Tex. Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 17.021
This is the official text of Tex. Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 17.021, part of Texas’s Civil Practice and Remedies Code — sets procedural rules and available remedies for civil lawsuits.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 17.021. SERVICE ON CERTAIN NONCORPORATE BUSINESS AGENTS.
Official statutory text
(a) In an action against an individual, partnership, or unincorporated association that arises in a county in which the individual, partnership, or association has an office, place of business, or agency for transacting business in this state, citation or other civil process may be served on an agent or clerk employed in the office, place of business, or agency if:
(1) the action grows out of or is connected with the business transacted in this state; and
(2) the individual, partnership, or association:
(A) is not a resident of the county;
(B) is not a resident of this state; or
(C) is a resident of the county but has not been found for service of process.
(b) To serve process on an agent or clerk under Subsection (a)(2)(C), the officer making the return of unexecuted process must certify that after diligent search and inquiry the individual, partnership, or association cannot be found and served. The process in the suit may be served on the agent or clerk in any succeeding term of court.
(c) Service of process on an agent or clerk under this section has the effect of personal service on the principal individual, partnership, or unincorporated association and subjects the principal's nonexempt property to the jurisdiction and judgment of the court.
(d) If service is made under this section, a default judgment may not be rendered in the action before the 21st day after the date of service.
(e) Service of process under this section is in addition to other methods of service.
(f) This section does not affect venue.
(1) the action grows out of or is connected with the business transacted in this state; and
(2) the individual, partnership, or association:
(A) is not a resident of the county;
(B) is not a resident of this state; or
(C) is a resident of the county but has not been found for service of process.
(b) To serve process on an agent or clerk under Subsection (a)(2)(C), the officer making the return of unexecuted process must certify that after diligent search and inquiry the individual, partnership, or association cannot be found and served. The process in the suit may be served on the agent or clerk in any succeeding term of court.
(c) Service of process on an agent or clerk under this section has the effect of personal service on the principal individual, partnership, or unincorporated association and subjects the principal's nonexempt property to the jurisdiction and judgment of the court.
(d) If service is made under this section, a default judgment may not be rendered in the action before the 21st day after the date of service.
(e) Service of process under this section is in addition to other methods of service.
(f) This section does not affect venue.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Texas?
Find a Texas lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.