Serving Court Papers at a Workplace in Michigan

How a process server plans a visit to someone's job, who may take the papers there, what happens at the front desk, and what the signed proof of service records

A Michigan process server can deliver court papers to a person at their job. The rule for serving a person asks the server to hand the papers to that person, and it does not name a place. This page walks through a workplace serve from the server's side.

The rules the server works under are in Chapter 2 of the Michigan Court Rules, mainly MCR 2.103 through MCR 2.105, plus one part of Michigan's trespass law, MCL 750.552. This page describes what those rules ask of the person carrying the papers. How they apply to a particular case is a question for the court and the attorney handling it.

The rule names the person, not the place

For a person, the usual way to serve is by hand. MCR 2.105(A)(1) allows service by "delivering a summons and a copy of the complaint to the defendant personally." The rule says who gets the papers. It does not say the papers have to be handed over at home.

So a job is one more place where the server can find the person named on the papers. Many people are easier to find at work, because they keep set hours there. The server still has to be someone the rules allow. MCR 2.103(A) reads: "Process in civil actions may be served by any legally competent adult who is not a party or an officer of a corporate party." More on this is in Who Can Legally Serve Court Papers in Michigan.

Planning the visit

A workplace serve starts with good details. Before the first trip, the server looks for:

  • The business name and street address, and which door or building the person uses.
  • The person's shift or usual hours, and when breaks or shift changes happen.
  • A recent photo or a description, so the server can confirm who the person is.
  • The last valid date on the summons.

That last date sets the calendar. MCR 2.102(D) reads: "A summons expires 91 days after the date the summons is issued." The server plans every workplace attempt inside that window, often near the start or end of a shift, when the person is walking in or out. More on the window is in The 91-Day Summons Window in Michigan.

Sometimes the client does not know where the person works now. Skip tracing can be added to the serve as an add-on to locate a current workplace, so the papers can be served there. More on this is in Confirming the Address Before a Michigan Serve.

At the front desk

Many workplaces have a front desk, a receptionist or a security guard. The server asks for the person by name and asks if they can come to the lobby. The server does not explain the papers to coworkers or say what the case is about.

The papers go to the person named on them, not to whoever is at the desk. So the server does not hand them to a receptionist, a manager or a guard, and does not leave them on the counter. A method the rule does not list needs a court order first. MCR 2.105(J)(3) says a court-ordered method may not be used "before entry of the court's order permitting it." When an order allows a different method, the server does exactly what the order says.

When the person comes out

When the person comes to the lobby or the door, the server confirms their name and checks it against the photo or description. Then the server hands over the papers. Right after, the server writes down the time to the minute, the street address, and where on the property the hand-off took place.

The serve itself is short. The server does not argue, explain the case, or answer questions about it. Questions about the case are for the attorneys and the court named on the papers.

When the business asks the server to leave

A business decides who stays on its property. Michigan's trespass law, MCL 750.552(1)(b), says a person shall not "Remain without lawful authority on the land or premises of another after being notified to depart by the owner or occupant or the agent of the owner or occupant."

The same law names process servers. MCL 750.552(2) says subsection (1) "does not apply to a process server who is on the land or premises of another while in the process of attempting, by the most direct route, to serve process upon" an owner or occupant of the property, an agent of the owner or occupant, or a lessee. That limit is tied to who the server is there to serve.

At a business, our servers keep it simple. When a manager or a guard asks the server to leave, the server leaves, logs the attempt, and plans the next one at another time or place. That might be a shift change seen from a public sidewalk, the person's home, or a different day. More on the log is in How a Michigan Process Server Documents Each Service Attempt.

Locked lobbies, gates and job sites

Some jobs are harder to reach. A plant may have a gated lot, an office may need a badge, and a work crew may move from one job site to another. For these, the server asks the client for gate or lobby details, times the visit for when the person arrives or leaves, and stays in areas open to visitors unless someone in charge lets the server in.

A person who avoids the door at home sometimes shows the same pattern at work. When repeat visits are not enough, a stakeout can be added to the process-serving job as an add-on. More on hard serves is in How a Process Server Handles a Defendant Who Avoids Service.

What the proof of service records

After the hand-off, the server signs a written statement of what took place. Under MCR 2.104(A)(3), the statement is "verified under MCR 1.109(D)(3)," and the rule goes on: "The statement shall include the manner, time, date, and place of service, and indicate the process server's official capacity, if any."

For a workplace serve, the place is usually the business address. The rule also covers a hand-off that does not happen at one address, such as a job site. MCR 2.104(A) says: "The place of service must be described by giving the address where the service was made or, if the service was not made at a particular address, by another description of the location."

The verification is why the notes matter. MCR 1.109(D)(3)(a) allows a document to be verified by "oath or affirmation of the party or of someone having knowledge of the facts stated." The server was there, so the server is the person with that knowledge, and every fact in the statement has to match what the server wrote down. We return a signed proof of service for each completed serve. More on the proof itself is in Proof of Service in Michigan: What MCR 2.104 Requires.

When the papers name the business, not the worker

Sometimes the papers name a company, not a person who works there. Then a different part of the rule applies, and the server asks for a specific person. For a corporation, MCR 2.105(D)(1) allows serving the papers on "an officer or the resident agent." For a limited liability company, MCR 2.105(H)(1) names the managing member, a manager who is not a member, or the resident agent.

The server writes down the name and title of the person who took the papers, because the proof has to show who received them. More on business serves is in Serving a Michigan LLC or Corporation.

What to send with a workplace serve request

  • The papers: the summons, the complaint, and anything else that must be served with them.
  • The last valid date on the summons, so attempts can be spaced across the time that is left.
  • The person: full name, a recent photo or description, and job title if you know it.
  • The workplace: business name, street address, the door or building the person uses, and their usual hours or shift.
  • A home address too, when you have one, so the server has a second place to try.
  • How to reach you, by phone or email, in case a detail changes. More on this is in What Your Process Server Needs Before the First Attempt.

What a process server does not do

Our part is narrow on purpose. We take papers that are ready, deliver them to the person named in a manner the rules allow, write down every attempt, and return a signed proof of service for each completed serve.

Papers Delivered is a Michigan process server. We serve your court papers anywhere in Michigan and return a signed proof of service. We do not file court papers, we do not give legal advice or help with forms, we are not a law firm, and we are not a court. We cannot look up a case, a hearing date or a judge. Talk to your attorney about your case.

If your papers are ready to serve, request a process server or call (248) 268-0097.

Sources

This article describes what the Michigan Court Rules and MCL 750.552 say about the person serving papers at a workplace and the proof of that service. It quotes the rule language as published in the Michigan Court Rules updated September 2, 2026, and MCL 750.552 as published by the Michigan Legislature on October 29, 2026. It is general information about process serving, not legal advice.