A Maine LLC names a registered agent. A Maine corporation names a clerk. Form CLKRA-3 is $35

What Maine actually requires

31 M.R.S. §1661 is the LLC duty, and it is short. A limited liability company must have and continuously maintain a registered agent in this State as defined by Title 5, section 102, subsection 27. The history line is 2009, amended in 2011. Subsection 27 says “registered agent” means a commercial registered agent or a noncommercial registered agent. It does not print the word “clerk.” It does not print an age of 18. It does not print “no P.O. Box.” 5 M.R.S. §102 is the word list. A commercial registered agent is an individual or a domestic or foreign entity listed under section 106. A noncommercial registered agent is a person that is not on that list and that serves in this State as the agent for service of process, or the individual who holds the office or position the filing named. A clerk, in that same list, means the person described in Title 13-C, chapter 5-A. A commercial clerk is a clerk listed under section 106. A noncommercial clerk is a clerk that is not on that list. The noncommercial clerk list is an individual who serves in this State, or the individual who holds the named office. The noncommercial registered-agent list also allows a domestic or foreign entity. The clerk list, in that definition, does not.

13-C M.R.S. §511 is the corporation word, and it is a duty. Each domestic corporation to which the Act applies shall maintain in this State a clerk, who is a natural person resident in this State. The clerk may be one of the directors or officers, or a person holding no other position with the corporation. The board of directors appoints the clerk unless the articles reserve that appointment to the shareholders. The clerk is not an officer. The duties named in that section are ministerial. The clerk is not liable in that capacity for the corporation’s debts, claims, taxes, fines, or penalties. The clerk keeps the shareholder list and the shareholder-meeting records, and may certify votes. Those record-keeping sentences are not the job of taking a lawsuit. The last sentence says the clerk required under this section is also governed by Title 5, chapter 6-A. 13-C M.R.S. §512 says service of process on a domestic corporation is governed by Title 5, section 113. Northwest’s Maine product page says every LLC and corporation registered in Maine is required to maintain a registered agent. Northwest’s change page says domestic corporations do not have a registered agent, and that domestic corporations have a clerk, while foreign corporations and domestic and foreign LLCs have a registered agent. We print both Northwest sentences. We do not treat the product page’s “registered agent” word as a rewrite of 13-C M.R.S. §511. LegalZoom’s Maine article, updated May 15, 2026, says Maine uses the term “commercial clerk” for registered agents of corporations, and that both terms refer to the same function. 13-C M.R.S. §511 says clerk. 5 M.R.S. §102 splits commercial clerk from noncommercial clerk. We print LegalZoom’s sentence. We do not treat “commercial clerk” as the only corporation word.

5 M.R.S. §105 is how the filing names the person. A clerk or registered agent filing must state the name of the commercial clerk or commercial registered agent. If there is no commercial clerk or commercial registered agent, the filing states the name and address of the noncommercial clerk or noncommercial registered agent, or the title of an office or other position with the entity if service of process is to be sent to the person holding that office or position, and the address of the business office of that person. That title path is the way a filing can name a job, such as “the president,” instead of a person’s name, so the papers go to whoever holds the job. The appointment of a commercial clerk or agent, or of a named noncommercial clerk or agent, is an affirmation by the company that the agent has consented to serve. That is not a Florida-style acceptance filed as its own record. The title path is not inside that affirmation sentence. Form CLKRA-3 line FIFTH cites 5 M.R.S. §105.2 or §108.3 and says the clerk or registered agent has consented to serve. Line FOURTH asks for the new CRA public number and the name of the new CRA when you appoint a commercial clerk or commercial registered agent. Line SIXTH is for domestic business corporations only. It asks whether the board authorized the change, or the shareholders did, and it tracks the reservation sentence in 13-C M.R.S. §511.

