South Carolina service of process: a Rule 4 starting point.

What Rule 4 addresses

Who may serve, available methods, and the return.

South Carolina Rule of Civil Procedure 4 addresses the summons, who may serve it, methods for serving individuals and organizations, waiver or acceptance, and the proof or return of service. The rule also contains details for particular recipients and methods that should be checked against the actual assignment.

Before sending an assignment

• 01Identify the issuing court, county, case number, document type, and requested deadline.
• 02Provide counsel's written instructions and identify the person or legal entity to be served.
• 03Confirm the address, known access conditions, and whether rush or same-day review is requested.
• 04Use the protected document handoff after Carolina Server confirms acceptance and the secure route.

Important limits

Who may serve and the permitted method can depend on the process, recipient, and court. Initial service required by Rule 4 is not the same as later electronic filing. Confirm the current rule and case-specific plan with the attorney responsible for the matter.