Art. 1234 Domiciliary service

If someone can't be handed court papers directly, the law allows a sheriff or officer to leave those papers at that person's home instead. This is called domiciliary service. The officer drops off the citation or documents at the house or place where the person actually lives.

For this to count, the papers can't just be left on a porch or slipped under a door. They must be given to another person who lives in that same home, and that person must be old enough and responsible enough to understand what's happening. There's no set age listed in the rule, but the person accepting the papers needs to be mature enough to make sure they get passed along to the right person.

This method gives the court a backup way to notify someone about a legal case even if that person isn't home when the officer arrives. It still counts as proper legal notice, as long as the papers are left with a qualified household member at the correct address.