5 M.R.S. §106 is the commercial list. An individual or a domestic or foreign entity may become listed by filing a commercial clerk or commercial registered agent listing statement. The statement gives the name, says the person is in the business of serving as a commercial clerk or commercial registered agent in this State, and states the address of a place of business in this State where service of process and other notices may be delivered. The listing takes effect on filing. The Secretary of State notes it in the index for each entity that clerk or agent already represents, and the statement deletes the agent’s address from each of those entities’ own filings. 5 M.R.S. §103 prices that listing statement at $150, and the termination of the listing at $150. Maine does not run a Nevada-style ten-company commercial-agent register. The commercial bar here is the listing itself. The Interactive Corporate Services page says you can create a CRA listing as an organization that is organized or qualified to do business in Maine, or as an individual, and that only Maine residents can be a commercial clerk. 5 M.R.S. §106 lets an individual or an entity file the listing. 13-C M.R.S. §511 says the corporation’s clerk is a natural person resident in this State. We print the online-service sentence, the listing statute, and the corporation statute. We do not invent a winner. The free public list is the Commercial Clerk and Commercial Registered Agent listing. The page we opened on September 25, 2026, said the list was current as of September 24, 2026, at 11:22 p.m. It tells you to put the CRA name and the CRA public number on the filing. The management side of that list is the MORAA listing and management service. That service is for a listed CRA that already has an InforME subscriber account. The public list is the free view. We do not treat a name on that list as a grade.

5 M.R.S. §104 is the street rule for this chapter. Whenever this chapter requires a filing to state an address, except the address on the resignation notice for the person who will get the agent’s own notice, the filing must state an actual street address or rural route box number in this State, and a mailing address in this State if it is different. A rural route box can be that line. The section does not print the words “no P.O. Box.” 31 M.R.S. §1679 is a different address rule, for documents filed under the LLC administrative subchapter. It says an actual street address or rural route box number, and a mailing address if different. The 2011 amendment we read does not add the words “in this State” to that LLC section. The agent filing itself is a Title 5 filing, so the “in this State” sentence we use for the agent is 5 M.R.S. §104. Form CLKRA-3 labels the noncommercial line “physical street address, not P.O. Box,” and it still has a mailing line if different. The public CRA list we opened includes rows whose address line is a post office box. We print the statute’s street or rural route box, the form’s “not P.O. Box,” and the post office box rows on the public list. We do not invent a winner. Northwest’s Maine page says a physical street address and “P.O. Boxes are not permitted,” and that the agent must be available during normal business hours. Bizee’s Maine page says a physical street address and that a P.O. Box alone does not meet the requirement. ZenBusiness’s Maine page, last updated August 27, 2025, says a physical street address and that P.O. boxes are not acceptable. LegalZoom’s article says a P.O. box does not qualify, and that the agent must be physically present during normal business hours, typically 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. 5 M.R.S. §114 does not post Florida-style clock windows. We print the vendors’ hours sentences as vendor copy. We do not treat a company 9-to-5 line as 5 M.R.S. §104, and we do not erase the rural route box.

5 M.R.S. §108 is how the company changes the line. The company may file a statement of change that states the entity’s name and the information that is to be in effect. Except for a corporation formed under Title 13-C, the interest holders or governors need not approve that filing. The appointment in the statement is an affirmation that the clerk or agent consented. The statement takes effect on filing. As an alternative, the company may change the information by amending its most recent clerk or registered agent filing in the manner the other Maine law provides for amending that filing. Form CLKRA-3 is the statement of appointment or change. 5 M.R.S. §103 prices a statement of appointment or change under section 105 or section 108 at $35, except $15 for a nonprofit corporation formed under Title 13-B. The LLC forms table prices CLKRA-3 at $35. A statement of change of name or address by a noncommercial clerk or noncommercial registered agent is also $35, or $15 for that nonprofit. A statement of change of name, address, or type of organization by a commercial clerk or commercial registered agent is $50. 31 M.R.S. §1680 prices a certificate of amendment at $50 and a restated certificate of formation at $80. Those amendment dollars are the other path in 5 M.R.S. §108, subsection 5. They are not the $35 on Form CLKRA-3. ZenBusiness prints the statement of appointment or change at $35 for most entities and $15 for nonprofits, and says amending formation documents costs $50 to $80, with nonprofits at $5. The $35, the $15, the $50, and the $80 can match the statutes we read. We did not find $5 in 31 M.R.S. §1680 or in 5 M.R.S. §103. Northwest’s change page says the Statement of Change costs $35 and that Northwest will file it and pay the filing fee. The same page says Maine entities must report a change of registered agent or corporate clerk within 30 days. 5 M.R.S. §108 says the statement takes effect on filing. It does not print 30 days. Northwest’s product page says they will prepare and file the change and does not print $35. Bizee’s Maine page does not print $35. LegalZoom’s article prints a $35 filing fee for the statement of change. We print those vendor sentences. We do not treat Northwest’s 30-day sentence as 5 M.R.S. §108.

