By Eviction Notice Free · Published 2026-08-03 · Updated 2026-08-15 · 5 min read
Serving an eviction: what counts as proof
A notice is only useful if you can show it was delivered. Here is how service works, and how to prove it.
Serving a notice means delivering it to the tenant in the way the law allows. A notice you cannot show was delivered is, in practice, no notice at all. Service and the proof of it are part of the record.
The allowed methods
- In person, handed to the tenant
- Left at the premises, to someone of suitable age
- Mailed or posted, where the state allows it
- Sent electronically, in the states that accept it
Keep the record
Record who delivered it, how, and when. The proof of service — the date, method and who served it — is what the court relies on. Keep a dated copy of the notice and a note of the service, and you are protected if the method is challenged.
Related reading
See the free notices this covers: California Eviction Notice, Texas Eviction Notice, or browse all state notices.