Rule 27.Service of the Petition

Rule 25 says what the clerk issues. Rule 27 says what actually has to reach the other party, and when.

The service package

For annulment, dissolution or legal separation: the petition, a summons, the preliminary injunction, and any notice, form and order required under Rule 25(d). For paternity or maternity: the petition, a summons, and any preliminary injunction, notice, form and order required under Rule 25(d). For legal decision-making or parenting time: the same list. In the paternity and legal decision-making cases the rule requires service on each party entitled to service, not simply on the opposing party -- these cases can have more than two.

Order-to-appear cases carry a deadline measured backward

For every action described in Rule 23(b)(2), the petitioner serves the petition, the order to appear, and any Rule 25(d) documents. Because the hearing date is already fixed when the order to appear issues, the deadline runs backward from the hearing: service must be complete not later than 20 days before the scheduled hearing, or 10 days before if the only issue is child support, unless the court orders otherwise.

That is a real difference from summons practice, where the clock runs forward from service and the petitioner has 120 days under Rule 40(i). Here the calendar is set first and late service means the hearing cannot go forward as scheduled.

Manner

Section (e) is one line: service must be made under Rule 40(f)(1) -- acceptance of service -- or Rule 41, which carries every other method including personal delivery, mail with restricted delivery, alternative means, and publication.