5 M.R.S. §111 says a clerk or registered agent may resign by filing a statement that names the entity, names the agent, says the agent resigns, and names the person to whom the agent will send notice. It takes effect on the earlier of the 31st day after the day it is filed or the appointment of a new registered agent. The clerk or agent shall promptly give the entity notice of the filing date. When the resignation takes effect, the agent ceases to have responsibility for matter tendered to it as agent. A contract between the entity and the agent is a different paper. The agent may resign whether or not the entity is in good standing. 5 M.R.S. §103 prices a commercial resignation at no fee. It prices a noncommercial resignation at $35, except $15 for a Title 13-B nonprofit. The LLC forms table prices the Statement of Resignation of Noncommercial Registered Agent, form MLLC-3A-NCRA, at $35. ZenBusiness’s Maine page says the agent remains on file for 31 days after resignation unless a replacement is appointed sooner. Those 31 days match 5 M.R.S. §111. The page does not print a resignation dollar. We do not invent one.

5 M.R.S. §114 is the job, in the statute’s own short list. The only duties under this chapter of a clerk or registered agent that has complied with the chapter are to forward to the entity, at the address the entity most recently supplied, any process, notice, or demand served on the agent; to provide the notices this chapter requires; and to keep the agent’s own information current. A noncommercial clerk or agent keeps the information in the entity’s most recent filing. A commercial clerk or agent keeps the information on its listing. Forwarding court papers is the job. A scan of a catalog is not on that list.

5 M.R.S. §113 is the service path. A clerk or registered agent is an agent authorized to receive service of any process, notice, or demand. 31 M.R.S. §1662 says service on a limited liability company is governed by that section. If the entity no longer has a clerk or registered agent, or the clerk or agent cannot with reasonable diligence be served, the entity may be served by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed to the governors of the entity by name at its principal office. The names and the principal-office address may be as shown in the most recent annual report. Service by that mail is perfected at the earliest of the date the entity receives the mail, the date shown on the return receipt if signed on behalf of the entity, or five days after deposit with the United States Postal Service, if correctly addressed and with sufficient postage. If service still cannot be made that way, it may be made by handing a copy to the manager, clerk, or other person in charge of any regular place of business or activity, if that person is not a plaintiff. Service on a clerk or registered agent must be a written document, except that a commercial clerk or commercial registered agent may accept other forms of a record if its listing says so. The section says service may also be perfected by any other means the law allows. It does not name the Secretary of State as the person you serve in the ordinary path. 31 M.R.S. §1680 still prices accepting service of process under section 1626, subsection 4, at $20. That cite is the foreign-qualification section, not 5 M.R.S. §113. We print the $20 row and the service section that does not use it. We do not invent a path that makes the Secretary of State the LLC’s substitute agent. We do not invent Florida-style 10-to-noon and 2-to-4 windows. The same service section also has a criminal-process path for certain electronic-communication and remote-computing providers. That path is not the ordinary small-business lawsuit. We do not score it.

