You saw this on a form. What is it?
A "California Registered Corporate Agent" is a company that has filed a certificate with the state to act as your agent for service of process. The "1505" is the law that allows it: Corporations Code section 1505. If you are filling out a Statement of Information or Articles of Organization, that line is asking one question: is your agent a company, or a person?
On the Statement of Information for corporations, item 6c is labeled "California Registered Corporate Agent's Name (if agent is a corporation)", and the state's own instructions say that if you designate one, you complete item 6c only and leave items 6a and 6b blank. The instructions also note that the company must already have a section 1505 agent registration certificate on file with the Secretary of State before you can name it.
So in practice:
| If your agent is... | What you fill in |
|---|---|
| A company, like Corpgate, Inc. | The company's registered name only, in the Registered Corporate Agent field. No address. |
| An individual California resident | Their name plus a physical California street address, in the individual agent fields. |
You cannot do both, and you cannot put a company name in the individual fields. That is the whole reason the form separates them.
Where the term comes from
California Corporations Code section 1505 is the law that lets a corporation act as the registered agent (agent for service of process) for other businesses. Before it can take on that role, the corporation must file a special certificate with the Secretary of State. Professional registered agent companies operating in California, including Corpgate, Inc., are "1505 corporate agents" because they have this certificate on file.
What the 1505 certificate contains
- A complete California street address (or addresses) where any entity that designates the agent can have documents served
- The names of the employees at each office who are authorized to accept service of process
- A statement of consent that delivery to those employees counts as valid service on the agent
The law also sets a bar for who can file: the corporation must be authorized to do business in California and in good standing with the Secretary of State. If anything changes, the agent files a supplemental certificate that supersedes the old one.
What "authorized employee(s)" means
Every 1505 certificate must name at least one person employed by the agent company who is authorized to accept court papers at the California address on the certificate. Those people are the agent's "authorized employees." Under section 1505, handing papers to one of them at that address counts as delivering them to the agent.
You never fill these names in yourself. When you name a 1505 agent on your own filing, the form asks only for the agent's name. The authorized employees, like the address, come from the agent's own certificate, and the agent updates them by filing a supplemental certificate.
The name-only rule on state forms
This is the part that trips people up. California's entity forms, from Articles of Organization to the Statement of Information, handle the two kinds of agents differently:
| Agent type | What goes on the form |
|---|---|
| Individual California resident | Name and a physical California street address |
| 1505 corporate agent | Name only, exactly as registered. Address fields stay blank |
How to look up a company's 1505 corporation agent and its address
Anyone can see who a California company's agent is, free, on the Secretary of State's bizfile Online site.
- 1. Go to bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov and click Search.
- 2. Type the company's name or entity number and open its record.
- 3. Look at the Agent line. A 1505 agent shows as "1505 Corporation" followed by the agent company's name. The record does not show a 1505 agent's address.
- 4. To find that address, search the agent company's own name, open its record, click View History, and download its most recent "1505 Registration." That certificate lists the agent's California address and its authorized employees.
If you need to serve papers on a company, an attorney or a registered process server can handle the details.
Need a 1505 agent for your own company? Corpgate, Inc. is one: $49 a year when you prepay three years ($147), or $79 a year. See plans.
1505 agent vs individual agent: the difference on paper
| Topic | 1505 corporate agent | Individual agent |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is | A company with a 1505 certificate on file | A person who lives in California, with a California street address (not a P.O. Box) |
| On your filing | Name only | Name and street address |
| If the address changes | The agent files one supplemental certificate; your filing stays as it is | Your company files an updated Statement of Information |
| Who accepts papers | Any authorized employee named on the certificate | That one person |
Why the 1505 structure helps you
- Continuity: a staffed office rather than one person who may move, travel, or be unavailable when a process server arrives
- No paperwork ripple: if the agent's office address ever changes, the agent updates its own certificate once, and every client designation stays valid with no amended filings
- Verifiability: anyone can confirm an agent's registration through the Secretary of State's bizfile Online search before designating it
How this works with Corpgate, Inc.
Corpgate, Inc. has been a registered 1505 corporate agent serving California LLCs and corporations since 2008. When you sign up, you designate "Corpgate, Inc." by name on your state filing, we email you simple instructions after checkout, and any document served on us for your business is scanned and emailed to you promptly, with the hard copy forwarded. Switching from another agent? Our change-of-agent guide covers the right order to do it in.
Common questions
What is a 1505 corporate agent?
A corporation that has filed a certificate with the California Secretary of State under Corporations Code section 1505, which allows it to act as registered agent (agent for service of process) for other businesses. The certificate puts the agent's street address and authorized employees on file with the state.
What does "California Registered Corporate Agent" mean on my form?
It means a company that has filed a certificate with the Secretary of State to serve as an agent for service of process, under Corporations Code section 1505. The field is there so the state knows whether your agent is a company or an individual. If it is a company, you enter its registered name in that field and nothing else. If it is a person, you skip that field and use the individual agent name and address fields instead.
What is the "(1505)" in the phrase?
It is a reference to California Corporations Code section 1505, the law that lets a corporation act as an agent for service of process for other businesses. A company can only be named in that field if it has filed a section 1505 agent registration certificate with the Secretary of State. It is a statute number, not a form number or an ID you need to supply.
Is a registered corporate agent the same as a registered agent?
In everyday use, yes. California's own term for the role is agent for service of process, and "registered corporate agent" is what the state calls that agent when it is a company registered under section 1505. Most other states just say "registered agent" for all of it. If you are used to another state's paperwork, our guide to what the role is called in other states lines the terms up.
Do I list a 1505 agent's address on my filings?
No. When your agent is a 1505 corporation, state forms take the agent's name only, exactly as registered. The address fields are left blank because the Secretary of State already has the address from the agent's 1505 certificate.
Can any company act as a 1505 corporate agent?
Only a corporation that has filed the section 1505 certificate, and the law requires it to be authorized to do business in California and in good standing with the Secretary of State at the time of filing.
If my 1505 agent moves offices, do I have to update my own filings?
No. The agent files a supplemental 1505 certificate with its new address, and that update covers every entity that designates it by name. Your own filings stay as they are.
How do I find a company's 1505 agent and its address?
Search the company on bizfile Online (bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov) and open its record. The Agent line shows "1505 Corporation" and the agent's name. For the address, search the agent company itself, click View History, and download its most recent 1505 Registration.
What does "authorized employee(s)" mean for a 1505 agent?
They are the people the agent company names on its 1505 certificate as authorized to accept court papers at its California address. Delivering papers to one of them there counts as delivering them to the agent. You do not list them on your own filing.
What is the difference between a 1505 agent and an individual agent?
A 1505 agent is a company with a certificate on file, so your filing lists only its name, and an address change is handled by the agent in one filing. An individual agent is a California resident whose name and street address go on your filing, so a move means your company files an update.
Is Corpgate, Inc. a 1505 corporate agent?
Yes. Corpgate, Inc. is registered with the California Secretary of State as a 1505 corporate agent and has served California LLCs and corporations since 2008.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.
Related pages: Registered agent for California LLCs · Registered agent for California corporations · California agent for service of process · How to change your registered agent
More guides: What does an agent do? · What does an agent cost? · What happens without one? · Statement of Information guide · Out-of-state companies in CA · Other states' names for it · How service of process works
Need a California registered agent?
Corpgate, Inc. has been a California registered agent since 2008. Documents are scanned and emailed promptly, with hard copies forwarded.
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