Art. 210 Service of summons

When someone needs to be given a summons in a criminal case, it gets delivered the same way court papers are delivered in civil cases. This means the same rules that apply to handing someone a citation in a civil lawsuit also apply here.

In practice, this means a sheriff or other authorized person can deliver the summons directly to the person named in it, or in some cases leave it with someone else at their home who meets certain requirements. The exact steps for proper delivery come from the civil rules on citations, so those rules fill in the details for how a criminal summons must be served.

This matters because a summons has to be delivered correctly for it to count under the law. If it is not served the right way, the person may be able to challenge whether they were properly notified to appear in court.