The annual report is a different paper. Say it once so the dollars do not get mixed up with the agent’s job. 31 M.R.S. §1665 says each year each limited liability company, and each foreign limited liability company authorized to conduct business in this State, shall deliver an annual report to the Secretary of State. The report sets forth the name, the information required by Title 5, section 105, subsection 1, the address of the principal office, a brief statement of the character of the business in this State, and the name and address of at least one member, manager, or other authorized person. The information must be current as of the day the report is delivered. The first report must be delivered between January 1 and June 1 of the year following the calendar year in which the company was formed, or in which a foreign company delivered its statement of foreign qualification. For later years, the report must be delivered between January 1 and June 1 of the following calendar year. If the report is missing required information, the Secretary of State returns it. A correction delivered within 30 days after the notice is timely. The annual-report page says an annual report is required every year to maintain good standing, and that the legal filing deadline is June 1. The filing reminders use the same June 1 deadline and give the year-after examples: a company formed in 2024 files the first report by June 1, 2025, and a company formed in 2025 files the first report by June 1, 2026. Bizee’s Maine page says the annual report is due June 1 each year. That deadline can match the statute’s end date. The page does not print the January 1 start. The reminders page also says the office does not mail a reminder. Northwest’s Maine page says they will remind you and give you the forms. That reminder is their service. It is not a Secretary of State mailing.

The dollars for that report are one number on the statute and on the forms table. 31 M.R.S. §1680 prices the annual report at $85 for a limited liability company and $150 for a foreign limited liability company. An amended annual report is the same pair. The LLC forms table prices domestic annual report MLLC-13 at $85 and the foreign annual report at $150. The filing reminders print $85 for domestic business entities, $150 for foreign business entities, and $35 for domestic and foreign nonprofit corporations. The $35 on that reminders page is the nonprofit report. It is not the LLC report, and it is not the $35 on Form CLKRA-3. 31 M.R.S. §1680 prices a late annual report, in addition to the regular fee, at $50, as long as the report arrives before revocation or administrative dissolution. 31 M.R.S. §1667 points at that late fee and says that if the company does not file the report and pay the fee or the penalty, the Secretary of State shall administratively dissolve a Maine limited liability company and revoke a foreign company’s authority. A company can be excused from the late penalty if it shows excusable neglect and furnishes a copy within 30 days after it learns the original did not arrive. We print the $85, the $150, the nonprofit $35, and the $50 late fee. The LLC statute and the LLC forms table agree on $85 and $150. We do not invent a second LLC dollar.

The formation dollar is also on that fee section, and it is not the agent’s job. 31 M.R.S. §1680 prices a certificate of formation at $175. The LLC forms table prices MLLC-6, Certificate of Formation, at $175. Bizee’s Maine page prints $175 online and $250 on paper. We did not find $250 on the forms table we opened or in 31 M.R.S. §1680. We print $175 and Bizee’s $250. We do not invent a winner. The cover letter attached to Form CLKRA-3, revised June 26, 2024, prices 24-hour expedited filing at $50 extra per entity and immediate same-day filing at $100 extra per entity. 5 M.R.S. §118 says the Secretary of State may provide expedited service and shall establish the fee by rule. It does not print $50 or $100. We print the cover letter and the statute. We do not invent a winner.

31 M.R.S. §1591 is the dissolution list. The Secretary of State may start a proceeding to administratively dissolve a limited liability company if the company does not pay fees or penalties when due, does not deliver its annual report, does not pay the late-filing penalty, is without a registered agent as required by 31 M.R.S. §1661 and Title 5, section 105, subsection 1, does not notify the Secretary of State of a change or a resignation as those Title 5 sections require, or if someone signed a document knowing it was false in a material respect. 31 M.R.S. §1592 says the company is administratively dissolved if, within 60 days after the notice is issued and perfected, it has not corrected the ground. The notice is sent by regular mail, or another medium the Secretary of State allows, to the registered agent, and service is perfected 5 days after the Secretary of State deposits it in the United States mail. Administrative dissolution does not end the authority of the registered agent. The company may carry on only the business needed to wind up. The name stays protected for 3 years. 31 M.R.S. §1593 says the company may apply for reinstatement within 6 years. The application must be accompanied by the reinstatement fee in 31 M.R.S. §1680, subsection 17. That subsection prices failure to appoint or maintain a registered agent at $150, and it prices failure to file an annual report at $150, to a maximum of $600, regardless of how many reports are missing. When reinstatement is effective, it relates back. If the company is not reinstated within 6 years, the Secretary of State cancels the certificate of formation on the sixth anniversary. LegalZoom’s article says failing to maintain a compliant registered agent can cause the business to lose good standing and lose the ability to defend itself in a lawsuit. 31 M.R.S. §1592 says the company may still defend a suit. We print LegalZoom’s sentence and the statute. We do not invent a winner.

