Posting Service in Florida Evictions: When It's Allowed
Fla. Stat. § 48.183 gives landlords one narrow shortcut when a tenant can't be found — two documented attempts, six hours apart, then the door. Use it wrong and part of your judgment is void.
Key takeaways
- Posting service under § 48.183, Florida Statutes, means attaching the eviction summons and complaint to a conspicuous place on the premises — usually the front door.
- It is allowed only in actions for possession, and only after the tenant cannot be found and at least two service attempts have been made at least six hours apart.
- The landlord must also supply the clerk with an extra copy and a prestamped envelope so the clerk can mail the papers to the premises.
- Posting supports the possession count only. A money judgment for back rent entered on posted service alone is void for lack of personal jurisdiction.
- Time-stamped, GPS-logged attempt records are what make a posted serve survive a motion to vacate.
Posting service — sometimes called service by posting or "nail and mail" — is the one situation in Florida where court papers can be served by taping them to a door. The rule lives in § 48.183, Florida Statutes, and it exists for exactly one scenario: a landlord needs possession of the premises back, and the tenant cannot be found to be served in person. Golden Process Service posts eviction summonses across all 67 Florida counties every week, and the difference between a clean posted serve and a voidable one comes down to details most landlords never hear about.
This guide explains what posting service is, the strict conditions § 48.183 attaches to it — including the two-attempt, six-hour rule and the clerk-mailing step — and why a complaint that also demands back rent cannot ride on a posted serve. It's general legal information, not legal advice for your case.
What Posting Service Means in a Florida Eviction
Posting service is constructive service: instead of handing the eviction summons to the tenant or a co-resident, the process server attaches the summons and complaint to a conspicuous part of the property described in the complaint. The tenant is presumed to get notice because the papers are on the home they rent — not because anyone actually received them.
That makes posting an exception to Florida's normal rules. Under § 48.031 and the standards covered in our guide to Florida process serving requirements, service ordinarily means personal delivery to the defendant, or substitute service on a person age 15 or older residing at the defendant's usual place of abode. Posting skips both — which is why the legislature confined it to actions for possession of premises, the residential eviction cases governed by Part II of Chapter 83, Florida Statutes.
The tenant's clock to respond to the eviction summons starts once posting and the required mailing are complete, the same five-business-day window that drives every timeline in our Florida eviction process guide.
When Posting Service Is Allowed in an Eviction
Posting service is allowed only when three conditions line up: the action seeks possession of the premises, the tenant cannot be found in the county, and there is no one age 15 or older at the tenant's usual place of abode who can accept substitute service — all after at least two genuine attempts to serve, made at least six hours apart. Miss any element and the posting is defective.
Two boundaries matter most in practice. First, posting is case-type specific. It is not available in a divorce, a debt collection suit, or a personal injury case — those require personal or substitute service, or the entirely separate publication process under Chapter 49. Second, posting is a fallback, not a first choice. The statute assumes real attempts came first; a server who drives straight to the property and posts on the first visit has not complied with § 48.183, and the resulting judgment is exposed the same way any bad serve is in our article on defective service of process in Florida.
The prerequisite eviction notice — typically a three-day notice under § 83.56 — has its own delivery rules, covered in our Florida 3-day notice guide, and should not be confused with service of the summons.
The Two-Attempt, Six-Hour Rule — Step by Step
Section 48.183 requires at least two attempts to serve the tenant under § 48.031, made at least six hours apart, before the summons may be posted. Here is how a compliant posted serve actually runs:
- First attempt. The server tries personal or substitute service at the premises, logging date, time, GPS coordinates, and what was observed — no answer, vacant unit, a neighbor's comment.
- Second attempt, six-plus hours later. The second visit must be at least six hours after the first. Good practice is a different part of the day — a morning attempt followed by an evening attempt — so the record shows a genuine effort to catch the tenant at home.
- Posting. If no one age 15+ can be served, the server attaches the summons and complaint to a conspicuous part of the premises, most often the front door, and photographs the posted papers in place.
- Clerk mailing. The landlord must furnish the clerk of court with an additional copy of the papers and a prestamped envelope addressed to the tenant at the premises; the clerk mails them by first-class mail.
- Return of service. The affidavit of service recites both attempt dates and times, the six-hour spacing, and the posting details — the proof a judge checks before entering a default.
The mailing step is the one landlords forget. Posting without the clerk's mailing is incomplete service, and clerks in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties will not treat the tenant's response window as running until both halves are done.
