Complaints or orders issued by the code enforcement officer shall be served upon persons either personally or by registered or certified mail, but if the whereabouts of such persons are unknown and the same cannot be ascertained by the inspector in the exercise of reasonable diligence, the code enforcement officer shall make an affidavit to that effect, and the serving of such complaint or order upon such person may be made by publishing the same once each week for two (2) successive weeks in a newspaper circulating in the town. Where service is made by publication, a notice of the pending proceedings shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises affected by the complaint or order.
(Code 1977, § 13-16)