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New Hampshire service under N.H. Super. Ct. R. 2 and RSA 510. Sheriff is primary. NH has NOT adopted UIDDA — commissions or letters rogatory.
New Hampshire civil-filing volume is concentrated in the southern tier around Manchester and Nashua (both in Hillsborough County, the state's population center), Concord (Merrimack County, the state capital and home to the New Hampshire Supreme Court), the seacoast communities of Portsmouth and Dover (Rockingham and Strafford Counties respectively), and the western edge at Keene (Cheshire County). New Hampshire's 10 counties are organized into the Superior Court system (for claims over $1,500) and the Circuit Court system (for smaller claims, family matters, and probate). Service of process is governed by New Hampshire Superior Court Rules and RSA Chapter 510, and New Hampshire retains a strong sheriff-service tradition.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. New Hampshire service of process rules are found in the New Hampshire Superior Court Rules and RSA Chapter 510, supplemented by the older Uniform Foreign Depositions Law at RSA 517-A for foreign-subpoena domestication. For service of process nationwide, Served 123 LLC handles New Hampshire and all 49 other states with qualified servers.
Under RSA 510:1, service is made by the sheriff of the county where service is to be effected, by a deputy, or by a person specially authorized by the court. New Hampshire maintains the sheriff as the primary process server for civil matters, though court-appointed servers are permitted on motion. Each of New Hampshire's 10 counties has a sheriff's office that handles civil service — Hillsborough County Sheriff (Manchester) and Rockingham County Sheriff (Brentwood/Portsmouth) see the highest civil volumes.
Personal service under RSA 510:2 is accomplished by the sheriff delivering a copy of the writ or summons to the defendant personally. If the defendant cannot be located for personal service, substituted service at the abode is available as a secondary method. New Hampshire follows the refused-acceptance rule.
Substituted service under RSA 510:2 is made at the last abode with a person residing there who is of suitable age and discretion, provided the sheriff is unable to serve personally after reasonable effort. The sheriff's return must describe the person served, including the relationship to the defendant and the basis for believing the person resides at the abode.
New Hampshire generally does not permit service of initial process by mail. Mail service is available for subsequent papers under N.H. Super. Ct. R. 3, but for initial service of a writ or summons, sheriff delivery or publication is typically required. This is a notable departure from most modern practice and catches out-of-state counsel off guard regularly.
Under RSA 510:4 and RSA 293-A:15.10, service on a corporation is made on the registered agent filed with the New Hampshire Secretary of State. If the registered agent cannot be found with reasonable diligence, service may be made on the Secretary of State as statutory agent. Officers and managing agents are also proper service targets under RSA 510:13. The Secretary of State's corporate division maintains the registered-agent database.
Out-of-state service is governed by RSA 510:4-a (the New Hampshire long-arm statute) for specified acts subjecting a non-resident to jurisdiction. Service outside New Hampshire is made in the manner prescribed for in-state service or by any method authorized by the jurisdiction where service is made. New Hampshire's long-arm reaches to the constitutional limits.
Service by publication under RSA 510:8 requires a court order on affidavit showing that the defendant cannot be found and that service by the usual methods is impracticable. Publication typically runs once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the defendant's last known address is located.
Critical: New Hampshire has NOT adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act. As of April 2026, NH is one of only three states (with Missouri and Massachusetts) that has not enacted UIDDA, though H.B. 1489 passed the New Hampshire House in April 2026 and is under Senate consideration. Until the bill is enacted, out-of-state litigants seeking discovery from a New Hampshire witness must proceed under the older Uniform Foreign Depositions Law at RSA 517-A: a foreign court must issue a commission, order, or letters rogatory authorizing the deposition, testimony, or production of records in New Hampshire. Practitioners should plan for additional time (often 30 to 60 days beyond a typical UIDDA filing) and expect to retain New Hampshire counsel to file the miscellaneous action. If the legislation does pass, citation practice will need to shift to the new UIDDA provisions; verify current status before filing.
New Hampshire requires service within a reasonable time of the return date on the writ. Delay beyond the return day without reasonable explanation may result in dismissal. The diligent-prosecution standard applies across N.H. Super. Ct. R. 7 and R. 17.
The sheriff's return of service must be filed with the court under RSA 510:13. The return states the date, time, place, and manner of service, and, for substituted service, identifies the person served and describes the residency relationship.
Served 123 LLC coordinates with all 10 New Hampshire county sheriffs for original-process service, plus court-appointed private servers where authorized. From Manchester and Nashua through Concord, Portsmouth, Dover, Rochester, Keene, Laconia, and Lebanon, we handle sheriff service, substituted service at the abode with detailed residency affidavits, corporate service through Secretary of State registered-agent lookups, RSA 510:4-a long-arm service, publication motions, and court-ready returns filed promptly with the Superior Court or Circuit Court clerk. For out-of-state subpoena matters, we coordinate the commission-based domestication process under the Uniform Foreign Depositions Law with New Hampshire counsel.
Need New Hampshire service of process handled? Visit our New Hampshire service of process page for pricing, coverage details, and a free quote.
No. New Hampshire, like every other state, prohibits parties from serving their own process. The server must be an adult non-party or an authorized officer/licensed server per New Hampshire rules.
New Hampshire requires service within a reasonable time of the return date on the writ. Delay beyond the return day without reasonable explanation may result in dismissal. N.H. Super. Ct. R. 7 and R. 17 apply diligent-prosecution standards.
Generally no for initial process. New Hampshire is one of the few states that does not permit mail service of original civil process — sheriff delivery or publication is required. Mail service is available for subsequent papers under N.H. Super. Ct. R. 3 but not for the original writ or summons. This catches out-of-state counsel off guard regularly.
Service on a corporation in New Hampshire is made on the registered agent under RSA 510:4 and RSA 293-A:15.10. If the registered agent cannot be found with reasonable diligence, service may be made on the New Hampshire Secretary of State as statutory agent. Officers and managing agents are also proper service targets under RSA 510:13.
New Hampshire follows the majority refused-acceptance rule. The server may place the papers in the defendant's immediate presence after identifying the nature of the documents. Service is valid despite refusal.
Yes. RSA 510:4-a (the New Hampshire long-arm statute) authorizes service on non-residents based on specified acts subjecting them to jurisdiction. Service outside the state is made in the manner prescribed for in-state service or by any method authorized by the jurisdiction where service is made.
Start with a skip trace, then move for service by publication on a court order supported by an affidavit documenting diligent inquiry. Publication runs once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the action is pending.
