Registered agents
Form an LLC or corporation? Yes, you need one.
If you create a registered business entity, state law requires a registered agent as part of the filing — and one on file for as long as the entity exists.
the state insists, not usThe short answer.
If you form an LLC, corporation, or other registered business entity in a US state, you must designate a registered agent as part of the filing and keep one on file for the life of the entity. The SBA's business registration guide states the requirement directly for LLCs, corporations, partnerships, and nonprofit corporations.
If you operate as a sole proprietorship under your own name and never register a separate entity, there is no registered-agent requirement, because there is no separately registered company to serve. Registering a trade name (a DBA) on top of a sole proprietorship generally does not by itself create the requirement, but the details vary by state — confirm with the state where you are doing business.
When the requirement begins.
The requirement attaches to forming the entity, not to making revenue, having employees, or opening a bank account. A dormant company still needs a registered agent. The agent is listed on the formation document and must be kept current on the state's records afterward.
If the company later registers to do business in a second state, that state may require its own registered agent in that state too. The SBA's guidance on foreign qualification describes registering when the company is active outside its formation state.
What makes an agent valid.
- 01
A physical street address in the formation state
The agent must be reachable at a real street address in the state where the company is formed. In most states a PO box does not qualify, because legal papers must be deliverable to a person in person. Confirm the exact rule for your state.
- 02
Presence during normal business hours
The agent must be available at that address during ordinary business hours to accept service of process. This is the practical reason many founders use a commercial agent rather than naming themselves.
- 03
An authorized person or commercial agent
The agent may be an individual or a business authorized to serve as an agent in the state. States publish their requirements on their Secretary of State or Division of Corporations site. For example, the Delaware Division of Corporations explains who may serve and what address the agent must maintain in that state.
- 04
Current information on file
A wrong or expired agent address means notices can be missed. Keep the agent listed on the state registry current, and treat the update as part of your good-standing routine.
Naming yourself vs. using a service.
You can often act as your own registered agent if you have a physical address in the formation state and are present there during business hours. Many founders — especially those who live elsewhere or want their home address off the public record — use a commercial registered agent instead.
To understand the role itself, read what a registered agent is. If you are weighing a virtual mailbox instead, see virtual address vs. registered agent — they are not the same thing.
Get the agent right from the first filing.
Corppy includes the registered-agent appointment in one straightforward formation flow.
Get founder-friendly updates.
Compliance tips, product news. No spam.