Papers DeliveredWhen someone avoids a process server, the server keeps coming back at different times, records every attempt, and works to confirm where the person can be found.
Last updated: October 2026. This article is general information from a process server, not legal advice. If the papers are addressed to you, talk to your attorney about your case.
When No One Comes to the Door
When no one answers, the server does not force contact. The server leaves, records the attempt, and comes back at a different time of day. Each attempt goes into a dated record: the date, the time, the address and what the server saw.
Attempts at Different Times
- Early mornings, before work.
- Evenings, after work.
- Weekends and holidays.
- Other known addresses, such as a workplace.
Papers Delivered includes at least 3 attempts with every serve. A person who avoids the door one day is often home at another hour.
Finding the Person
Before the first attempt, we confirm the person's current home or work address, and the result goes in the attempt record. If the person has moved, a skip trace can be added to the serve to find a current address so the papers can be served.
When it helps, we check in with a building manager so the server can reach the person's door to make the attempt.
A Stakeout, Added to a Serve
As an add-on to a serve, the server can wait at the address at the times the person is most likely to be home, so the papers can be handed over.
When the Papers Cannot Be Handed Over
Some people still cannot be served in person after many attempts. The server keeps a dated record of every attempt, and that record shows when, where and how each one was made.
What happens next is up to the client, their attorney and the court. Our servers do not leave or post papers on their own. If a court order tells the server to serve the papers another way, the server follows the order exactly and records the date, the time and the place.
The Signed Record We Return
When the papers are served, the server signs a written statement of the facts of service. Under MCR 2.104(A)(3), it gives the manner, time, date and place of service. The place is described by the address where the papers were served.
Papers Delivered returns a signed proof of service on every completed serve, as a signed, notarized affidavit. The record behind it shows:
- Every attempt, with its date and time
- What the server saw at each attempt
- How, when and where the papers were served
How We Work
We work inside Michigan law at all times. We do not trespass, harass anyone, or misrepresent who we are. We approach quietly and politely, because a calm approach makes it easier to hand over the papers.
Papers Addressed to You
Papers Delivered is the process server. We deliver the papers, and we cannot answer questions about your case. Talk to your attorney about your case.
Need Papers Served on a Person Who Is Avoiding Service?
Papers Delivered makes attempts at different times, confirms the current address, offers a stakeout as an add-on to a serve, and returns a signed proof of service. Quotes are given by phone.
Request a Quote Call (248) 268-0097