New York Laws
Article 3 - Jurisdiction and Service, Appearance and Choice of Court
308 - Personal Service Upon a Natural Person.

§ 308. Personal service upon a natural person. Personal service upon
a natural person shall be made by any of the following methods:

1. by delivering the summons within the state to the person to be
served; or

2. by delivering the summons within the state to a person of suitable
age and discretion at the actual place of business, dwelling place or
usual place of abode of the person to be served and by either mailing
the summons to the person to be served at his or her last known
residence or by mailing the summons by first class mail to the person to
be served at his or her actual place of business in an envelope bearing
the legend "personal and confidential" and not indicating on the outside
thereof, by return address or otherwise, that the communication is from
an attorney or concerns an action against the person to be served, such
delivery and mailing to be effected within twenty days of each other;
proof of such service shall be filed with the clerk of the court
designated in the summons within twenty days of either such delivery or
mailing, whichever is effected later; service shall be complete ten days
after such filing; proof of service shall identify such person of
suitable age and discretion and state the date, time and place of
service, except in matrimonial actions where service hereunder may be
made pursuant to an order made in accordance with the provisions of
subdivision a of section two hundred thirty-two of the domestic
relations law; or

3. by delivering the summons within the state to the agent for service
of the person to be served as designated under rule 318, except in
matrimonial actions where service hereunder may be made pursuant to an
order made in accordance with the provisions of subdivision a of section
two hundred thirty-two of the domestic relations law;

4. where service under paragraphs one and two cannot be made with due
diligence, by affixing the summons to the door of either the actual
place of business, dwelling place or usual place of abode within the
state of the person to be served and by either mailing the summons to
such person at his or her last known residence or by mailing the summons
by first class mail to the person to be served at his or her actual
place of business in an envelope bearing the legend "personal and
confidential" and not indicating on the outside thereof, by return
address or otherwise, that the communication is from an attorney or
concerns an action against the person to be served, such affixing and
mailing to be effected within twenty days of each other; proof of such
service shall be filed with the clerk of the court designated in the
summons within twenty days of either such affixing or mailing, whichever
is effected later; service shall be complete ten days after such filing,
except in matrimonial actions where service hereunder may be made
pursuant to an order made in accordance with the provisions of
subdivision a of section two hundred thirty-two of the domestic
relations law;

5. in such manner as the court, upon motion without notice, directs,
if service is impracticable under paragraphs one, two and four of this
section.

6. For purposes of this section, "actual place of business" shall
include any location that the defendant, through regular solicitation or
advertisement, has held out as its place of business.