The public lookup sits on the corporate search. Confirm the live line on the search before you treat a marketing city as current. The corporations business services page says the office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and that customer-service telephone hours at (207) 624-7752 are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Form CLKRA-3 prints the same phone, the email CEC.Corporations@Maine.gov, and two delivery lines. United States mail goes to 101 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0101. FedEx or UPS goes to 6 E. Chestnut Street, 5th Floor, Augusta, ME 04330. ZenBusiness’s contact table prints a mailing address of 148 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333, a physical address of Burton Cross Building, 111 Sewall St., 4th Floor, Augusta, ME 04330, and the telephone 207-624-7736. We print the form’s 101 State House Station and 6 E. Chestnut Street, the bureau’s 8-to-5 and 10-to-5 hours, and ZenBusiness’s 148 State House Station, 111 Sewall Street, and 207-624-7736. We do not invent a winner. Those lines are office contacts as the form and the vendor table print them. They are not a vendor’s registered office. Those lobby hours are the office’s hours. They are not a statutory agent clock.

Cited prices, retrieved September 25, 2026

We print what the company’s official registered-agent page said on the retrieval date. No company publishes a different Maine registered-agent price from the national card, except where we note a Maine-page sentence. We do not invent a renewal.

• Northwest Registered Agent: official page: “$125 Per Year.” Same price in year two on the national card. Five or more states is $100 a year per state. Retrieved September 25, 2026 from northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent and the Maine product page. The Maine page says they collect the first year’s fee up front and send an invoice about a year later. First year free only if you form through them. We do not treat that bundle as the standalone price. The page says they accept and scan documents on-site at their registered office in York, ME. It does not print a street. The same company also sells extra mail scans: five free scans of regular business mail a year, then more scans for a fee. Those extras are a different product. We do not grade those extras as the registered-agent job. The product page says they will prepare and file the change and does not print $35. The change page prints the Statement of Change at $35 and says they will pay that state fee. 5 M.R.S. §103 prices the statement at $35. We print both Northwest sentences. We do not treat “for free” as the statute’s $35. The product page says every LLC and corporation must maintain a registered agent. The change page says a domestic corporation has a clerk. We print both. The product page says no P.O. Boxes and talks about normal business hours. 5 M.R.S. §104 allows a street or a rural route box. We do not treat Northwest’s hours line as 5 M.R.S. §114.
• Bizee: official registered-agent page: free first year with formation; standalone $149/year; year two $149/year. Retrieved September 25, 2026 from bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent and the Maine product page. That page says the filing fee is $175 online or $250 on paper, and that the annual report is due June 1. The forms table and 31 M.R.S. §1680 print $175. 31 M.R.S. §1665 prints January 1 through June 1. The page does not print $85, and it does not print the $35 change. It says an individual agent must live in Maine and be at least 18, and that a business-entity agent must be organized under Maine law or authorized to transact business in Maine. 31 M.R.S. §1661 does not print an age. 5 M.R.S. §102 lets a noncommercial registered agent be an individual or a domestic or foreign entity that serves in this State. After a free first year with formation, the page’s national card says the service is $149 a year. The Maine page names no Maine street. We print those vendor sentences. We do not invent a Maine-only price from a missing dollar.
• LegalZoom: official overview: “$249/year.” The footnote says the service auto-renews at the purchase rate until you cancel, and the renewal rate is subject to change. The purchase price is for a first-time registered-agent customer. We do not invent a year-two number LegalZoom did not print. Retrieved September 25, 2026 from legalzoom.com/…/registered-agent-overview.html. The live article is /articles/maine-registered-agent, updated May 15, 2026. It prints the $35 change and the $175 certificate of formation. Those dollars match Form CLKRA-3 and 31 M.R.S. §1680. It says an individual agent must be at least 18. 31 M.R.S. §1661 and 13-C M.R.S. §511 do not print an age. 13-C M.R.S. §511 says the clerk is a natural person resident in this State. It says the agent is typically present from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 5 M.R.S. §114 does not print that clock. It talks about $49 to $300 a year as a market range. That range is not a LegalZoom price. The article publishes no LegalZoom city and no LegalZoom street. We do not invent a higher year-two number.
• ZenBusiness: official pricing help page: $99 plus state fees for the first year, and renewal at $199 a year. Retrieved September 25, 2026 from the pricing help page and the Maine page. The Maine page was last updated August 27, 2025. It prints “Starts at $99 + ME state fees for the first year. Renews at $199/yr.” It also talks about $100 to several hundred dollars a year as a market range. That range is not a ZenBusiness price. It prints the statement of change at $35 and $15 for nonprofits, and a resignation that stays on file for 31 days. Those sentences match Form CLKRA-3, 5 M.R.S. §103, and 5 M.R.S. §111. It says amending formation documents costs $50 to $80, and that nonprofits pay $5. The $50 and $80 can match 31 M.R.S. §1680. We did not find $5 in that section. The page does not use the word clerk. It publishes no ZenBusiness street. It prints Secretary of State contacts, including 111 Sewall Street and 207-624-7736. Form CLKRA-3 prints 101 State House Station and (207) 624-7752. The national page says they currently do not offer registered-agent service to PLLCs or nonprofits. That is their national exclusion, not a Maine statute. We keep the $99 and $199 card. We do not invent a Maine-only price.

