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HomeCorporations CodeGENERAL PROVISIONSCh. 4§ 18220 Service On Unincorporated Associations

§ 18220 Service On Unincorporated Associations

Corporations Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 18220 Service On Unincorporated Associations

This law says that if you can't hand‑deliver legal papers to the person chosen to receive them for a group that isn’t a corporation, a judge can order that the papers be given to some members of the group and mailed to the group’s last address, and that counts as proper service.

Key Takeaways

  • •First try to serve the designated agent by hand.
  • •If that fails and you prove it with an affidavit, a judge can allow service by giving papers to members and mailing them.
  • •Service this way counts as personal service on the unincorporated association.

Example

A local homeowners' association has no official agent listed, and the person filing a lawsuit can’t find anyone to hand the papers to.

The court can tell the plaintiff to give a copy of the lawsuit papers to two board members and to mail another copy to the association’s last known address. Doing that is treated the same as if the papers had been handed directly to the association.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 18220 Service On Unincorporated Associations

If designation of an agent for the purpose of service of process has not been made as provided in Section 18200, or if the agent designated cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the address specified in the index referred to in Section 18205 for delivery by hand of the process, and it is shown by affidavit to the satisfaction of a court or judge that process against an unincorporated association cannot be served with reasonable diligence upon the designated agent by hand or the unincorporated association in the manner provided for in Section 415.10 or 415.30 of the Code of Civil Procedure or subdivision (a) of Section 415.20 of the Code of Civil Procedure, the court or judge may make an order that service be made upon the unincorporated association by delivery of a copy of the process to one or more of the association’s members designated in the order and by mailing a copy of the process to the association at its last known address. Service in this manner constitutes personal service upon the unincorporated association. (Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 178, Sec. 10. Effective January 1, 2005.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

designation of an agentservice of processunincorporated associationpersonal service

Related Statutes

  • § 18200 Unincorporated Association Office Filing
  • § 18215 Association Statement Expiration Notice
  • § 25240 Broker-Dealer Service Consent
  • § 31420 Service Of Process Rules
  • § 12450 Corporate Dissolution Exemption

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Corporations Code. Section 18220.
View Official Source