How Golden Process Service Helps
When you send us an eviction for posting, the file starts moving the same day it clears intake. Our server confirms the property address against the complaint, checks whether anyone age 15 or older might accept substitute service, and plans two attempts spaced to clear the six-hour minimum. Nothing goes on the door until those genuine attempts are logged.
To keep a posted eviction on schedule, have three things ready: the issued summons and complaint from the clerk, proof the three-day notice was properly delivered, and the tenant's full name and unit number. A prestamped envelope addressed to the tenant at the premises lets the clerk complete the required mailing without delay.
In practice, most posted serves finish within a few business days. The first attempt goes out promptly; the second follows at least six hours later, usually at a different time of day so the record shows a real effort to catch the tenant at home. Only then does the summons get attached to a conspicuous part of the property.
You receive a return of service that recites both attempt dates and times, the six-hour spacing, and the posting itself, plus a date-stamped photo of the papers affixed to the door. That affidavit is the record a county judge reviews before entering a default and issuing the writ of possession.
Because posting supports the possession count only, we flag files that also demand back rent. When a tenant has vanished, our skip tracing team works to find a current address so the money claim can be served in person later, keeping a posting service eviction from leaving an uncollectable judgment behind.
Not sure whether your case qualifies? Upload the summons through send work or call (888) 766-7497, and we will confirm the address, plan the attempts, and keep you updated at each step.
Tenant nowhere to be found? We post evictions by the book — attempts logged, six-hour rule met.
The Money-Damages Trap: Why Posting Can't Support Back Rent
Posting service gives the court power over the premises, not over the tenant personally. That means a posted serve supports a judgment for possession — and nothing more. If the complaint also demands back rent, late fees, or damages, that money count cannot be adjudicated on posted service alone, and a money judgment entered anyway is void for lack of personal jurisdiction and subject to being set aside, even long after the eviction is over.
| Service method | Supports possession count | Supports money judgment |
|---|---|---|
| Personal service (§ 48.031) | Yes | Yes |
| Substitute service on co-resident 15+ | Yes | Yes |
| Posting under § 48.183 | Yes | No |
Attorneys handle this by pleading possession and back rent as separate counts. The possession count proceeds on the posted serve; the rent count waits for personal or substitute service — or for the tenant to appear and submit to the court's jurisdiction. When a tenant has skipped out entirely, our skip tracing team locates a new address so the money count can be served properly and the landlord isn't left holding an uncollectable claim.
How Golden Process Service Handles Eviction Posting
Golden Process Service has served Florida evictions since 2018 and handles more than 500 serves a month statewide, with dedicated eviction service workflows built around § 48.183. Every file gets a first attempt within the service window, a second attempt engineered to clear the six-hour minimum at a different time of day, and GPS-stamped, time-stamped logs of both. When posting is required, our servers photograph the summons affixed to the door and return an affidavit that recites the attempts, the spacing, and the posting — the exact record county judges look for before signing a default and a writ of possession.
Landlords and property managers from Broward to Palm Beach County send us eviction summonses precisely because a bounced serve costs weeks of rent. Flat-rate pricing is published on our rates page, rush and same-day options are available, and you can upload a new eviction in minutes through Send Work — or contact us first if you're unsure whether your case qualifies for posting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is posting service in a Florida eviction?
Posting service is constructive service under § 48.183, Florida Statutes: when the tenant in an action for possession cannot be found after at least two attempts made at least six hours apart, the process server attaches the eviction summons and complaint to a conspicuous part of the premises, and the clerk mails a copy to the tenant at the property.
How many attempts are required before posting an eviction summons?
At least two attempts to serve the tenant under § 48.031, made at least six hours apart. Golden Process Service schedules the attempts at different times of day and logs each with date, time, and GPS coordinates so the affidavit of service shows compliance on its face.
Can a landlord get back rent if the tenant was only served by posting?
No. Posting supports the possession count only. A money judgment for back rent or damages requires personal or substitute service on the tenant — or the tenant's appearance in the case. A money judgment entered on posted service alone is void for lack of personal jurisdiction and can be set aside.
Who mails the copy of the summons after posting?
The clerk of court. The landlord must furnish the clerk with an additional copy of the summons and complaint and a prestamped envelope addressed to the tenant at the premises; the clerk mails it by first-class mail. Posting without this mailing step leaves service incomplete.
Can the landlord post the summons personally?
No. The eviction summons must be served by the sheriff or a certified or court-appointed process server, and a party to the case cannot serve their own papers. Call (888) 766-7497 and a Golden Process Service server will handle the attempts, posting, and affidavit.