A change of clerk or registered agent is a separate Secretary of State filing. Form CLKRA-3 and 5 M.R.S. §103 price it at $35 for a for-profit and $15 for a Title 13-B nonprofit. ZenBusiness and LegalZoom print $35. Northwest’s change page prints $35 and says their service pays it. Northwest’s product page does not print $35. Bizee does not print $35. The annual report can list the agent. It is still not the registered-agent job. The $85 report is not this change.

Who publishes a Maine street

A city is not a registered office. We print only the streets the companies publish for registered-agent use. We do not invent the rest. Confirm the live name and address on the corporate search before you file. Headquarters is not the registered-agent street. The Secretary of State’s Augusta contacts are not vendor suites.

• Northwest. The Maine product page says they scan documents on-site at their registered office in York, ME. It does not print a street or a suite. We do not invent a York number, and we do not treat 6 E. Chestnut Street or 111 Sewall Street as their suite. Northwest also sells extra mail scans. Those extras are a different product. The city is vendor-claimed. Use the corporate search for the name on your own filing.
• Bizee. Claims owned offices in all 50 states. The official registered-agent page names no Maine street. The live Maine product page names no Maine street. The contact page lists 17350 State Highway 249, Suite 220, Houston, TX 77064 as headquarters. That address is not a Maine registered-agent street.
• LegalZoom. The Maine article is a live page, updated May 15, 2026. It publishes no LegalZoom city and no LegalZoom street. We do not invent a Portland suite or an Augusta suite. We do not treat a LegalZoom virtual-mail street as the registered-agent street.
• ZenBusiness. The Maine registered-agent page publishes no ZenBusiness street or city. It prints department contacts at 148 State House Station and 111 Sewall St., 4th Floor, Augusta. Those lines are the office as ZenBusiness prints them. They are not ZenBusiness. We do not treat 111 Sewall Street as their suite.

