Which method applies for service when a defendant has no fixed address?

• A. Immediate personal service at the last known address.
• B. Electronic service only.
• C. Substitute or alternative service with court permission.
• D. Service by publication without court approval.

Answer: (C)

When someone has no fixed address, ordinary personal service at a residence isn’t workable, so you turn to substitute or alternative methods, but only with court permission. The court’s order lets you use a method likely to bring notice in a situation where there’s no stable address—things like service by publication, service on a known agent or other appropriate means—after you’ve shown reasonable steps to locate the defendant. Without that court approval, alternative methods aren’t reliably valid, and relying on simple personal service at a last known address or only electronic service wouldn’t meet the due-process requirements in this scenario. Substituted service ordered by the court is the mechanism that ensures proper notice when a defendant has no fixed address.