Certificate of Service — District of Columbia Superior Court

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

District of Columbia Superior Court

COURT CAPTION

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
CIVIL DIVISION

________________________________________,
                              Plaintiff,

v.                                              Case No. [____________________]
                                                Judge: [____________________]
________________________________________,
                              Defendant.

(For Family Court matters, substitute "FAMILY COURT DIVISION"; for Domestic Violence, substitute "DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DIVISION")

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, [________________________________], hereby certify that on [__/__/____], I served
a true and correct copy of the following document(s):

Document(s) Served:

1. [________________________________]
2. [________________________________]
3. [________________________________]
   (add rows as needed)

upon all parties or their counsel of record as identified below, by the method(s)
indicated, in accordance with D.C. Superior Court Rule of Civil Procedure 5 and
Civil Rule 5-I.

SECTION I — PARTIES / COUNSEL SERVED

Party / Counsel No. 1

Method of Service (check all that apply):

☐ eFileDC Electronic Service — Filed and served through the DC Superior Court
eFileDC e-filing portal; service is automatic upon acceptance of the filing by
the system for all registered eFileDC users.

• eFileDC Confirmation / Transaction No.: [________________________________]
• Date/Time of System Acceptance: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM

☐ Electronic Mail (Email) — Served by email pursuant to SCR-Civ 5(b)(2)(E)
with written consent of the receiving party on file.

• Email address(es) served: [________________________________]
• Date/Time Transmitted: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM
• ☐ Read receipt / delivery confirmation obtained

☐ Hand Delivery / Personal Service — Delivered in person to the above-named
party or counsel.

• Person who received delivery: [________________________________]
• Date/Time of Delivery: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM
• Location of Delivery: [________________________________]

☐ U.S. First-Class Mail — Placed in the United States Mail, postage prepaid,
addressed to the above address.

• Mailed from: [________________________________], DC
• Date Mailed: [__/__/____]
• Note: 3 additional days are added to response deadlines when served by mail
  under SCR-Civ 6(e).

☐ Certified Mail / Return Receipt Requested

• USPS Tracking No.: [________________________________]
• Date Mailed: [__/__/____]

☐ Overnight Courier (FedEx / UPS / other commercial carrier)

• Carrier: [________________________________]
• Tracking No.: [________________________________]
• Date Tendered to Carrier: [__/__/____]

☐ Other (describe authorized method): [________________________________]

Party / Counsel No. 2

Method of Service (check all that apply):

☐ eFileDC Electronic Service

• eFileDC Confirmation / Transaction No.: [________________________________]
• Date/Time of System Acceptance: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM

☐ Electronic Mail (Email)

• Email address(es) served: [________________________________]
• Date/Time Transmitted: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM

☐ Hand Delivery / Personal Service

• Date/Time of Delivery: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM
• Location: [________________________________]

☐ U.S. First-Class Mail

• Mailed from: [________________________________], DC
• Date Mailed: [__/__/____]

☐ Certified Mail / Return Receipt Requested

• USPS Tracking No.: [________________________________]
• Date Mailed: [__/__/____]

☐ Overnight Courier

• Carrier: [________________________________] Tracking No.: [________________]
• Date Tendered: [__/__/____]

☐ Other: [________________________________]

(Duplicate Party / Counsel block as needed for additional parties)

SECTION II — MULTIPLE-PARTY SERVICE TABLE

(Use when serving three or more parties; attach continuation sheets if needed)

SECTION III — SELF-REPRESENTED (PRO SE) PARTY SERVICE

If any party is self-represented and not a registered eFileDC user, eFileDC does
not automatically serve them. Manual service is required.

☐ The following self-represented party was served by non-electronic means because
they are not a registered eFileDC participant:

• Pro Se Party Name: [________________________________]
• Last Known Address: [________________________________]
• City, State, Zip: [________________________________]

• Method of Service:
  ☐ U.S. First-Class Mail — Date Mailed: [__/__/____]
  ☐ Hand Delivery — Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [________]
  ☐ Certified Mail — Tracking No.: [________________________________]
  ☐ Email (only if written consent obtained) — Date/Time: [__/__/____]

• Description of service attempt(s) if applicable: [________________________________]

SECTION IV — eFILEDC PORTAL NOTES

Auto-Service Note: When a document is filed through eFileDC, the system
automatically generates and transmits a Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) to
all registered eFileDC participants in the case. If all opposing counsel
are registered eFileDC users, no separate certificate of service is required
for those parties pursuant to DC Superior Court Administrative Order 21-08;
however, many practitioners include this certificate as a best practice and to
document service on non-registered parties.

