Except as prescribed in § 8.01-300 as to municipal and quasi-governmental corporations, and subject to § 8.01- 286.1, process may be served on a domestic stock corporation, nonstock corporation, or limited liability company created by the laws of the Commonwealth as follows:
§ 8.01-299.How process served on domestic stock corporations, nonstock corporations, and limited liability companies generally.
Chapter 8. Process · Article 4. Who to Be Served · Last amended 2024 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-299 lets a Virginia stock corporation, nonstock corporation, or limited liability company be served through personal service on an officer, director, or registered agent, through the substituted-service procedures in Title 13.1, or, when the registered office is a private residence, through the family-member or posting method used for individuals.
Full Text of § 8.01-299
1. By personal service on any officer, director, or registered agent of any such corporation or on the registered agent of such limited liability company;
2. By substituted service on stock corporations in accordance with § 13.1-637, on nonstock corporations in accordance with § 13.1-836, and on limited liability companies in accordance with § 13.1-1018; or
3. If the address of the registered office of the corporation or limited liability company is a single-family residential dwelling, by substituted service on the registered agent of the corporation or limited liability company in the manner provided by subdivision 2 of § 8.01-296.
This section does not prescribe the only means, or necessarily the required means, of serving a domestic stock or nonstock corporation or limited liability company.
Plain-English Summary
Section 8.01-299 governs how a domestic stock corporation, nonstock corporation, or limited liability company is served with process, apart from municipal and quasi-governmental corporations, which follow § 8.01-300 instead. The most direct route is personal service on any officer, director, or registered agent of the corporation, or on the registered agent of the limited liability company.
When that route is not available, the section falls back on the substituted-service mechanisms already built into Virginia's business-entity statutes — §13.1-637 for stock corporations, §13.1-836 for nonstock corporations, and §13.1-1018 for limited liability companies. And when a registered office happens to be a single-family residential dwelling, the section allows substituted service on the registered agent using the same family-member-or-posting method that § 8.01-296 provides for serving individuals.
The section closes by making clear it is not exclusive: it does not prescribe the only, or necessarily the required, means of serving a domestic corporation or LLC. Other statutes may supply additional valid methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can accept personal service for a Virginia corporation?
An officer, director, or registered agent of the corporation, or the registered agent of the limited liability company.
What if the corporation's registered agent cannot be reached through normal channels?
Substituted service is available under the applicable Title 13.1 provision — §13.1-637 for stock corporations, §13.1-836 for nonstock corporations, and §13.1-1018 for limited liability companies.
What happens if the registered office is a private home?
The registered agent may be served by substituted service in the manner § 8.01-296(2) provides for individuals, since the registered office is a single-family residential dwelling.
Is this section the only way to serve a Virginia corporation or LLC?
No. The section expressly states it does not prescribe the only means, or necessarily the required means, of serving a domestic corporation or LLC.
Does this section apply to out-of-state corporations?
No. It governs domestic entities created under Virginia law; foreign stock and nonstock corporations and foreign LLCs are covered separately under § 8.01-301.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-59; 1954, c. 23; 1956, c. 432; 1958, c. 13; 1976, c. 395; 1977, c. 617; 1991, c. 672; 2005, c. 866; 2016, c. 270; 2018, c. 475; 2024, c. 454.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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