For service on a state agency, to whom should the process be delivered?

• A. The mayor
• B. The process agent appointed by the agency
• C. The attorney general
• D. The clerk

Answer: (B)

In North Carolina, a state agency must be served through the person the agency has appointed to receive service of process. The process agent is authorized to accept a summons and complaint on behalf of the agency, so delivering the process to that agent directly satisfies proper notice. The mayor or the agency’s clerk aren’t designated receivers for service on the agency, so they aren’t the correct recipients. The attorney general can handle service for the state if no process agent has been designated, but when an agency has a named process agent, that agent is the proper recipient for service.