A general appearance or an acceptance of the service of a summons, signed by the defendant’s attorney or signed and acknowledged by the defendant (other than an infant or mentally incapacitated person), shall have the same effect as if the defendant had been properly served.
Rule 4:4-6.General Appearance; Acknowledgment of Service
Last amended September 3, 2002 · Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 7, 2026
In one sentenceRule 4:4-6 provides that a general appearance or a signed acceptance of service has the same effect as proper service, so a defendant who appears or acknowledges service cannot later complain of a service defect.
Full Text of Rule 4:4-6
Amendment History
New Jersey publishes each rule’s amendment record in a “History” note beneath the rule. It is reproduced verbatim below; the “R.R.” citations refer to the former Revised Rules numbering the current rules replaced.
Source-R.R. 4:4-6; amended July 17, 1975 to be effective September 8, 1975; amended July 12, 2002 to be effective September 3, 2002.
Plain-English Summary
A defendant can waive the formalities of service. Under this rule, a general appearance, or an acceptance of service signed by the defendant’s attorney or signed and acknowledged by the defendant, works just as if the defendant had been properly served. It is a practical shortcut that spares everyone the cost of formal service when the defendant is already participating.
The rule protects those who cannot waive on their own. An infant or a mentally incapacitated person cannot bind themselves this way, so their acknowledgment does not substitute for proper service. For everyone else, appearing or accepting service closes the door on a later objection that service was defective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does appearing in a case waive objections to service?
A general appearance or a signed acceptance of service has the same effect as proper service, so it forecloses a later complaint that service itself was defective. Objections that must be preserved are governed by the pleading and motion rules.
Can a minor or incapacitated person accept service?
No. The rule expressly excludes an infant or mentally incapacitated person, whose acknowledgment does not stand in for the proper service the rules otherwise require.
Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the
official New Jersey Rules of Court (N.J. Ct. R. 4:4-6). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey (N.J. Const. art. VI, § 2, ¶ 3). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 7, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: general appearanceacceptance of serviceacknowledgment of servicewaiver of service