California · registered agent · last verified
California requires every LLC to keep a registered agent at a California street address, staffed during business hours, on file every day the company exists. Through our partner Registered Agents Inc, that agent is $74.25 a year, one price in every state and the same at renewal.
$74.25 a year + $2.22 card processing fee at checkout: $76.47 due today.
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From California law and its filing office, each with its source: the term it uses, who can serve, the form to change agents, and what happens if the agent lapses.
| Rule | What the official source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legal term | California calls it an "agent for service of process." Every California LLC must designate and continuously maintain in California both an office and an agent for service of process (Corporations Code §17701.13(a)). | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov |
| Who can serve | The agent must be either an individual who is a California resident or a corporation that has filed a Section 1505 certificate with the Secretary of State and whose capacity to act has not ended (Corp. Code §17701.13(c)). When a corporation is named as agent, no address for it is listed on the LLC's filing (§17701.13(c)); the Statement of Information lists an individual agent's name and street address (§17702.09(a)(2)). | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov |
| Corporate agent (Section 1505) requirements | A corporation that wants to act as agent must first file a certificate giving the street address of each California office where it can be served, the name of each employee at each office authorized to accept process, and its consent to service there; it must be authorized to do business in California and in good standing (Corp. Code §1505). | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov |
| How to change the agent | An LLC changes its agent, the agent's address, or its office by filing a Statement of Information (Corp. Code §17701.14(a)); the change is effective when the Secretary of State files it (§17701.14(b)). The LLC Statement of Information is filed online only through bizfile Online, fee $20.00. | sos.ca.gov |
| Agent resignation | The agent resigns by filing Form RA-100, Resignation of Agent for Service of Process — no fee. The agent's authority ends when the resignation is filed, and the Secretary of State notifies the LLC at its principal office (Corp. Code §17701.15(a)–(c)). | sos.ca.gov |
| If the agent resigns, dies, or becomes invalid | The LLC must promptly file a new Statement of Information (Corp. Code §17701.15(e)). If the agent has resigned without replacement or can't be found, a court can order service on the LLC by hand delivery to the Secretary of State (§17701.16(c)). Failing to file a required Statement of Information can bring a Franchise Tax Board penalty (§17713.09) and, after repeated failures, suspension of the LLC's powers, rights, and privileges (§17713.10). | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov |
| Public record | The Secretary of State says the agent listed for a business is available through bizfile Online, and its Business Search shows the name and address of the agent for service of process. | sos.ca.gov |
| Service on the Secretary of State | If diligent attempts to serve the agent fail, a court can order service by hand delivery to the Secretary of State (Corp. Code §17701.16(c)); service is complete 10 days after delivery. The SOS requires a copy of the process, the court order, and a $50 fee, hand-delivered to the Sacramento counter only (1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor, Room 390). Mail is not accepted, and the Los Angeles office can't take it. | sos.ca.gov |
| Online filer access rule (2026) | Starting August 1, 2026, a Statement of Information can be filed online only by a bizfile Online user who has been granted access for that entity (User Access). The SOS says this helps prevent unauthorized filings on an entity's record. | sos.ca.gov |
| Statement of Information cycle | After the initial statement (due within 90 days of formation), an LLC files a Statement of Information every two years during a 6-month window ending with its formation month (Corp. Code §17702.09). | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov |
Allowed in general if you have a California street address and are reliably there in business hours. Free, but your address becomes public record, a process server can arrive in front of customers, and every trip out of town is a gap in coverage.
Works until it doesn't: they move, change jobs, or sign for a summons and forget to mention it. The lawsuit does not pause because the agent was a favor. You also need their California address on the public record.
A California office, staffed, whose only job is to be there. Notices are scanned the day they arrive, your home address stays off the registry, and the California calendar is tracked for you. Ours, through our partner Registered Agents Inc, is $74.25 a year.
Not legal advice. Who may serve in California is in the sourced table above.
Service on the registered agent counts as service on the company. If the papers stop there, deadlines to respond run anyway, and the other side can ask the court to rule without hearing from you.
State notices about California filings, fees and agent problems go to the same address. Unanswered, they turn into penalties, loss of good standing and eventually administrative dissolution.
