A. Unless otherwise directed by the court, the person serving process shall make return thereof to the clerk’s office within seventy-two hours of service, except when such return would be due on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. In such case, the return is due on the next day following such Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. The process shall state thereon the date and manner of service and the name of the party served.

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Terms Used In Virginia Code 8.01-325

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • person: includes an individual, his executor, administrator, or other personal representative, or a corporation, partnership, association or any other legal or commercial entity, whether or not a citizen or domiciliary of the Commonwealth and whether or not organized under the laws of the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 8.01-285
  • process: shall be deemed to include notice;

    2. See Virginia Code 8.01-285

  • return: shall be deemed to include the term "proof of service";

    3. See Virginia Code 8.01-285

  • Sheriff: shall include deputy sheriffs and such other persons designated in § Virginia Code 8.01-2
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
  • Supreme Court: means the Supreme Court of Virginia. See Virginia Code 1-249

B. Proof of service shall be in the following manner:

1. If service by sheriff, the form of the return of such sheriff as provided by the Rules of the Supreme Court; or

2. If service by any other person qualified under § 8.01-293, whether service made in or out of the Commonwealth, his affidavit of such qualifications; the date and manner of service and the name of the party served; and stamped, typed, or printed on the return of process, an annotation that the service was by a private server, and the name, address, and telephone number of the server; or

3. In case of service by publication, the affidavit of the publisher or his agent giving the dates of publication and an accompanying copy of the published order.

C. The clerk’s office shall accept a photocopy, facsimile, or other copy of the original proof of service as if it were an original, provided that the proponent provides a statement that any such copy is a true copy of the original.

Code 1950, §§ 8-52, 8-329; 1977, c. 617; 1996, c. 538; 2020, c. 158.