Registered Agent for Your California LLC: $49 a year

Every California LLC needs a registered agent

California law requires every LLC formed in the state, and every out-of-state LLC registered to do business here, to designate and maintain an agent for service of process. You name the agent when you file your Articles of Organization (or foreign registration), and you must keep one continuously for the life of the company. Failing to maintain an agent can create compliance problems with the state, and can leave your LLC unaware of a lawsuit until deadlines have already passed.

Corpgate, Inc. has served as the registered agent for California LLCs since 2008 and is a registered corporate agent under California Corporations Code section 1505.

What your registered agent actually does

The agent's job is to be reliably available at a physical California address to receive two kinds of documents on your LLC's behalf:

• Service of process: lawsuits, summonses, subpoenas, and similar legal documents naming your LLC
• Other legal documents: any other legal papers delivered to the agent for your LLC. The Secretary of State usually mails its own notices to your LLC's mailing address on file.

It's rare; most clients never receive a service of process. But when a document does arrive for your LLC, we scan it and email it to you promptly, and the hard copy is forwarded to you. Nothing sits in a pile; nothing depends on you being home.

When someone sues your LLC

If your LLC is sued, a process server will usually deliver the papers to the agent listed in the state's records, not to your home or office. That is why choosing the agent for service of process for an LLC matters: it decides where lawsuit papers for your company end up. If the agent is hard to reach, moves, or does not pass papers along, you may not learn about a case until deadlines have already passed.

Once the papers reach your agent, the time to respond has already started. How long you have depends on the court and the kind of document, and a licensed attorney can tell you what applies. For a plain walkthrough, see our guide on how service of process works in California.

Who can be an LLC's registered agent?

California gives you two options: an individual California resident with a physical street address (a P.O. Box doesn't qualify), or a corporation registered with the Secretary of State under section 1505 to act as a professional agent, like Corpgate, Inc. The LLC cannot name itself.

A professional agent keeps this role independent of any one person's schedule or address, for less than most people expect.

Your LLC's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12)

Every California LLC, and every out-of-state LLC registered to do business here, must file a Statement of Information with the California Secretary of State. For LLCs it is Form LLC-12, and you can file it online on bizfile Online.

• When it is due: within 90 days of registering with the Secretary of State, then every two years after that, during a six-month filing period based on your LLC's original registration date.
• The fee: $20 for the first statement and for each two-year statement. An updated statement filed between filing periods to report a change, such as a new agent, has no fee.
• If it is late: the Secretary of State sends a notice of delinquency. If the statement is still not filed 60 days after that notice, the Franchise Tax Board assesses a $250 penalty.

The Statement of Information also lists your LLC's agent. The agent named there is your LLC's agent for service of process in the state's records, so keep it current. If Corpgate, Inc. is your agent, you enter only our name, exactly as registered, and leave the agent address fields blank. The state already has our address on file.

LLCs formed in another state

If your LLC was formed in another state and is registered to do business in California, it needs a California agent too, with a physical California street address. Your agent in your home state does not cover California, and neither does your own office outside the state. The same Statement of Information rules apply. Our guide for out-of-state companies doing business in California explains what California requires.

What you get with Corpgate, Inc.

• Corpgate, Inc. listed as your LLC's registered agent with the California Secretary of State
• Documents scanned and emailed to you promptly, with the hard copy forwarded
• Flat pricing: the price on this page is the whole price, with no processing fees and no add-ons
• Owner-operated service, email support at [email protected]
• 18 years serving California businesses, since 2008

Switching from another agent?

Sign up first, then update your registered agent with the Secretary of State. It's a single form, filed online, and we email you simple instructions after checkout. See our step-by-step guide: how to change your registered agent in California.

Forming a new LLC?

If you're forming a new California LLC, you'll designate your agent right on the Articles of Organization. Sign up with us first, and the confirmation email will have exactly what you need to list Corpgate, Inc. correctly. Also see our agent for service of process page. It is the term California uses for the same role.

Related guide: What does a registered agent cost in California?

California LLC registered agent: FAQ

This page is general information about California's registered agent requirement, not legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.