Washington Summons Served By Publication is a type of service of process in the state of Washington that allows a defendant to be served with a summons without direct personal service. It is typically used when the plaintiff is unable to locate the defendant or when the defendant is believed to be avoiding service. Generally, the plaintiff is required to publish notice of the lawsuit in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the defendant is believed to reside. The notice must be published for a period of four consecutive weeks, and the summons must contain certain information such as the plaintiff's name, the defendant's name, and a description of the lawsuit. There are two types of Washington Summons Served By Publication: Summons By Publication for Unlawful Detainees and Summons By Publication for Civil Actions. Summons By Publication for Unlawful Detainees is used when a landlord is attempting to evict a tenant and the tenant cannot be found. Summons By Publication for Civil Actions is used in all other civil actions, including divorce, child support, and debt collection.