If you are your own agent, the address on the public record is often your home. 31 M.R.S. §1661 requires a registered agent. 5 M.R.S. §102 lets an individual serve as a noncommercial registered agent. 13-C M.R.S. §511 says a corporation’s clerk is a natural person who lives in Maine. Northwest and LegalZoom say you can serve yourself if you live in Maine. LegalZoom and Bizee add an age of 18 that those sections do not print. A commercial mailbox is not the street line on Form CLKRA-3. If you hire a company, the agent line is that organization’s name, and a commercial appointment uses the CRA public number. Northwest’s product page names York and prints no street. Bizee publishes no Maine street. LegalZoom publishes no city and no street. ZenBusiness publishes department contacts, not a ZenBusiness suite. We label every published city vendor-claimed. Use the corporate search.

The $35 change, the $85 report, and the 60-day clock

A Maine limited liability company must keep a registered agent. A Maine business corporation must keep a clerk. The corporation statute says that clerk is a natural person who lives in Maine, and that the clerk is also governed by the Model Registered Agents Act. The LLC statute points at the definition of registered agent. A commercial clerk or commercial registered agent lists with the Secretary of State. The listing is $150. The free public list shows a CRA public number. You put that number on Form CLKRA-3. A noncommercial filing can name a person, or it can name an office or title so the papers go to whoever holds that job. The appointment of a named person is an affirmation that the person consented. The form, the LLC forms table, and 5 M.R.S. §103 price the for-profit change at $35 and the nonprofit change at $15. A commercial resignation has no fee. A noncommercial resignation is $35, or $15 for a nonprofit, and it ends on the 31st day or sooner. If no clerk or agent can be served, 5 M.R.S. §113 uses registered or certified mail to the governors at the principal office, perfected at receipt, at a signed return, or five days after mailing. The fee statute still prices one service path on the Secretary of State at $20, under the foreign-qualification section. The ordinary service section does not name the Secretary of State. The annual report window is January 1 to June 1. The first report is the year after formation. 31 M.R.S. §1680 and the forms table price a domestic LLC report at $85 and a foreign LLC report at $150. The reminders page prices a nonprofit report at $35. A late LLC report adds $50. Miss the agent, or miss the report, and the Secretary of State may dissolve the company after notice and 60 days. You can apply to put it back within 6 years. That application uses the $150 reinstatement fee, up to $600 when the ground is missed reports. The report lists the agent. It is not the job. Maine does not post a Florida-style 10-to-noon and 2-to-4 clock, and it does not run a Nevada-style ten-company commercial-agent register. Northwest’s product page claims York and prints no street. LegalZoom’s article publishes no LegalZoom street. ZenBusiness publishes department contacts, not a ZenBusiness suite. Bizee names no Maine street. Process Score has not been to those offices. We do not treat a company 9-to-5 line as 5 M.R.S. §114.

Service of process, not marketing mail

We grade scan-and-forward of service of process and official notices:

• Bizee: notifications by text and email; court papers mailed via FedEx with tracking; portal upload by employees. The Maine page talks about a physical street and does not print a Maine street. Contact-page support hours are Monday–Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST. Those are support hours, not registered-office hours.
• Northwest: “We scan every document you receive right where you receive it—in our office.” The Maine page adds same-day scans at the York office. Their extra mail-scan product is a different product. We do not grade those extras as a mailbox.
• LegalZoom: upload, email, and a postcard for urgent legal mail; they say they shred junk mail. The Maine article is a live page and still publishes no LegalZoom street. Junk-mail shredding is not the job we score. That 9-to-5 clock is not the statute.
• ZenBusiness: scan and upload to a dashboard; email; overnight the original for urgent legal notices. Their own FAQ says you cannot use the agent address as your business address. Their national product currently excludes PLLCs and nonprofits; that is their exclusion, not a Maine statute. The Maine page prints department contacts. Those lines are office copy. They are not 5 M.R.S. §105.

Home-address privacy

Naming a commercial agent is how many Maine owners keep a home off the agent line. The Secretary of State still publishes the clerk or registered-agent name, and the annual report still lists at least one member, manager, or other authorized person. Privacy of the agent line is not privacy of every field. A Maine limited liability company must keep a registered agent. A Maine business corporation must keep a clerk. A blank line is not the same thing as a private line. Confirm the live line on the corporate search.

