canceled	13.1-1246 A 4
Foreign business trust	Registration automatically canceled	13.1-1246.1 C
Foreign business trust	Registration involuntarily canceled	13.1-1246.2 D
Foreign business trust	Transacting business without registration	13.1-1247 E
Foreign business trust	Formerly organized as Virginia business trust	13.1-1269 A 7
Merger survivor	Survivor of merger with Virginia stock corporation	13.1-721 D 1
Merger survivor	Survivor of merger with Virginia nonstock corporation	13.1-897 B
Merger survivor	Survivor of merger with Virginia partnership or limited partnership	50-73.129 B
Unincorporated association, order, or common carrier	Principal office outside Virginia, transacts business in Virginia	8.01-306
Unlicensed insurers	Including surplus lines insurers	38.2-801
Unlicensed nonresident insurance brokers and agents	Statutory appointment	38.2-809
Insurance support organization	Statutory appointment	38.2-616
Unlicensed public adjuster	Statutory appointment	38.2-813
Unlicensed foreign or alien insurer	Statutory appointment	38.2-1039
Reciprocal insurers	Power of attorney filed with Commission	38.2-1216
Reciprocal doing business in Virginia	Statutory appointment	38.2-1217 C
Reinsurance intermediary broker	Statutory appointment	38.2-1348 E
Managing general agent	Statutory appointment	38.2-1359 G
Insurance agent	Statutory appointment	38.2-1819 D
Insurance consultant	Statutory appointment	38.2-1838 B 3
Public adjuster licensed in Virginia	Statutory appointment	38.2-1845.2
Surplus lines broker	Statutory appointment	38.2-1857.2
Viatical settlement broker	Statutory appointment	38.2-1865.1
Nonresident viatical settlement provider	Statutory appointment	38.2-6002 E
Risk retention groups not chartered in Virginia	Insurance statutory appointment	38.2-5103
Purchasing group	Statutory appointment	38.2-5108
Nonresident securities registrant	Broker, dealer, adviser, representative, agent, or issuer	13.1-517
Nonresident franchisor	Qualifying registered franchise activity	13.1-566
Out of state credit union share insurer	Statutory appointment	6.2-1379
Labor union or organization	Power of attorney filed under listed conditions	40.1-68
Non Virginia tobacco distributor	No registered agent in Virginia	58.1-1021.04:1 B
Nonresident trademark or service mark registrant	Statutory appointment	59.1-92.14

Limited partnership warning. The SCC instructions state the Clerk is not the agent for service on a Virginia limited partnership formed before January 1, 1987 unless the partnership filed the required amended and restated certificate under § 50-73.77. Entity history matters.

Common Virginia mistakes

• Using Maryland’s two-attempt formula instead of documenting reasonable diligence
• Selecting the wrong code section by failing to distinguish corporation, nonstock corporation, LLC, partnership, LLP, or business trust
• Ignoring the difference between active, withdrawn, automatically revoked, involuntarily revoked, and unregistered status
• Listing the registered office as the forwarding address when § 12.1-19.1 requires the principal office or another statutory address
• Marking more than one code box on SOP 19.1
• Combining multiple defendants or forwarding addresses on one form
• Providing fewer than three forms or fewer than two process sets
• Omitting the court’s full mailing address, which the certificate of compliance requires
• Sending the package too close to a return date
• Assuming SCC acceptance proves the underlying diligence was legally sufficient

Washington, D.C.: serving through DLCP

The correct office is the Superintendent of Corporations within the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, acting as the Mayor’s designee. The former Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs name should not appear in current paperwork, and the office is not a “corporation commission.”

D.C. Code § 29-104.12, the full picture

Subsection (a) permits service on the registered agent. If the entity no longer has an agent, or the agent cannot with reasonable diligence be served, subsection (b) allows registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or similar commercial delivery to the principal office, subject to applicable court rules. Subsection (c) permits delivery to an officer, managing or general agent, or another authorized agent.

Service through the Mayor is not the only method in the statute. Review the issuing court’s rules and the facts before selecting one.

Subsection (d) is the substituted route:

If an entity fails to designate or maintain a registered agent in the District as required by law, or if an entity’s registered agent in the District cannot with reasonable diligence be found, and if the person seeking service submits a declaration under penalty of making false statements showing that a registered agent for the entity cannot be found, the Mayor shall be an agent of the entity upon whom any process against the entity may be served.

The subsection requires duplicate copies and directs the Mayor or designee to forward one copy by registered or certified mail. The declaration is not optional. It should state the actual diligence facts and support the condition selected on GN 6.

What must happen before DLCP service

• Obtain a current D.C. entity record showing the legal name, file number, status, registered agent, registered office, and principal office
• Attempt service on the registered agent when one is listed
• Document reasonable diligence with specific dates, times, observations, address findings, and contacts
• Review the principal office mailing method in subsection (b) and service on authorized persons in subsection (c), together with the court’s rules
• Prepare a declaration under penalty of making false statements when relying on subsection (d)
• Confirm the entity type and status are eligible for DLCP processing
• Use duplicate copies of the filed process and the current GN 6

The GN 6 form states it may be used only after the plaintiff or representative has exhausted the means prescribed by § 29-104.12. A one-sentence statement that the agent did not answer is a weak record. The declaration should show what was attempted and why the direct statutory methods were unavailable or unsuccessful.

DLCP’s FAQ also states the Superintendent may act as substitute agent when a company is not registered but is operating within the District. Because the legal basis can depend on entity type, claim, court, and facts, treat unregistered entity service as something to review carefully rather than as automatic.

