District of Columbia · registered agent · last verified
District of Columbia requires every LLC to keep a registered agent at a District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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 | DC uses "registered agent." Every domestic filing entity, including an LLC, and every registered foreign entity must designate and maintain a registered agent in the District (D.C. Code §29-104.02). | code.dccouncil.gov |
| Who can serve | The agent can be a commercial registered agent (listed with DLCP under §29-104.05) or a noncommercial registered agent: an individual or entity serving in DC, an officer or employee of the LLC designated by title, or a DC Bar member in good standing with a DC office (D.C. Code §§29-101.02(28), 29-104.04(a)). Naming an agent counts as an affirmation that the agent has consented to serve (§29-104.04(b)). | code.dccouncil.gov |
| Address rule | The agent's address must be a physical street address in DC. P.O. boxes, third-party mailboxes (such as a FedEx or UPS mailbox), and addresses outside DC are not allowed (DLCP FAQ 8c; D.C. Code §29-104.03). | dlcp.dc.gov |
| How to change the agent | File a statement of change signed for the LLC (D.C. Code §29-104.07). Members or managers don't need to approve it, and naming a new agent affirms that the agent consented. The DLCP fee for "Change of registered agent by entity" for an LLC is $50. DLCP filings are made on BOSS (boss.dc.gov). | dlcp.dc.gov |
| Agent resignation | The agent files a statement of resignation, and DC law says there is no fee for it (§29-102.12(b)). It takes effect on the 31st day after filing or when a new agent is designated, whichever comes first. The agent must notify the LLC (§29-104.10). | code.dccouncil.gov |
| Consequence | The Mayor (DLCP) can start administrative dissolution of a domestic LLC that has had no registered agent in DC for 60 days (D.C. Code §29-106.01(3)). The LLC then has 60 days after notice to cure (§29-106.02). DLCP says an entity's status may be revoked if it goes more than 60 days without a registered agent. Reinstatement after administrative dissolution costs $300. | code.dccouncil.gov |
| Public record | DLCP's BOSS system lets users "search all registered entities with expanded entity information including report history, trade name, registered agent, and governor information." DLCP must also publish a daily alphabetical list of filings that name a registered agent, available for at least 14 days (§29-104.04(c)). | dlcp.dc.gov |
| Substitute service | If the LLC has no registered agent or the agent can't be found with reasonable diligence, the Mayor becomes its agent for service once the server files a declaration saying so (D.C. Code §29-104.12(d)). DLCP's Superintendent of Corporations accepts this service on the Mayor's behalf (Mayor's Order 2009-65), and it can be filed on BOSS. Service can also be made by registered or certified mail to the principal office shown on the latest biennial report (§29-104.12(b)). | code.dccouncil.gov |
| Commercial registered agent threshold | DLCP says a person or entity serving as registered agent for more than 50 entities must become a Commercial Registered Agent by filing Form RA-1. Commercial agents update their listing on Form RA-5, which can change all their entities at once. | dlcp.dc.gov |
Allowed in general if you have a District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia address on the public record.
A District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia calendar is tracked for you. Ours, through our partner Registered Agents Inc, is $74.25 a year.
Not legal advice. Who may serve in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia writes to about the DC biennial report, due every two years, by April 1 with a state fee of $300. The first is due April 1 of the year after the LLC is formed, then every second year after that.
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 District of Columbia date from the day you sign up. Exact due date, official filing link and free reminders on the District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia street address on file, every notice scanned to your dashboard and triaged by urgency, every District of Columbia deadline tracked from day one.
Get an agent in District of Columbia$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 District of Columbia change-of-agent filing, and the new agent takes over from the day it is accepted.
How to change your District of Columbia registered agent: the form and state fee.
Change my agentFrom $123.75 + state fee+ card processing fee at checkout
Starting fresh in District of Columbia? 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 District of Columbia LLCYes. DC law specifically allows a DC Bar member in good standing who has an office in the District to serve as a noncommercial registered agent (D.C. Code §29-101.02(28)(C)).
DLCP charges $50 for a change of registered agent by an LLC. The agent's own resignation has no fee by statute. To switch to Registered Agents Inc through us, our change-of-agent order form collects what the filing needs and we handle the paperwork.
After 60 days without an agent, DLCP can start administrative dissolution. You get 60 days after notice to fix it. Reinstatement costs $300.
On the 31st day after DLCP files it, or earlier if you designate a new agent first (D.C. Code §29-104.10(b)).
Yes. District of Columbia, like every state and DC, requires an LLC or corporation to continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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 DC biennial report is due every two years, by April 1, state fee $300. 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 District of Columbia 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? District of Columbia LLC name search. Opening a bank account? District of Columbia certificate of good standing. Starting from scratch? How to start an LLC in District of Columbia, and the full LLC cost in District of Columbia. Selling taxable goods? District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia calendar tracked for you.
Or call (954) 470-8356 — we pick up.