Rule 1064 Service

If you are suing someone over underground mineral, oil, or gas rights, you may need to serve them by publishing a notice in a newspaper when you cannot find them. But if you learn that the defendant's last known address is outside the county where the property is located, you have extra work to do.

Specifically, you must describe in your affidavit how you searched for the defendant at that out-of-county address. The affidavit is a written statement you file with the court explaining your efforts to locate the person. This shows the court that you made a real attempt to find the defendant before falling back on publication as a way to serve them.