Service of process in Mississippi
In Mississippi, a summons and complaint may be served by any person who is not a party and is at least 18, or by the sheriff; certified mail (return receipt) is available for persons outside the state, and publication is available in chancery and other statutorily authorized cases. Under Rule 4(h), service must generally be completed within 120 days of filing or the case may be dismissed without prejudice as to that defendant absent good cause.
ProcessServerState provides procedural-information-only summaries of state process-server rules. This is not legal advice. Service of process is a critical step in litigation — if you fail to serve correctly, your case can be dismissed. For complex or contested matters, consult a licensed attorney or a court self-help center. Not affiliated with any court or sheriff's office.
Is a license required in Mississippi?
No state license required. Under MRCP Rule 4(c), any non-party who is at least 18 may serve process; the sheriff may also serve.
Who may serve process in Mississippi?
- County sheriff
- Any non-party adult (18+)
- Certified / registered mail
- Publication (by court order)
Service deadline (Mississippi)
MRCP Rule 4(h): if the summons and complaint are not served within 120 days of filing and good cause is not shown, the action is dismissed without prejudice as to that defendant.
UIDDA: Mississippi has adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act for interstate service.
Sheriff / Marshal civil-process route
Civil-process fees are set by each county and listed on the local sheriff's civil-process page. Not all counties publish a fee schedule — confirm with the county where service will be made.
Statute / Rule citation
Miss. R. Civ. P. 4
UIDDA: Miss. Code Ann. § 11-59-1 et seq. (UIDDA, eff. 2014)
Verification notes for Mississippi: the following could not be fully primary-source-confirmed in our last pass and should be verified against the cited source before you rely on them:
- rule4Url (courts.ms.gov Rules PDF returned a server error on direct fetch; Rule 4(c)/(h) content corroborated via secondary sources)
Interstate service from Mississippi
Mississippi has adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (UIDDA), which provides a streamlined process for issuing an out-of-state subpoena based on one issued in the trial state. Service of an initial summons across state lines follows the receiving state's rules.
Sources for Mississippi
Other states with no license requirement
Check a different state
Verified against Mississippi primary sources on June 16, 2026. Read how we verify on our methodology page, or browse every citation in the source manifest.
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ProcessServerState provides procedural-information-only summaries of state process-server rules. This is not legal advice. Service of process is a critical step in litigation — if you fail to serve correctly, your case can be dismissed. For complex or contested matters, consult a licensed attorney or a court self-help center. Not affiliated with any court or sheriff's office.