Scorecards

What this page does not do

• It does not rank mailbox networks or virtual offices.
• It does not publish combined star ratings or a fake 4.8.
• It does not treat a company 9-to-5 line as 5 M.R.S. §114.
• It does not treat the annual report, or the $85 domestic fee, or the $150 foreign fee, as the registered-agent job. The report lists the agent. The job is taking court papers.
• It does not turn the LLC “registered agent” into the corporation’s “clerk,” or the other way around. 31 M.R.S. §1661 uses registered agent. 13-C M.R.S. §511 uses clerk.
• It does not treat LegalZoom’s “commercial clerk” sentence as the only corporation word. A noncommercial clerk is still a clerk.
• It does not treat Northwest’s product-page “registered agent” sentence for every corporation as 13-C M.R.S. §511. The change page says a domestic corporation has a clerk.
• It does not invent a winner between 13-C M.R.S. §511, which says the clerk is a natural person resident in this State, and 5 M.R.S. §106, which lets an entity file a commercial-clerk listing. The online service says only Maine residents can be a commercial clerk.
• It does not invent a winner between 5 M.R.S. §104, which allows a street or a rural route box, Form CLKRA-3, which says not a P.O. Box, and the public CRA list, which includes post office box rows.
• It does not invent a winner between the cover letter’s $50 and $100 expedited fees and 5 M.R.S. §118, which does not print those dollars.
• It does not invent a winner between the statute’s $175 certificate of formation and Bizee’s $250 paper figure. The forms table prints $175.
• It does not invent an age of 18. Bizee and LegalZoom print 18. 31 M.R.S. §1661 and 13-C M.R.S. §511 do not.
• It does not treat Northwest’s 30-day change sentence as 5 M.R.S. §108. The statement takes effect on filing.
• It does not treat Northwest’s “for free” product-page sentence as the statute’s $35. The change page prints $35 and says Northwest pays it.
• It does not treat ZenBusiness’s $5 nonprofit amendment as 31 M.R.S. §1680. We did not find that dollar there.
• It does not treat the Secretary of State as the LLC’s substitute agent. 5 M.R.S. §113 uses mail to the governors at the principal office. 31 M.R.S. §1680 still prices one service path on the Secretary of State at $20 under section 1626.
• It does not treat LegalZoom’s “lose the ability to defend” sentence as 31 M.R.S. §1592. That section says the company may still defend a suit.
• It does not treat a Houston headquarters as a Maine street.
• It does not treat 101 State House Station, 6 E. Chestnut Street, 111 Sewall Street, or 148 State House Station as a vendor suite. Those contacts are the office, as the form or ZenBusiness prints them.
• It does not invent a winner among (207) 624-7752 and ZenBusiness’s 207-624-7736.
• It does not invent a Maine-only price a company did not print.
• It does not invent a York street, a Portland street, or a LegalZoom street the pages did not print.
• It does not pretend a Maine limited liability company may skip the registered agent. 31 M.R.S. §1661 says the company must keep one.
• It does not treat Northwest’s extra mail-scan product as the registered-agent job.
• It does not treat ZenBusiness’s exclusion of PLLCs and nonprofits as a Maine statute.
• It does not treat ZenBusiness’s or LegalZoom’s market ranges as those companies’ Maine prices.
• It does not score Maine tax filings. Income tax on members is not this filing.

Choosing among being the agent yourself, asking a lawyer, or hiring a commercial agent: DIY vs lawyer vs commercial. Hawaii’s office is the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Form X-7 is $25: Hawaii scorecard. West Virginia’s LLC statute says the company may name an agent, and the Secretary of State is the fallback: West Virginia scorecard. California’s scorecard is a different statute: California scorecard. Florida files the acceptance and posts a 10–noon / 2–4 clock: Florida scorecard. Nevada makes a commercial agent register at ten companies: Nevada scorecard.