Asked at the desk, often
Common questions
Short answers, honestly hedged where the states differ. The long soundings are in the logbook.
Does every LLC need a registered agent?
In forty-nine states and the District of Columbia, yes: an LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent and registered office in its formation state — and in every additional state where it qualifies to do business. The same duty applies to corporations and, in most states, to limited partnerships and registered nonprofits. New York is the exception in method: there the Department of State is itself the statutory agent, and a private agent is optional.
Can I be my own registered agent?
Almost everywhere, yes — if you are an adult resident of the state with a physical street address there and you are genuinely available at that address during normal business hours. It costs nothing. The trade-offs are privacy (the address is public record) and presence (a process server who cannot find you will serve by other means, and the case proceeds). Our DIY guide keeps the full ledger.
Is a PO Box acceptable as a registered office?
No. Every state requires a physical street address for the registered office. A PO Box or a private mailbox can be your mailing address, but it cannot be the registered office, and filings that list one are liable to be rejected or later attacked.
What does a registered agent cost?
Advertised prices for a single state cluster in a broad band — roughly $50 to $150 a year at the honest end — but the first-year price is the least informative number in the market. Formation bundles advertise $0 or teaser rates that reprice at renewal, sometimes several times over. Compare the renewal price, the exit terms, and what mail handling is included; our pricing guide charts the architecture. (Ranges here are illustrative market structure, not quotes.)
What happens if my agent resigns or my coverage lapses?
A resigning agent files a notice and the state gives you a short window to appoint a successor — how short is set by that state's law, and it is not the same everywhere. If the seat stays empty, the state can administratively dissolve your company or revoke its foreign qualification, and a court can enter judgment against a company that was served at an address nobody watched.
Registered agent vs registered office — what's the difference?
The agent is the person or company; the office is the physical address where the agent can be found. Filings name both. Some states, Pennsylvania most prominently, organize the system around the office itself and let you appoint a commercial office provider instead of an individual agent.
Do I need an agent in every state where I sell online?
Not merely for selling. Foreign qualification — the thing that attaches an agent duty in a new state — is triggered by a physical or sustained presence: employees, an office, inventory, or repeated in-state work, varying by state and industry. Pure e-commerce into a state usually creates tax duties long before it creates an agent duty. Our foreign-qualification guide walks the triggers.
Can I change agents whenever I want?
Yes, in every state, by filing a change with the filing office (a modest state fee applies in many states). The safe sequence is appoint the new agent first and resign the old one second, so the seat is never empty. An agent generally cannot block your change, though a contract may still bill you — separate the state filing from the vendor contract in your mind.
Will my agent keep me compliant?
An agent's legal duty is to receive and forward. Some commercial agents add annual-report reminders and calendars as a paid extra; most do not file your reports for you, and none of them carries your liability if a report is missed. Treat reminders as a convenience, never as the system of record.
I'm in New York — why does everyone say it's different?
Because it is. New York designates the Department of State itself as the statutory agent for service of process; you provide an address and the Department forwards process there. A private registered agent is an optional extra in New York, not the legal requirement it is elsewhere.