Updated September 6, 2026. Quick answer: In North Dakota, this role is called a registered agent, governed by N.D. Cent. Code Ch. 10-01.1 (North Dakota Registered Agents Act: Section 10-01.1-05, appointment of registered agent; Section 10-01.1-08, change of registered agent by entity), and N.D. Cent. Code 10-32.1-16 (LLC registered office and registered agent requirement under the Uniform LLC Act). North Dakota is the only one of these states whose official guidance explicitly and flatly states, “A business may not serve as its own registered agent”; self-designation by the LLC itself is barred; and its fee schedule is unusually granular, distinguishing a $10 address-only change from a $20 full agent change, with several fee waivers (P.O.-box additions, 911/rezoning-driven address changes).
What the address rule requires
For a noncommercial registered agent, the filing must include “a complete physical address in North Dakota for that agent”; the Secretary of State’s guidance describes this as a street address where legal documents can be delivered during business hours (a P.O. box is not acceptable). Commercial registered agents (pre-listed with the Secretary of State) don’t need to re-state their address on each filing since it’s already in the Commercial Registered Agent directory.
Who can serve as your registered agent
Per the Secretary of State’s registered-agent guidance, an agent must be an individual residing in North Dakota, or a North Dakota or out-of-state corporation or LLC that is registered with the Secretary of State and has a business office in North Dakota. The guidance states plainly: “A business may not serve as its own registered agent.”
What happens if you don’t have one
The Secretary of State’s guidance states that failing to maintain a properly consented registered agent “may result in the involuntary dissolution” of the business; the North Dakota Registered Agents Act also requires the named agent’s consent to serve, so an entity cannot simply list a name without that person’s/entity’s agreement. Per the Secretary of State’s official guidance, failing to obtain/maintain a valid, consenting registered agent “may result in the involuntary dissolution of your business”; the page does not give a specific day-count for this cure window.
How to change your registered agent
$10 to file a Statement of Change of a noncommercial registered agent’s address; changing the noncommercial registered agent itself (not just the address) runs $20; no fee applies to a P.O.-box-only addition or an address change caused by rezoning/postal reassignment (e.g., 911 addressing). (source: North Dakota Secretary of State, Registered Agents business-services page (sos.nd.gov))
This page covers what North Dakota’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: North Dakota’s LLC Certificate of Good Standing cost, including who issues it and how fast you can get one.