CT Corporation System: How to Serve It in Florida and All 50 States

CT Corporation System is one of the largest registered agents in the United States, so its name shows up on a long list of lawsuits. If your defendant's state record lists CT as its agent, you serve the company by delivering process to CT's office in that state. In Florida, that office is in Plantation, in western Broward County.

Golden Process Service is headquartered in Plantation too, at 9715 W Broward Blvd. This guide covers what CT is, how a Florida serve on CT works step by step, what your return of service needs, what to do when CT no longer represents the entity, and where CT accepts process in each of the other states. It is practical information, not legal advice.

The Corporation Trust Company and other CT names

CT does not use the same entity name in every state. On the FMCSA process-agent directory, most states list "C T Corporation System," but a few use a different CT entity:

• Delaware: The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. This is CT's Delaware entity.
• Arkansas and Colorado: The Corporation Company.
• Kansas: The Corporation Company, Inc.
• Maryland: The Corporation Trust Incorporated.
• Texas and Wyoming: listed as C T Corporation.

Which name and address you use depends on the state where you serve. A Delaware corporation registered to do business in Florida will have a Florida agent on Sunbiz, and that is the agent you serve here.

How service of process on CT Corporation System works in Florida

Three statutes do most of the work. Section 48.091 requires corporations doing business in Florida to designate a registered agent and keep the registered office open for service. Section 48.081 covers service on corporations, and section 48.062 covers LLCs and partnerships. Under both, the registered agent comes first.

Here is how a typical Florida serve on CT runs:

1. Confirm the agent on Sunbiz. Search the defendant on Sunbiz and check three things: the registered agent is CT Corporation System, the address is 1200 South Pine Island Road, and the entity's status is active. Save a dated copy.
2. Match the entity name exactly. The summons should name the defendant as it appears on Sunbiz, including "Inc.," "LLC" or "Corp." CT checks incoming papers against the entities it represents.
3. Send a complete set. The server needs the issued summons, the complaint, and every exhibit or attachment the court issued with it. Include the case number, court and the exact entity name in your instructions.
4. Intake at CT. The server presents the papers at CT's office and tells intake staff which entity is being served. Staff confirm CT represents that entity and accept the documents.
5. Notes for the return. The server records the date and time of service and the name and title of the person who accepted. Those details go straight into the return.
6. File the return. The signed return of service goes back to you for filing with the court.

Because CT's office exists to accept process, evasion is not the issue. The usual problems are paperwork: the wrong entity name, a stale Sunbiz record, or missing exhibits. Our guide to defective service of process in Florida lists the errors that lead to motions to quash.

After acceptance, CT forwards the papers to its client. The defendant's response period generally runs from the date of service on the agent, not from the date the company's lawyer reads the complaint, so calendar from the date on the return.

If CT resigned or the entity is inactive

Agents resign, and companies change agents or let filings lapse. If CT does not represent your defendant, it will not accept papers for that entity. That is not evasion; you just need a different route.

1. Re-check Sunbiz. Look for a new registered agent or a recent change filing. If a new agent is listed, serve that agent at the address shown.
2. Check the entity's status. An inactive or administratively dissolved entity can still be sued, but the record may not show a working agent. Note the status and the date.
3. Use the statute's fallback order. When there is no registered agent, or the agent cannot be served after diligent effort, §48.081 lets you serve corporate officers and directors in the order it lists. For LLCs and partnerships, §48.062 sets its own order, such as members, managers or partners.
4. Document the attempt. Have the server record what happened at CT, including the date, time and who declined. That record supports the next step.

Our guide on what to do when a registered agent can't be served walks through the fallback options in more detail. If the company is based outside Florida, see serving out-of-state defendants in Florida cases.