WHAT DO PROCESS SERVERS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE DO?

This article will guide What Due Process Servers in New Hampshire Do? When a party (like a defendant), a court, or an administrative body seeks to exercise jurisdiction over another party (like a defendant), process service is used to provide that party with notice of the pending legal action and an opportunity to react. Delivery of court papers (called ‘process’) to the individual being served constitutes service of process and constitutes notice. Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions About Process Servers!

Our process servers in New Hampshire serve a wide variety of legal documents, including but not limited to: summons and complaints, divorce and family court documents, subpoenas, citations, small claims court cases, orders to show cause, petitions, discovery documents, eviction, and landlord-tenant notices and motions. We are a comprehensive process-serving agency in New Hampshire, serving government entities (including federal, state, and local governments), businesses, and individuals. Click here for information on How Rush Process Service Can Expedite Your Case.

BACKGROUND

In the event that the plaintiff’s petition is granted, the staff must ensure that the necessary documentation is handed to the proper law enforcement agency and served on the defendant. The staff member faxing the order to the appropriate law enforcement agency must call that agency to let them know they’ve received the petition. Service of the process should be arranged with the local police department, but if they are unable to do so, the staff should get in touch with the sheriff’s office or the New Hampshire State Police. Click here for information on How Service of Process Ensures A Solid Foundation.

The interim order must be sent to the Administrative Office of the Courts as soon as possible so that it may be recorded in a register. It is the responsibility of the court personnel to verify all copies of the petition and interim orders to ensure that the plaintiff’s address is not included in the documents that are sent to the defendant for service. Click here for information on How Process Servers Protect Your Rights: Myths Debunked

The court’s administrative staff must ensure the order and underlying petition have been received and assigned for service and that the proper law enforcement agency has been notified of the transmission. The petition, Temporary Order (which contains Notice of Hearing), Return of Service form, and Defendant Information Sheet for Law Enforcement must all be included.

All of our customers in New Hampshire have access to our three (3) tiers of professional process service thanks to the local process servers in New Hampshire we employ. Service by Mail ensures that your documents will be mailed within twenty hours. We offer Routine Process Service, wherein the process server will make their first attempt within five to seven business days, or Rush Process Service, where the process server will make their first attempt within forty-eight hours.

The New Hampshire process server will make up to three (3) tries, regardless of the service level you choose. The process server will attempt in the morning, afternoon, and evening. 

REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROCESS SERVERs new hampshire 

A Return of Service form must be filled out, and the procedures outlined below must be followed whenever a defendant is served in the courtroom by a court security officer, police enforcement officer, or other court staff member.

Staff must promptly, by facsimile transmission, send a copy of the plaintiff’s petition, the court’s order, and the scheduling notice to the appropriate law enforcement agency, along with a request to have the documents served upon the defendant immediately, if the defendant is not a resident or does not work in the state. To complete the process, the agency should be asked to provide a fax confirmation of receipt of the request for a return of service. Members of staff should always ask that their items be delivered at no cost. 

If the court has not received the Return of Service by the day specified for the final hearing, court personnel should call the local police to verify that service has not been made. The interim order has to be renewed if service has not been made. 

 The plaintiff must re-petition if twelve months have passed and service has still not been made. If the same circumstances continue to give the plaintiff reasonable cause to fear abuse, then the plaintiff need not disclose any new or different facts.

ANSWER TO process SERVICE

A copy of the defendant’s answer, or any other document filed in response to a domestic violence petition, must be delivered to the plaintiff as soon as possible after its filing.  If the defendant is given enough time to reply to the revised or supplemented petition before the hearing, the plaintiff may do so. The defendant must be given notice of any modification. Another party has a right to be given notice of a legal action that has been filed against them in court. In certain cases, the court will notify the opposing party, while in others, it will be the plaintiff’s responsibility to notify the defendant. Service of process refers to the method by which a legal notification is delivered. The end aim is to make sure the other party knows about the lawsuit. It might be possible to appeal and overturn a court’s decision if the opposing party was not given enough notice.

As was said above, the court may serve notice on the opposing party. By illustration, in small claims court, the court sends the defendant both a notice of the claim and the actual claim itself through the mail. When someone files paperwork in a New Hampshire court to register a judgment from another state, that party will be notified.

However, in most situations, the party initiating the lawsuit is the one who must provide notice of the lawsuit to the opposing party. That notification must be given in accordance with both the law and judicial precedent. While the filing party has some leeway in determining how the opposing party is served, in most circumstances, the law or the court will dictate the method of service.

process SERVICE ON A NON-RESIDENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

All writs and other processes shall be served by either personally delivering or leaving at the defendant’s residence a copy thereof duly authenticated by a competent officer of the court. When a writ or other process is served on a defendant, it must include the time, place, and manner of service, any attachments made against the defendant’s property, and the time, place, and method of attachments. In such cases, the sheriff, deputy sheriff, or other person authorized by law to make such service must affix such information to the writ. 

