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Registered agent, in plain words

A named in-state address and contact that gets your LLC's lawsuits and state mail.
From the LLC Plainly editorial team

Quick facts

You might also see
Statutory agent in some states, resident agent in others
Related words
Service of process alongside Registered office alongside Statutory agent, resident agent and other names

Why you should care

You can be your own agent if your state allows it, but then your address is public and you have to be around during the day.

It depends on the state

46 of the 50 states require it. The remaining 4 have their own rule:

  • Minnesota: A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional.
  • New York: The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional.
  • Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent.
  • West Virginia: The statute says an LLC "may" keep an agent; the Articles ask for one "if any".

Keep reading

Look for it in: Starting an LLC: every state, Agent rules by state, Using your LLC in another state.

Where we got this

  1. Alabama registered agent statute, alisondb.legislature.state.al.us (confirmed October 2026)
  2. Alaska registered agent statute, akleg.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  3. Arizona registered agent statute, azleg.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  4. Arkansas registered agent statute, arkleg.state.ar.us (confirmed October 2026)
  5. California registered agent statute, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  6. Connecticut registered agent statute, cga.ct.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  7. Delaware registered agent statute, delcode.delaware.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  8. Florida registered agent statute, flsenate.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  9. Georgia registered agent statute, sos.ga.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  10. Hawaii registered agent statute, capitol.hawaii.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  11. Idaho registered agent statute, legislature.idaho.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  12. Illinois registered agent statute, ilga.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  13. Indiana registered agent statute, faqs.in.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  14. Iowa registered agent statute, legis.iowa.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  15. Kansas registered agent statute, ksrevisor.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  16. Kentucky registered agent statute, apps.legislature.ky.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  17. Louisiana registered agent statute, legis.la.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  18. Maine registered agent statute, legislature.maine.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  19. Maryland registered agent statute, mgaleg.maryland.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  20. Massachusetts registered agent statute, sec.state.ma.us (confirmed October 2026)
  21. Michigan registered agent statute, legislature.mi.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  22. Minnesota registered agent statute, revisor.mn.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  23. Mississippi registered agent statute, sos.ms.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  24. Missouri registered agent statute, revisor.mo.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  25. Montana registered agent statute, mca.legmt.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  26. Nebraska registered agent statute, nebraskalegislature.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  27. Nevada registered agent statute, leg.state.nv.us (confirmed October 2026)
  28. New Hampshire registered agent statute, gc.nh.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  29. New Jersey registered agent statute, pub.njleg.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  30. New Mexico registered agent statute, nmonesource.com (confirmed October 2026)
  31. New York registered agent statute, nysenate.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  32. North Carolina registered agent statute, sosnc.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  33. North Dakota registered agent statute, ndlegis.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  34. Ohio registered agent statute, codes.ohio.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  35. Oklahoma registered agent statute, sos.ok.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  36. Oregon registered agent statute, oregonlegislature.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  37. Pennsylvania registered agent statute, legis.state.pa.us (confirmed October 2026)
  38. Rhode Island registered agent statute, webserver.rilegislature.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  39. South Carolina registered agent statute, scstatehouse.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  40. South Dakota registered agent statute, sdlegislature.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  41. Tennessee registered agent statute, sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com (confirmed October 2026)
  42. Texas registered agent statute, sos.texas.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  43. Utah registered agent statute, le.utah.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  44. Vermont registered agent statute, legislature.vermont.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  45. Virginia registered agent statute, law.lis.virginia.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  46. Washington registered agent statute, app.leg.wa.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  47. West Virginia registered agent statute, code.wvlegislature.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  48. Wisconsin registered agent statute, docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (confirmed October 2026)
  49. Wyoming registered agent statute, wyoleg.gov (confirmed October 2026)