Under Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 422(a) and Section 8523(b) of the Judicial Code (42 Pa.C.S. § 8523(b)), whenever a plaintiff sues the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a Commonwealth department, board, commission, or officer, or brings a Sovereign Immunity tort action against a Commonwealth party (such as PennDOT, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Department of Human Services, or the Department of Corrections), serving only the target state agency is legally insufficient.
Pennsylvania law imposes a strict mandatory dual-service requirement: you must serve both the office of the defendant Commonwealth agency AND the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General — Civil Law Division / Torts Litigation Unit located on the 15th Floor of Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA 17120.
Process Servers Pennsylvania conducts daily service runs to the 15th Floor of Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg (Dauphin County), ensuring that your Commonwealth Court, Court of Common Pleas, or U.S. District Court action satisfies every requirement of Pa.R.C.P. Rule 422(a).
Verified Building & Statutory Intake Details
- Agency & Division: Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General — Civil Law Division (Litigation & Torts Litigation Sections)
- Physical Street Address: Strawberry Square, 15th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120
- County & Judicial District: Dauphin County — 12th Judicial District of Pennsylvania
- Municipality: City of Harrisburg (Downtown Capitol Corridor)
- Related Regional OAG Torts Offices: Philadelphia OAG Torts Office (1600 Arch Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103) and Pittsburgh OAG Torts Office (1251 Waterfront Place, Mezzanine Level, Pittsburgh, PA 15222)
Understanding the Mandatory Dual-Service Rule (Pa.R.C.P. 422(a) & 42 Pa.C.S. § 8523(b))
Read the exact text of Pa.R.C.P. Rule 422(a):
“Service of original process upon the Commonwealth or an officer of the Commonwealth, or a department, board, commission or instrumentality of the Commonwealth, or a member thereof, shall be made at the office of the defendant and the office of the attorney general by handing a copy to the person in charge thereof.”
Why Lawsuits Against PennDOT & State Agencies Get Dismissed Without Strawberry Square Service
In Pennsylvania personal injury and civil rights litigation, one of the most common fatal errors occurs when an attorney sues the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) over a highway design defect or sues a state official in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania or a local Court of Common Pleas:
- The attorney serves the local PennDOT engineering district or serves the agency’s Chief Counsel in the Keystone Building in Harrisburg, but forgets to serve the Office of Attorney General on the 15th Floor of Strawberry Square.
- Once the statute of limitations expires, Deputy Attorneys General routinely file Preliminary Objections under Pa.R.C.P. 1028(a)(1) to dismiss the complaint with prejudice under Lamp v. Heyman and Kreidie v. Department of Revenue because personal jurisdiction over a Commonwealth party never attaches until both prongs of Rule 422(a) are completed!
How Our Harrisburg Couriers Execute Dual Service Across the Capitol Complex
Because the 15th Floor of Strawberry Square, the Keystone Building (400 North Street — PennDOT Office of Chief Counsel), the North Office Building (401 North Street — Department of State), the Health and Welfare Building (625 Forster Street), and the Pennsylvania Judicial Center (601 Commonwealth Avenue — Commonwealth Court) are all located within blocks of each other in downtown Harrisburg, Process Servers Pennsylvania can coordinate both agency service and Office of Attorney General service on the same day.
Federal Civil Rights (42 U.S.C. § 1983) & Commonwealth Court Petitions (Pa.R.A.P. 1514(c))
- Federal Actions in EDPA, MDPA, and WDPA: Under FRCP Rule 4(j)(2) and Rule 4(c)(2), any non-party adult over 18 (our private process server) can personally serve a federal Summons and Complaint on the Office of Attorney General at the 15th Floor of Strawberry Square and on the target state agency or individual state official.
- Subpoenas & Statutory Notices (
Pa.R.C.P. 234.2&Pa.R.C.P. 235): Whenever an Act of Assembly is alleged to be unconstitutional in a proceeding to which the Commonwealth is not already a party, Pa.R.C.P. Rule 235 requires prompt notice to the Attorney General of Pennsylvania at Strawberry Square, 15th Floor.
Upload your documents on our Online Order Page for Standard ($69), Rush ($119), or Same-Day ($169) delivery to the 15th Floor of Strawberry Square.