To provide the defendant enough time to prepare a defense, the court hearing the case might grant appropriate postponements. If the plaintiff wins his case, he will be reimbursed the $3 he paid to the secretary of state at the time of service.

Service on nonresident people may be made by any means permitted by law, and this subsection does not exclude any other technique. If the defendant is not a resident of New Hampshire, the writ of scire facias may be served on the attorney who represented him in the original action. Notice of the pendency of the suit, delivered in accordance with the order, shall be adequate service where the defendant is not a resident of the state, and no manner of serving the writ is specified or when service thereof cannot be effected in the mode prescribed.

It shall be sufficient to publish a citation containing the title of the case, the name of the court in which it is pending, the time and place of the return and hearing, and the fact that such an original is on file and may be examined by interested parties. Such other facts as the court may order where notice by publication in a newspaper is ordered upon any petition, writ, or similar process, the original of which is upon file in such court.

It shall be sufficient to publish a citation containing the title of the case, the name of the court in which the case is pending, the time and place of the return and hearing, and the fact that such an original is on file and may be examined by interested parties. Such other facts as the court may order where notice by publication in a newspaper is ordered upon any petition, writ, or similar process, the original of which is upon file in such court.

In the case of a county, a writ may be served on the county clerk and the county treasurer; in the case of a city, on the mayor or one of the aldermen and the city clerk; in the case of a town, on a selectman and the town clerk; in the case of a school district, on a member of the school board and the district clerk; and in the case of a village district, on the commissioners and the district clerk. 

WAYS OF SERVING PROCESS service in new hampshire

There are typically two options available for serving a party against whom you have filed a lawsuit. The Sheriff’s Office often delivers the papers to the opposing side in a new case in person. The Sheriff’s Office will leave the documents at the other party’s address provided on the court documents if they are unable to deliver them personally. This is known as personal service, as opposed to ‘in hand’ service, in which the Sheriff personally hands the papers to the party. Personal service is the most dependable method of effecting service of process. Papers placed at the other party’s door might be stolen or ruined by the elements, rendering abode service ineffective.

There are situations when service may be made through registered mail. In certain cases, such a replevin, the court may approve this service. Any ‘return of service’ from the Sheriff’s Office or certified mail receipt from the post office proving that the other party was served with notice of the upcoming action must be filed with the court. If no side submits evidence nor shows up to the hearing, the court may have to dismiss the case.

In most cases, the opposite party need not be formally served with subsequent files after the original service of process has been completed. Formal notice of action need only be given to the opposite party once. In most cases, the filer will use electronic communication to provide copies of subsequent filings to all parties involved in the case. Affidavits of service through the global positioning system are part of the New Hampshire service we provide. We provide instantaneous, individually tailored email updates for our clients as well as pre-mailing affidavit transmission by email copy. We offer GPS affidavits of service to each of our clients, and new customers may make use of our free, basic skip trace service.

The law specifies a particular procedure for accomplishing service if the opposite party lives outside the State of New Hampshire. This requires filing an affidavit with the court and serving the New Hampshire Secretary of State, as well as sending a certified letter to the other party at their last known address. As a result, every step of this procedure must take place at exactly the right time.

Only seasoned process servers in New Hampshire who have met the most recent licensing, educational, and bonding criteria established by the jurisdiction in which they serve process use the most up-to-date methods for delivering legal papers to defendants and other parties in court. Here at Undisputed Legal, Inc., we have made it our mission to track down and serve elusive defendants and witnesses with legal documents.

OUR PROCESS

Documents can be faxed at (800) 296-0115, emailed to ps@undisputedlegal.com, or uploaded to our website. We do require prepayment and accept all major credit and debit cards. Once payment is processed, your sales receipt is immediately emailed for your records.

Drop-offs must call and make an appointment first to be added to building security to permit access to our office. Documents for service must be in a sealed envelope with payment in the form of a money order or attorney check (WE DO NOT ACCEPT CASH) payable to UNDISPUTED LEGAL INC.; Our receptionist receives all documents.