D.C. packet checklist

• Two copies of the court filed process, notice, demand, orders, exhibits, and other papers to be served
• Completed and signed GN 6 Service of Process Action Form
• Detailed affidavit or declaration supporting the selected statutory condition
• Current D.C. entity record and file number where available
• $50 per entity, payable to DC Treasurer, for mailed submissions
• The additional expedited fee for walk in service
• Correct return contact and email address
• A request for a Certificate of Service when formal agency proof is needed, recognizing the certificate fee is additional

D.C. filing methods, addresses, and hours

Method or item	Current procedure
Online	Use BOSS. Select Service of Process, complete the fields, upload a PDF, pay, and wait for the completion notice
Mail (current DLCP web page)	Superintendent of Corporations, DLCP, Business and Professional Licensing Administration, Corporations Division, Wells Fargo Bank, 2005 Market Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-7042
Mail follow up	Email a copy of the mail in package to [email protected]
Walk in	DLCP Corporations Division, Digital Service Center, 2nd Floor, 1100 4th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
Service hours	Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In person acceptance stops at 4:00 p.m.
Telephone	GN 6 lists 202-442-4432. The current DLCP page lists 202-671-4500
Fee	$50 per entity, checks payable to DC Treasurer. Walk in customers are assessed the expedited fee

Verify the mailing address before you mail. The official materials conflict. The current DLCP service page lists 2005 Market Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-7042. The September 2023 GN 6 form still displays PO Box 712300, Philadelphia, PA 19171-2300. Confirm with DLCP immediately before mailing, and do not use the older 401 Market Street address.

Mail can take three to six weeks. DLCP’s service page says so directly. Anyone mailing close to a summons expiration or court deadline can lose substantial time, so online or professionally coordinated filing is usually safer for time-sensitive matters.

Common D.C. mistakes

• Using the former DCRA name rather than DLCP
• Calling the office a corporation commission
• Attempting only the business location rather than the registered agent at the registered office
• Ignoring the principal office mailing option and authorized person methods in subsections (b) and (c)
• Submitting GN 6 without a factual declaration showing reasonable diligence
• Selecting a GN 6 condition the entity record and attempt history do not support
• Providing documents that were never filed with the court
• Providing one copy rather than duplicate process
• Using an outdated Philadelphia mailing address
• Failing to email the mail-in package copy to the DLCP corporations address
• Walking in without the expedited fee
• Assuming the standard certificate is included in the $50 fee

Why doing this yourself can cause delay or invalid service

These procedures look simple when reduced to “serve the state agency.” The hard work happens before the agency counter.

The wrong business may be named. A parent company, franchisee, management company, property owner, or dissolved predecessor can all appear in public records under similar names.

The attempt history may not satisfy the statute. Maryland requires two good faith attempts on separate days when that is the selected condition. Virginia and D.C. use reasonable diligence. An inexperienced filer treats those as interchangeable, attempts the wrong address, or writes a report that gives the court nothing to evaluate.

Entity status changes the legal authority. Active, forfeited, canceled, dissolved, revoked, withdrawn, merged, and unregistered entities are handled differently. Virginia’s instructions alone identify dozens of possible sections, and the wrong provision can produce a refusal or a later challenge.

The package can be technically incomplete. One missing exhibit, one missing form copy, one incorrect check, an expired summons, or an incomplete court address stops the submission. The rejection often arrives after the deadline the filer was trying to protect.

Agency acceptance is not a court ruling. Intake is a clerical function. A defendant can move to quash, and a court can refuse default if the proof is incomplete.

Mailing can consume the remaining service period. D.C. warns of three to six weeks. Virginia must mail, process, and file a certificate. Start at the end of the service period, and there may be no time left to correct a rejection.

How Freestate Investigations handles these assignments

The goal is not to deliver a packet to an agency. It is to build a defensible service record from the first entity search through the final proof.

• Confirm the defendant’s exact legal name, entity type, status, and public file number
• Locate and preserve the resident or registered agent record and the correct service address
• Review the summons, complaint, exhibits, deadline, and issuing court for discrepancies
• Conduct the jurisdiction-specific attempts and document each with time-stamped detail
• Prepare affidavits of nonservice that support the applicable statutory condition
• Identify the correct recipient, form, fee, copies, and delivery method
• For Virginia, identify the statutory authority and correct forwarding address
• For D.C., coordinate GN 6, the declaration, filing method, and certificate request
• Deliver the package, preserve receipts, and prepare the final affidavit or return
• Notify the client quickly when the summons, deadline, entity status, or instructions raise an issue for attorney review

Freestate Investigations provides process serving, investigation, document handling, and factual affidavits. We are not a law firm and do not give legal advice. When the correct defendant, statute, court method, or legal effect is uncertain, the client should get advice from a qualified attorney.

Start the assignment before the deadline becomes the problem

Serving a business through a government agency takes more than dropping off a summons. The entity record, registered agent, attempt history, statutory authority, copies, forms, fees, address, and proof must all be handled correctly.

Freestate Investigations provides professional process serving throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., including substituted business service through SDAT, the Virginia SCC, and the D.C. Superintendent of Corporations.

Send the complete documents, case information, defendant name, prior attempt history, and all deadlines for review and a service quote. Call (888) 462-2714 or use our online order and contact pages.

Legal disclaimer: This article provides general information about service of process procedures and is not legal advice. Requirements vary by court, case type, business entity, issuing jurisdiction, documents, and facts. Parties should review current statutes and court rules or consult qualified legal counsel about a specific case.

Verified September 1, 2026. Agency names, forms, fees, addresses, and walk-in procedures change. This article is reviewed at least every six months.

Frequently Asked Questions