The registered agent receives lawsuits, state notices and tax letters for your company. If papers cannot be delivered, a court case can move ahead without you knowing. That is why every state insists on a current agent with a real street address in the state.
Who can be a registered agent
The rules are close across states. The agent must be either an individual who lives in the state or a business entity allowed to act as agent there, and it must keep a street office in the state where someone is present during normal business hours. The table below quotes each state's own rule where we have it.
| State | Registered agent rule |
|---|---|
| Alabama | see the office |
| Alaska | see the office |
| Arizona | Every corporation and LLC must appoint and maintain a statutory agent at all times. Agent must be an Arizona resident aged 18 or over, or an authorised business with a physical Arizona address. |
| Arkansas | Every corporation needs a registered agent with a physical Arkansas street address; no PO boxes or mail drops |
| California | Must designate an agent for service of process: a California resident individual or a registered 1505 corporate agent. An entity cannot be its own agent. |
| Colorado | see the office |
| Connecticut | see the office |
| Delaware | Every entity must have and maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in Delaware. The business can be its own agent only if it has a physical Delaware presence. |
| District of Columbia | see the office |
| Florida | Must designate and continuously maintain a registered agent and registered office in Florida. The agent address must be a Florida street address; a P.O. box or out-of-state address is not accepted. |
| Georgia | Registered agent must be located in Georgia |
| Hawaii | see the office |
| Idaho | Registered agent must be arranged before filing (registered agent services usually charge a fee) |
| Illinois | see the office |
| Indiana | A business must keep a valid registered agent to stay Active; failing to maintain one leads to administrative dissolution or revocation. |
| Iowa | see the office |
| Kansas | Kansas calls it a resident agent. Must be an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the business itself. Registered office must be a Kansas street address, no PO box. |
| Kentucky | Every entity must designate a registered agent and registered office in Kentucky for service of process, and keep a principal office (in or outside the state). |
| Louisiana | Agent must have a physical address in Louisiana and can be almost anyone of legal age and a legal resident of Louisiana, such as an organizer, member, employee, attorney or accountant. Foreign businesses may need an agent service. |
| Maine | Domestic corporations must keep a clerk in Maine who is a natural person resident in the State (13-C). LLCs and foreign entities must keep a registered agent in Maine under the Model Registered Agents Act (Title 5, chapter 6-A; 31 MRSA s.1661). Commercial clerks and agents list themselves with the SOS. |
| Maryland | A resident agent is required. The agent must be a Maryland resident (an individual at least 18 years old, or a Maryland entity). The owner may act as agent if eligible. |
| Massachusetts | see the office |
| Michigan | see the office |
| Minnesota | Every business entity must continuously maintain a registered office in Minnesota. An agent is optional for Minnesota entities and required for foreign entities. The office must be an actual office location, not only a PO box. |
| Mississippi | Required. Agent must have a physical Mississippi address. LLC agent may be a resident individual or an entity authorized in the state. |
| Missouri | Required. Missouri resident, or a corporation authorized in Missouri, with an office matching the registered office. Street address needed, no PO Box alone, no retail mailbox store addresses. |
| Montana | see the office |
| Nebraska | Corporations and LLCs must have a registered agent and registered office, continuously maintained in Nebraska. Agent must reside in Nebraska or be an authorized Nebraska entity. |
| Nevada | see the office |
| New Hampshire | see the office |
| New Jersey | see the office |
| New Mexico | A Registered Agent Statement of Acceptance PDF must be uploaded with new business filings. |
| New York | An LLC must designate the Secretary of State as agent for service of process and give an address for mail (LLC Law section 301). A separate registered agent is optional. |
| North Carolina | see the office |
| North Dakota | Most business types must keep a registered agent with a physical North Dakota address. A business cannot be its own agent. A noncommercial agent must be a North Dakota resident individual or a registered entity with a ND office. |
| Ohio | see the office |
| Oklahoma | Every LLC and corporation must keep a registered agent and a registered office in Oklahoma. The agent may be an Oklahoma resident individual, the entity itself, or a domestic or qualified foreign corporation, LLC or LP. The office must be a street address (no PO box) open during regular business hours. |
| Oregon | Must have a registered agent with an Oregon physical street address where process can be personally served. Not a PO box, commercial mail receiving agency, mail forwarding business or virtual office. |
| Pennsylvania | PA requires a registered office address (street and number, a PO box alone is not accepted) or a Commercial Registered Office Provider (CROP) named in place of an address. There is no separate registered agent filing for domestic LLCs. Listing a CROP without a contract can bring civil and criminal penalties. Change of registered office: $5. |
| Rhode Island | Registered agent must be a Rhode Island resident or an entity qualified in RI, with a Rhode Island street address, available during business hours. P.O. boxes, shipping/postal company and virtual business addresses are not allowed. |
| South Carolina | An LLC and a foreign LLC must keep in SC an office (need not be a place of business) and an agent with a street address. The agent must be an individual SC resident, a domestic corporation or LLC, or a foreign corporation or company authorized in SC. |
| South Dakota | Registered agent must be a South Dakota resident with both a physical and a mailing address in the state. Options: noncommercial agent (SD resident individual, or business entity registered in SD), commercial registered agent (registered with the SOS, $100 registration), or an officeholder (not allowed for LLCs). Statute: SDCL chapter 59-11. |
| Tennessee | All entities except general partnerships must maintain a registered agent and registered office in Tennessee at all times. |
| Texas | Every Texas entity needs a registered agent: an individual Texas resident or a domestic or registered foreign entity, with written or electronic consent, and a registered office at a street address suitable for service during business hours (not just a mailbox or answering service). An LLC cannot act as its own registered agent. |
| Utah | see the office |
| Vermont | see the office |
| Virginia | see the office |
| Washington | Entity must designate a registered agent: a commercial registered agent, or a noncommercial agent with name and address, or an office title with an address for service. The agent must consent in a record. |
| West Virginia | see the office |
| Wisconsin | Entity must designate a registered agent resident in Wisconsin (an individual or an entity) and a registered office, which is the agent's business office physical address. |
| Wyoming | Every domestic and foreign entity must keep a registered office at a physical street address in Wyoming and a registered agent. A PO box may be added but not used alone. |
How to change it
- Pick the new agent and get their consent. If you use a private agent service, it gives you the exact name and address to enter.
- Find the form. States call it a statement of change, a change of registered agent or an amendment. In several states you can change the agent inside the annual report instead.
- File it with the state on its filing portal or by mail, and pay any fee.
- Tell the old agent. If the old agent was a service, cancel it once the state record shows the new agent.
- Check the record in the business search a few days later.
Changing the agent in more than one state
A company registered in several states has an agent in each one. Each change is a separate filing with that state, on that state's form and fee. Keep a list of every state where the company is registered so none is missed.
Your registered agent is named in the articles of organization or articles of incorporation you filed to form the company.