DOMESTIC COVERAGE AREAS:

Alaska | Alabama | Arkansas | Arizona | California | Colorado | Connecticut | District of Columbia | Delaware | Florida| Georgia | Hawaii | Iowa | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland | Massachusetts | Maine | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | North Carolina | North Dakota | Nebraska | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | Nevada | New York | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island| South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Virginia | Vermont | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming

INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE AREAS:

Albania | Andorra | Anguilla | Antigua | Argentina | Armenia | Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan | Bahamas | Barbados | Belarus | Belgium | Belize | Bermuda | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Botswana | Brazil | British Honduras | British Virgin Islands | Bulgaria | Canada | Cayman Islands | Central and Southern Line Islands | Chile|China (Macao) | China People’s Republic | Colombia | Costa Rica | Country of Georgia | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | Dominican Republic | Ecuador | Egypt | Estonia | Falkland Islands and Dependences | Fiji | Finland | France | Germany | Gibraltar| Gilbert and Ellice Islands | Greece | Guernsey | Hong Kong | Hungary | Iceland | India | Ireland | Isle of Man | Israel | Italy | Jamaica | Japan | Jersey Channel Islands | Jordan | Kazakhstan | Korea | Kuwait | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg| Malawi | Malaysia | Malta | Mauritius | Mexico| MonacoMontenegro | Montserrat | Morocco | Namibia | Netherlands | New Zealand |Nicaragua | Norway | Pakistan | Panama | Paraguay | Peru | Philippines | Pitcairn |Poland| Portugal | Republic of Moldova | Republic of North Macedonia | Romania |Russian Federation | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | San Marino | Saudi Arabia | Serbia | Seychelles | Singapore| Slovakia | Slovenia | South Africa | Spain | Sri Lanka | St. Helena and Dependencies | St. Lucia | Sweden | Switzerland | Taiwan | Thailand | Tunisia| Turkey | Turks and Caicos Islands| UkraineUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Uruguay | US Virgin Islands | Uzbekistan | Venezuela | Vietnam

OFFICE LOCATIONS

New York: (212) 203-8001 – 590 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022
Brooklyn: (347) 983-5436 – 300 Cadman Plaza West, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, New York 11201
Queens: (646) 357-3005 – 118-35 Queens Blvd, Suite 400, Forest Hills, New York 11375
Long Island: (516) 208-4577 – 626 RXR Plaza, 6th Floor, Uniondale, New York 11556
Westchester: (914) 414-0877 – 50 Main Street, 10th Floor, White Plains, New York 10606
Connecticut: (203) 489-2940 – 500 West Putnam Avenue, Suite 400, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
New Jersey: (201) 630-0114 – 101 Hudson Street, 21 Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302
Washington DC: (202) 655-4450 – 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 300, Washington DC 20004

Simply pick up the phone and call Toll-Free (800) 774-6922 or click the service you want to purchase. Our dedicated team of professionals is ready to assist you. We can handle all your process service needs; no job is too small or too large!  For a complete list of our New Hampshire Process Service Coverage Areas, Click Here!

Contact us for more information about our process-serving agency. We are ready to provide service of process to all our clients globally from our offices in New York, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C.

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives”– Foster, William A

Sources

1. The 6-2 Protocol

2. A law enforcement officer must serve Temporary Orders in accordance with RSA 173-B:8.

3. Until the ROS is received, PROTOCOL 6-4 stipulates that the Defendant Information Sheet be sealed and stored in the case file. The Return of Service form must be sent to the AOC for insertion into the register as soon as it is received by law enforcement. At the time of admission, the Defendant Information Sheet will be cleared.

4. However, if the jurisdiction requiring service requires payment of a fee in advance, the process server should request a check from the AOC.

5. Any time a child defendant is being served with legal papers, they should be served in the presence of their parent or legal guardian.

6. Attorney-client communication is permitted under Protocols 5-23 and 5-24 if an attorney has filed an appearance.

7. At a hearing, the court may only consider evidence related to accusations that have been served on the defendant. See Case of Amy Aldrich and Ryan Gauthier, 156 N.H. 33 (2007

8. Superior Courts in Rockingham County at Exeter, Strafford County at Dover, Belknap County at Laconia, Carroll County at Ossipee, Merrimack County at Concord, Hillsborough County at either Manchester or Nashua, as appropriate, Cheshire County at Keene, Sullivan County at Newport, Grafton County at Woodsville in the tow shall have jurisdiction over all writs, original and mesne, and all writs shall be served 14 days prior. 

BLOG DISCLAIMER

The information contained herein has been prepared in compliance with Section 107 of the Copyright Act. Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works. The articles/Images contained herein serve as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, educational, and research-as examples of activities that qualify as fair use. Undisputed Legal Inc. is a Process Service Agency and “Not A Law Firm” therefore the articles/images contained herein are for educational purposes only, and not intended as legal advice.