Discovery Documents: Pursuant to Rule Promulgation Order 07-04 (eff.
September 4, 2007), Certificates Regarding Discovery need not be filed with
the court when discovery is served; however, a certificate must still be
prepared and retained confirming service on all parties.

Beginning September 22, 2025: Many civil filings in DC Superior Court are
automatically accepted and may be immediately viewed by the public. Confirm
any sealed or restricted filing requirements before submission.

SECTION V — TIME COMPUTATION / MAIL RULE

Pursuant to SCR-Civ 6(e), when a period of time is computed from the date of
service and service is made by U.S. Mail, three (3) additional calendar days
are added to the prescribed response period. This rule also applies to service
by electronic means when service is made after 5:00 p.m. or on a day when the
court is closed per local practice.

Example: If a response is due 14 days from service and service was by mail,
the actual response deadline is 17 days from the date of mailing.

DECLARATION

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing Certificate of Service is
true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief.

Executed on [__/__/____] at [________________________________], District of Columbia.

_____________________________________________
[________________________________]
D.C. Bar No.: [____________________]
[________________________________] (Firm Name)
[________________________________] (Street Address)
Washington, D.C. [__________] (Zip)
Telephone: ([____]) [____]-[________]
Facsimile:  ([____]) [____]-[________]
Email:      [________________________________]
Attorney for [________________________________]

PRACTITIONER NOTES

1. eFileDC Mandatory E-Filing. Attorneys in DC Superior Court civil cases
are generally required to use eFileDC. Organizations with 501(c)(3) IRS status
may be excluded. Confirm current mandatory e-filing requirements under
Administrative Order 21-08 and any subsequent orders.

2. Proof of Service Filing Requirement. Under Civil Rule 5-I, except as
otherwise provided, proof of service must be filed before any other action is
taken on that filing. Include the certificate with or immediately after the
filed document.

3. Email Consent. Email service under SCR-Civ 5(b)(2)(E) requires that the
recipient has consented in writing to receive service by email. Document consent
in the case file and include the consent date in correspondence.

4. Division-Specific Requirements. The Domestic Relations Division (General
Order) and Domestic Violence Division may require additional certification
language. Confirm with the relevant divisional clerk.

5. Sealed and Confidential Filings. For matters subject to protective orders,
verify that service does not inadvertently disclose confidential information to
unauthorized parties. Follow any applicable Administrative Orders regarding
redaction before transmission through eFileDC.

6. Default Situations. Review SCR-Civ 5(d) regarding filing requirements
when a party is in default; special service rules may apply.

7. Retain Records. Preserve eFileDC electronic confirmation/transaction
numbers, email delivery receipts, certified mail return cards, and any other
proof of service for the duration of the case and any appeal.

8. SCR-Civ 5(b) — Permitted Methods. The complete list of service methods
under SCR-Civ 5(b)(2) includes: (A) delivering a copy to the person served;
(B) leaving a copy at the person's office with a clerk or other person in
charge; (C) leaving a copy at the person's dwelling house or usual place of
abode with a person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein;
(D) sending a copy by first-class mail; (E) sending a copy by email with the
recipient's consent; (F) serving through a registered user of the electronic
filing system. Use the appropriate method and verify compliance with
SCR-Civ 5(b) for each recipient.

9. SCR-Civ 5(a) — What Must Be Served. Under SCR-Civ 5(a), all orders
required by their terms to be served, every pleading subsequent to the
original complaint, every paper relating to discovery required to be served
upon a party unless the court otherwise orders, every written motion except
one which may be heard ex parte, and every written notice, appearance, demand,
offer of judgment, designation of record on appeal, and similar paper must be
served upon each party. Confirm which documents require service in your case.

10. DC Superior Court Divisions. The DC Superior Court includes the Civil
Division, Family Court, Domestic Violence Unit, Criminal Division, Probate
Division, Tax Division, and others. Each division may have specific local
rules, standing orders, or General Orders affecting service requirements.
Verify the applicable divisional rules for your matter type.

Sources and References

• DC Superior Court Civil Rule 5: https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/superior-rules/Superior-Court-Rules-of-Civil-Procedure-2025.pdf
• DC Superior Court Civil Rule 5-I (Proof of Service): https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/rules-superior-court/Civil%20Rule%205-I.%20Proof%20of%20Service.pdf
• eFileDC Portal: https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/e-filing
• DC Courts eFiling FAQ: https://www.dccourts.gov/services/faqs/filtered?location=efilingfaq