Papers DeliveredWe serve court papers on people held in a Michigan jail or prison. A process server makes personal delivery inside the facility's rules, writes down every attempt, and returns a signed proof of service. This page covers only that serve: the method, how our servers arrange it, and what the proof shows.
The service rule
Serving a person who is in custody still follows the ordinary rule for serving an individual. Under MCR 2.105(A)(1), service on an individual is made by "delivering a summons and a copy of the complaint to the defendant personally." The papers are handed to the person. Being held in a jail or a prison does not change the method. It changes where the server goes and whose procedures the server works within.
Who may hand over the papers
Under MCR 2.103(A), process "may be served by any legally competent adult who is not a party or an officer of a corporate party." The person who filed the case is a party, so someone else makes the delivery. A process server is a common choice for a serve at a correctional facility, because the serve has to be arranged around the facility's own access rules. The point is covered in more detail in Who Can Legally Serve Court Papers in Michigan.
How our servers arrange a serve at a facility
The method is personal delivery. The server confirms the person is held at the facility, follows that facility's procedure for reaching an inmate, hands over the papers, and notes the date, time and place. County jails and state prisons each set their own rules for visitors and deliveries, so the server works within those rules rather than around them.
Every attempt is written down with its date, time and place, whether or not the papers change hands that day. If a visit has to be scheduled or an attempt is turned away at the gate, that is recorded too. The record shows exactly what was tried.
When the right facility is not certain
A serve starts from where the person actually is. When it is not clear which jail or prison holds the person, a skip trace can be added to the serve to confirm the current facility so the papers can be served there. More on confirming a location before a serve is in Confirming the Address Before a Michigan Serve.
The signed proof of service we return
When the papers are handed over, we return a signed proof of service. Under MCR 2.104(A)(3), a process server's proof is a written statement, verified under MCR 1.109(D)(3), which "shall include the manner, time, date, and place of service." Ours records who received the papers, when, and where. More on the proof is in Proof of Service in Michigan: What MCR 2.104 Requires.
What to send with the request
Most delays on a serve at a facility come from a missing detail. Sending the following with the request removes most of them.
- The papers to be served, as issued by the court.
- The person's full name and, if you have it, a date of birth or inmate number, so the right person is reached.
- The facility that holds the person, if you know it. If you are not sure, say so, and the current facility can be confirmed as part of the serve.
- Any hearing date shown on the papers, so the serve is planned well ahead of it.
- How to reach you: a phone number or a mailing address.
What a process server does not do
Our part is narrow on purpose. We take papers that are ready to serve, deliver them to the person in person, document every attempt, and return a signed proof of service.
We are not law enforcement and we are not jail staff. We cannot enter areas a facility keeps closed to the public or override its rules. We do not prepare papers, give legal advice or help with forms. We cannot look up a case, a charge, a hearing date or a judge.
If your papers are ready to serve, request a process server or call (248) 268-0097.
Sources
- Michigan Court Rules, published by the Michigan Supreme Court (MCR 2.103, 2.104 and 2.105, Chapter 2, Civil Procedure)
- Michigan Courts (One Court of Justice)
- Michigan Trial Court Directory
- State Bar of Michigan
This article describes how a process server serves court papers on an incarcerated person in Michigan. It quotes the rule language as published in the Michigan Court Rules updated September 2, 2026. It is general information about process serving in Michigan, not legal advice.