Updated September 6, 2026. Quick answer: In California, this role is called an agent for service of process, governed by Cal. Corp. Code Section 17701.13 (agent for service of process), Section 17701.16 (service when agent resigns or can’t be found). California is the only one of the states compared here that bars the LLC itself, and even most of its own members, from serving as its own agent for service of process; the role is limited by statute to a resident individual or a specially-qualified corporation.
What the address rule requires
California requires an agent for service of process rather than using the term ‘registered agent’; the practical street-address requirement flows from the Statement of Information filing itself.
Who can serve as your registered agent
California’s statute limits this role to an individual who is a California resident, or a corporation that has complied with the state’s own agent-for-service qualification requirements (Section 1505). Because of that limit, an LLC cannot act as its own agent for service of process in California, unlike states that allow a business to self-designate.
What happens if you don’t have one
If the agent resigns without a replacement or cannot be located, a court may order service made by delivering the documents by hand to the Secretary of State, effective on the 10th day after delivery, with the Secretary of State then forwarding the documents by registered mail. California does not administratively dissolve an LLC for lacking an agent by itself; the mechanism runs through the Statement of Information filing requirement, with escalating penalties for that filing’s own delinquency.
How to change your registered agent
$20.00 to file a Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) reporting the change; no fee for an amended statement filed off-cycle solely to report a change. (source: California Secretary of State, official business-entity fee schedule)
| Citation | Cal. Corp. Code Section 17701.13 (agent for service of process), Section 17701.16 (service when agent resigns or can’t be found) |
| Confidence | High |
This page covers what California’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: California’s LLC Certificate of Good Standing cost, including who issues it and how fast you can get one.