Rule 3-113.Process — Duration, dormancy, and renewal of summons

Section (a) sets a hard 60-day shelf life on a summons. If it isn't served within that window, it becomes dormant — not void, but inactive — and the only way to revive it is a written renewal request from the plaintiff. This is the same 60-day rule that governs summonses in the circuit courts under Rule 2-113, and the Committee note attached to both rules points to the same 1946 Maryland decision on what "dormant" process means in practice.

Section (b) is where the District Court version goes further than its circuit court counterpart. Because the District Court has its own summary procedure for entering judgment on affidavit for certain liquidated claims under Rule 3-306, a plaintiff who wants to renew a summons in one of those cases has an extra obligation tied to federal servicemember protections. The renewal request must be accompanied by either a statement that nothing has changed since the most recent military service affidavit was filed, or a new supplemental affidavit that complies with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The point is to keep the record on a defendant's military status current every time the case is given new life through a renewed summons, since a stale affidavit could undercut the protections that Act is meant to guarantee before a default-style judgment is entered.