Process Serving in Missouri

Missouri civil process is issued and served in civil actions in the circuit courts. Revised Statutes section 506.140 generally assigns service to the sheriff or a deputy, with a coroner serving when the sheriff is disqualified; a court or circuit clerk may specially appoint another person under local court procedures for the particular process. Section 506.150 describes service on individuals and organizations, and section 506.180 governs proof. Local court rules can affect the appointment of special process servers. Court Runner USA connects you with process servers who serve papers across Missouri.

General information, not legal advice. Last checked October 2026.

Sources:

• RSMo 506.140: Who shall serve process
• RSMo 506.150: How summons and petition are served
• RSMo 506.180: Proof of service

Under RSMo 506.140, a sheriff or deputy generally serves process. If the sheriff is disqualified in a cause, the coroner of the county may serve it. Another person may serve only when specially appointed by the court or circuit clerk following procedures established by local court rules, and that appointment is valid only for the particular process for which it was made. The law allows a party to apply for reasonable special-server fees to be awarded in a judgment. Section 506.150 also authorizes a plaintiff or a person authorized under section 506.140 to use its notice-and-acknowledgment mail procedure for specified defendants. The statutes cited here do not supply a general private-server age threshold or a uniform county appointment checklist. Confirm the applicable local rule and appointment for the case and county.

Sources:

• RSMo 506.140
• RSMo 506.150

For an individual, section 506.150 permits personal delivery, leaving the summons and petition at the dwelling or usual abode with a family member over 15, or delivery to an agent authorized or required by law to receive process. For a corporation, partnership, or other suable association, service may be delivered to an officer, partner, managing or general agent, a statutorily authorized agent, or the person in charge at a business office. A specific notice-and-acknowledgment method uses first-class mail, a return envelope, and two acknowledgment forms; if no acknowledgment arrives within 30 days, service must be made another permitted way. Section 506.160 allows mail or publication in specified cases involving a fund, trust, specific property, res, status, or authorized special proceeding. The Missouri Secretary of State maintains business entity filings; the proper statutory agent and method depend on the entity and governing statute.

Sources:

• RSMo 506.150
• RSMo 506.160
• Missouri Secretary of State Corporations

Section 506.150 requires the summons and petition to be served together. Its mail acknowledgment procedure gives the recipient 30 days to sign and return an acknowledgment; if none is received within that time, the sender must use another legally permitted method. If the acknowledgment is returned, its form tells the recipient to answer within 30 days. The statute also says a court should order the costs of personal service paid by the recipient who fails without good cause to return the acknowledgment within 30 days. Section 506.180 requires proof by written return or affidavit, while publication proof includes the dates and newspaper. The sources cited here do not establish the general answer period for every method of service or one general post-filing service deadline. Follow the summons and applicable rule or order.

Sources:

• RSMo 506.150
• RSMo 506.180
• Missouri Supreme Court Rule 44.01, time computation; effective January 1, 2025

Missouri limits special-process-server authority to the particular process for which the court or circuit clerk made the appointment, and the appointment must follow local court rules. The sheriff’s disqualification is the statutory condition for the coroner to serve in that cause. For home service on an individual, the substitute recipient must be a family member over 15; for an organization, service must go to a person or agent authorized by statute or the rule. The cited provisions do not state a general statewide Sunday prohibition or a universal holiday or time-of-day limit. They also do not set out a general protected-place list. Apply any specific statute, local appointment rule, or case-specific court order governing the document being served.

Sources:

• RSMo 506.140
• RSMo 506.150
• RSMo 506.160

An officer who serves process must make a written, signed return stating the time, place, and manner of service. When a court directs process to a person other than an officer, that person must make an affidavit stating the time, place, and manner. For mail service, section 506.180 calls for the clerk’s certificate of mailing and the applicable registered-mail receipt to be filed in the lawsuit. For publication, proof is an affidavit stating publication dates and the newspaper, with a copy of the notice attached; the clerk’s certificate of mailing to defendants whose addresses were stated is also filed. Section 506.150’s acknowledgment procedure uses a signed acknowledgment form. These provisions specify return or affidavit evidence and filing, rather than a general notarization requirement for all service proofs.

Sources:

• RSMo 506.180
• RSMo 506.150
• RSMo 506.160