Updated September 6, 2026. Quick answer: In Montana, this role is called a registered agent, governed by Montana Code Annotated Section 35-7-105 (appointment of registered agent, Model Registered Agents Act), Section 35-7-108 (change of registered agent by entity), and Section 35-8-209 (administrative dissolution of an LLC; grounds include failing for 60 days to appoint/maintain a registered agent, or failing for 60 days after a change to file a statement of change). Montana charges no fee at all for a standard registered-agent change filing; unusual among the 6 states here, where fees otherwise range from $5 to $60; and it separates the general Model Registered Agents Act mechanics (Title 35, ch. 7) from the LLC-specific dissolution grounds (Title 35, ch. 8), giving it both a 60-day default trigger and a separate 90-day post-notice cure window.
What the address rule requires
The registered agent must maintain a physical street address in Montana; a P.O. box is not permitted; and be available there during normal business hours to accept delivery of process and notices.
Who can serve as your registered agent
A commercial registered agent (listed with the Secretary of State) or a noncommercial registered agent, which can be an individual (such as an owner, officer, member, or manager with a qualifying Montana street address) or a separate entity. Under the Model Registered Agents Act’s definitional structure, the represented entity and its registered agent are treated as distinct, so the LLC generally cannot name itself as its own agent.
What happens if you don’t have one
If an entity no longer has a registered agent on file, or its registered agent cannot be served with reasonable diligence, the entity may still be served under applicable Montana judicial rules and procedures for service of process. Failing for 60 days to appoint and maintain a registered agent, or failing for 60 days after a change to file a statement of the change, is a ground for the Secretary of State to move to dissolve the LLC involuntarily; unless the grounds are rectified within 90 days after notice, the Secretary of State dissolves the company and it forfeits its right to carry on business in Montana.
How to change your registered agent
No fee for the standard online Statement of Change of registered agent and/or office; optional expedited processing is available for $20 (24-hour) or $100 (1-hour). (source: Montana Secretary of State official Business Services Filing Fees schedule (sosmt.gov))
This page covers what Montana’s own law requires. For the general question of whether you should pay a commercial service or serve as your own agent, see registered agent: do you actually need to pay for one.
Every citation on this page was read directly from the state’s own statute, Secretary of State site, or official filing form this session (or, where that site could not be reached, from an independently cross-checked legal-database mirror of the same codified text, disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; fees and specific procedures can change, and your state’s Secretary of State has the final say for any individual filing.
Related: Montana’s LLC Certificate of Good Standing cost, including who issues it and how fast you can get one.