Every state requires your LLC to list a registered agent — a person or company that accepts legal mail on the company’s behalf. The rules are simple; the industry around it is mostly designed to make you think otherwise.
It’s a boring job. That’s the whole point.
A registered agent is the person or business legally designated to receive service of process and official government mail for your LLC. “Service of process” is the formal way of saying “being sued,” so the registered agent is the address the court sends the lawsuit to. State agencies also send annual-report reminders, tax notices, and occasional compliance paperwork through this channel.
That’s really it. They don’t run the business, don’t have ownership, don’t have authority to sign contracts. They just need to be reachable at a specific physical address during business hours, and they need to promptly forward anything they receive to you.
The registered-agent requirement exists so that every LLC has a reliable, public, physical address where it can be served with legal documents. Without it, a plaintiff could sue your LLC and have no way to formally deliver the papers. States won’t form or maintain an LLC without one listed.
These rules are roughly the same in all 50 states, with small variations.
Some states add small wrinkles: California requires a formal consent on Form RA-100, Nevada lists the agent on the Annual List, and a few states publish the agent’s address in the Secretary of State’s searchable database. Nothing shocking, but worth knowing before you pick.
Usually yes, and for most small LLCs it’s the right call.
If you’re a resident of the state where your LLC is formed, you’re at least 18, and you have a physical address where someone (you) is reachable during business hours — congratulations, you already qualify. Most states let you list yourself on the formation paperwork as the registered agent.
Be your own, pick anyone you want, or use us. Whichever path makes sense — RA is always optional with our $49 filing, never bundled.
The registered agent industry has a ton of price inflation — some competitors charge $299/year for something every state offers a path to do yourself for free. So our $49 filing fee is filing-only. RA is a separate optional service: $99/year if you want us to do it, or $0 if you'd rather be your own.
Most single-owner LLCs do exactly that — list themselves and pay nothing extra. We'll walk you through the consent line and you're done. If you'd rather not put your home address on the public record, we can be your agent for $99/year, or you can pick a third party. Either way it's your call, not a forced upsell.
Yes. The Secretary of State publishes it in the public business record. If you list yourself at your home, that address is searchable. That’s the main reason people pay for a commercial agent — privacy.
Yes, if they’re over 18, live in the same state, and have a reliable physical address. The tough part is the “available during business hours” rule — if your friend works a day job away from home, they won’t actually be there to receive papers.
The state will dissolve your LLC. It’s usually not instant — most states send warnings first — but if your agent quits, moves, or resigns and you don’t replace them, your LLC loses its good-standing status.
File a short amendment with your state. Most states have an online form, and the fee is typically $10–$50. We’ve written a walkthrough for this on every state page.
If your LLC is registered as a foreign LLC in a state, you need a registered agent there too. Doing business in a state without formally registering is one of the biggest compliance mistakes small LLCs make.
Only in the sense that they need to be physically present in that state. You can’t use a New York address as your California registered agent. Otherwise the job and rules are roughly the same across states.
Flat $49, plus whatever your state charges. No upsells, no surprises.