Private mailers copy state seals to sell you things you do not owe. Run any notice through the free triage to see what needs action, what can wait, and what to bin.
The registered agent is the address California writes to about the California annual LLC tax (Franchise Tax Board), due April 15 every year with a state fee of $800. $800 annual LLC tax, paid to the Franchise Tax Board with Form 3522, with no proration. A new LLC makes its first payment by the 15th day of the 4th month after it files with the Secretary of State. Statement of Information ($20) is separate, every two years.
An agent who scans the reminder the day it lands is the difference between filing on time and finding out from a late notice. Our dashboard tracks the California date from the day you sign up. Exact due date, official filing link and free reminders on the California annual report page.
Three ways in
One price in every state, the same at renewal. Order only what you need; nothing is filed without an order.
For comparison, Northwest publishes $125 a year, ZenBusiness $99 on its eligible first-year offer then $199, and LegalZoom $249 (their pricing pages, checked ). Compare provider prices, renewals, and included services
$74.25 / yr+ $2.22 card processing fee at checkout, $76.47 due today
A California street address on file, every notice scanned to your dashboard and triaged by urgency, every California deadline tracked from day one.
Get an agent in California$41.25 service fee+ $1.23 card processing fee at checkout, $42.48 due today. The state’s filing fee is invoiced after.
Already have an agent who is slow, expensive, or gone? We prepare the California change-of-agent filing, and the new agent takes over from the day it is accepted.
How to change your California registered agent: the form and state fee.
Change my agentFrom $123.75 + state fee+ card processing fee at checkout
Starting fresh in California? Form the LLC and add the agent in the same order, so the articles list a compliant address from the first filing. You own it outright: no subscription, no upsell.
Form my California LLCNo. Under Corporations Code §17701.14, an LLC changes its agent for service of process by filing a Statement of Information. The LLC Statement of Information is filed online only through bizfile Online, and the fee is $20. To switch to Registered Agents Inc through us, our change-of-agent order form collects what the filing needs and we handle the paperwork.
Only a corporation that has filed a Corporations Code §1505 certificate with the Secretary of State. Otherwise the agent must be an individual who lives in California (§17701.13(c)).
The agent files Form RA-100 (no fee), and its authority ends when the form is filed. The LLC must promptly file a new Statement of Information naming a replacement (§17701.15). Until it does, a court can order service on the LLC through the Secretary of State.
No. Substituted service through the Secretary of State needs a court order and must be hand-delivered, with a $50 fee, to the Sacramento office. Mail is not accepted.
Yes. California, like every state and DC, requires an LLC or corporation to continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in California who is available during normal business hours to accept service of process and official state mail. A P.O. box does not qualify.
Generally yes, if you have a California street address and someone is reliably there during business hours. The trade-offs: your home address becomes public record, a process server can appear at your door in front of customers or family, and a missed delivery while you travel can mean a lawsuit proceeds without your knowledge. Confirm eligibility on the official state portal linked above.
Not automatically. The California annual LLC tax (Franchise Tax Board) is due April 15 every year, state fee $800. With registered agent service through our partner Registered Agents Inc, we track that date on your dashboard and remind you; filing it is a separate order. See the California annual report page for the official filing link.
$74.25 per year per company, the same in every state and the same at renewal. The service is provided through our partner Registered Agents Inc. Every notice the agent receives is scanned to your dashboard and triaged by urgency; legal notices are held for your review. Checkout adds a $2.22 card processing fee, so $76.47 is due today. Order through the registered agent order form; nothing is filed without an order.
No. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. This page is educational, sourced reference information (the last-verified date is at the top); confirm requirements on the official state site or with a professional before acting.
Each state where the LLC is formed or registered to do business as a foreign LLC needs its own in-state agent. Checking a name first? California LLC name search. Opening a bank account? California certificate of good standing. Starting from scratch? How to start an LLC in California, and the full LLC cost in California. Selling taxable goods? California sales tax permit.
Last step
$74.25 a year (+ $2.22 card processing fee at checkout), notices in your dashboard the day they arrive, and the California calendar tracked for you.
Or call (954) 470-8356 — we pick up.