An Oregon acceptance of service is a short form a respondent signs to confirm they received the court papers in a lawsuit or family law case, which lets everyone skip formal delivery by a sheriff or process server. Signing it does not mean agreeing with anything in the petition. It only confirms receipt — and the date you write on it starts your 30-day deadline to respond. The statewide form is published by the Oregon Judicial Department and is accepted in every Oregon circuit court.1Oregon Judicial Department. Forms Center
What Signing Does and Doesn’t Do
Signing an acceptance of service means one thing: you received your copy of the court paperwork.2Oregon Judicial Department. Small Claims – Petitioners Instructions You keep every right to file a response, dispute the claims, and fight the case on the merits. It is not an admission of fault, and it is not agreement with what the petitioner is asking for.
What you give up is the ability to argue later that you were never properly served. Under Oregon law, proof of service can be established through a written acceptance of service by the person who received the documents.3Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 419B.833 – Proof of Service of Summons or Mailing Once you sign, the court treats service as complete. If something was wrong with how the papers were prepared or delivered, signing essentially waives that objection. So before you sign, make sure you actually have copies of everything the form lists.
What Goes on the Form
The statewide form is short, but every field needs to be accurate:
- Party names — the full legal names of the petitioner and respondent, exactly as they appear on the petition or complaint.
- Case number — the court-assigned number that ties the acceptance to the correct file.
- Documents accepted — a clear list of what you received, which may include the summons, the petition or complaint, and any temporary orders filed with it.
- Date of acceptance — the date you sign, which becomes the official date of service for all deadline calculations.
The form lives on the Oregon Judicial Department’s Forms Center.1Oregon Judicial Department. Forms Center Each county also maintains supplementary local rules, so it’s worth a quick check of the court where your case is pending in case there’s anything county-specific.4Oregon Judicial Department. Supplementary Local Court Rules
How to Sign It
The statewide acceptance of service form does not require notarization. You sign under a declaration that reads: “I hereby declare that the above statements are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. I understand they are made for use in court and I am subject to penalty for perjury.”5Oregon Judicial Department. Acceptance of Service That declaration carries the same legal weight as a sworn statement; lying on the form is a criminal offense. But no notary or clerk needs to witness your signature.
Print your name, sign, write the date, and provide your address and phone number. If a particular county’s local rules add a requirement, the clerk’s office in that county can tell you.
Filing the Signed Form
The signed form has to reach the circuit court in the county where the case is pending. Either party can file it. There are two main routes:
- Electronic filing through Oregon’s OJD eFile system, which handles civil and family case types in circuit courts statewide. You register for an account first.6Oregon Judicial Department. OJD eFile
- In person or by mail to the court clerk’s office. If you mail it, use certified mail so you have a delivery record.
There is no separate filing fee for an acceptance of service on Oregon’s fee schedule.7Oregon Judicial Department. Fees Keep a stamped or confirmed copy for your records, and make sure the other party gets one too.
The 30-Day Response Deadline
The date on the signed acceptance is treated as the date of service. From that date, the respondent has 30 days to file a motion, answer, or other responsive pleading.8Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure 2025 – Section: SUMMONS The same 30 days applies in general civil cases and in family law matters like divorce.9Oregon Law Help. Did You Get Served with Oregon Divorce Papers
To count the days, you exclude the date of service itself and count forward. If day 30 lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline moves to the end of the next regular business day. If the court clerk’s office closes early or is shut for the full day, the deadline rolls to the next day the office is open.10Oregon.Public Law. ORCP 10 – Time Treat those extensions as a safety net, not planning time. Build your calendar around day 30.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
If you don’t file a response in time, the petitioner can ask the court for a default judgment, which can grant everything they asked for without hearing from you.11Oregon Public Law. Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 7 – Summons – Section: C Contents, Time for Response, and Required Notices Default is not automatic. The petitioner has to file a motion with a declaration showing you were properly served and failed to respond in time, among other required facts.12Oregon Public Law. ORCP 69 – Default Orders and Judgments If you have already filed a notice of intent to appear, the petitioner must give you at least 10 days’ written notice before applying for default. If you have done nothing — no response, no appearance, no communication — the petitioner can proceed after the 30-day window closes without further notice to you.
In a divorce, that can mean the court signs off on the petitioner’s proposed property division, custody terms, and support amounts as written. In a civil case, it can mean a money judgment for the full amount claimed. Setting a default judgment aside later is possible but difficult, so filing something within the 30 days — even a basic response — is almost always the better move.
When Your Attorney Can Accept Service for You
If you have hired a lawyer, your lawyer can accept service on your behalf. Oregon defines an attorney as a person authorized to represent a party in the written proceedings of any action at any stage.13Oregon State Legislature. ORS 9.310 – Attorney Defined; Counsel When the opposing side sends papers to your attorney and your attorney signs the acceptance, the 30-day clock starts on that signing date, not on the date you personally see the papers. Confirm with your attorney when the clock began so your response deadline is on the right calendar.