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Not legal advice. Confirm the live resident-agent line on the Maryland Business Express entity search before you file or treat a published street as current. That search is Maryland’s public lookup. The office that keeps it is the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. The Secretary of State does not keep that list.

State · Maryland

Maryland keeps the resident agent at SDAT, the Secretary of State does not file that line

A registered agent is the person or company who can be handed a lawsuit for the business. It is not a mailbox. A registered agent is also called a statutory agent, or an agent for service of process. Handing over those court papers is called service of process. Maryland’s statute uses the words resident agent for both an LLC and a corporation. Marketing pages still say registered agent. This page prints both names. The office that keeps the public list is the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. The statute calls that office the Department. The forms we retrieved are branded SDAT, Charter Division, and Maryland Business Express. They are not branded Secretary of State. The Secretary of State’s own charity page says SDAT is the central repository of business filings and that SDAT is not part of the Secretary of State’s Office. The street on the Articles of Organization form cannot be a P.O. Box. Every year a Maryland LLC also files Form 1, the Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return. That report is $300 for an LLC. It is due April 15. It is not the resident-agent job. This page is the Maryland rule and the dated prices. It does not reprint vendor cards from another state.

Updated September 12, 2026 · Methodology · Prices retrieved September 12, 2026 from official pages

A registered agent is not a virtual mailbox. We do not score mailbox suites, virtual offices, or Google Business Profile eligibility here. If you need scans of catalogs, that is a different product on a different site.

What Maryland actually requires

A registered agent is the person or company who can be handed a lawsuit. Service of process means handing over those papers. Maryland says resident agent. The State Department of Assessments and Taxation keeps the list, not the Secretary of State. Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 4A-210 says each limited liability company has a principal office in this State and a resident agent. The agent is an individual who lives here, or a Maryland corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership. The form says a Maryland citizen over eighteen, or a Maryland corporation or limited liability company, and that person signs. One screen says the company cannot be its own agent. Another answer says it can if the address is not a post office box. The sources disagree. This page does not pick one.

Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 1-208 says the company must get written consent before it names the agent, and file that consent unless the Department waives the filing. A street is a place a person can walk up to. A P.O. Box is a mailbox at the post office. The statute says street and number, if any. The Articles form says the address cannot be a P.O. Box. The sources disagree. This page does not pick one. A change of the agent’s name or address is $25, with a $50 expedited column. A resignation is effective when filed if a successor is named, or 10 days later if not.

Each year the limited liability company files Form 1, the Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return. The fee is $300, due April 15. Filing it is not the resident-agent job. Change the agent on the resolution, not by hoping Form 1 rewrites the line. A missing resident agent is a reason the record can show Not in Good Standing.

Related guide: Can I be my own registered agent? The sources disagree on whether the company may be its own resident agent. This page does not pick one.

Related guide: What is a registered agent for an LLC? Maryland calls this person a resident agent. The job is taking a lawsuit. Form 1 is a different filing.

Related guide: How much does a registered agent cost? A change of the resident agent’s name or address is $25. Form 1 at $300 is a different filing.

Related guide: How to change a registered agent on an LLC The company files a statement, and the change is effective when the Department accepts it.

Related guide: What is a commercial registered agent? A Maryland corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership may serve. The Department does not recommend one.

Related guide: Service of process: what it means for an LLC The resident agent accepts court papers. A missing agent can leave the record Not in Good Standing.

Related guide: What is a registered agent address? The Articles form bars a P.O. Box. The statute still says street and number, if any. The sources disagree. This page does not pick one.

Related guide: Best registered agent service A hired company must be a Maryland entity that consented in writing. The Articles form will not take a P.O. Box.

Related guide: What is a certificate of good standing? The certificate is a different paper from the agent filing.

The statute does not print a clock. Someone has to be at a Maryland street to accept hand-delivered papers. A software login is not that street.

Full requirement and citations

In plain language. Maryland wants a person or a Maryland company who can take court papers. That person is the resident agent. The company must also keep a principal office in this State. The agent must consent in writing. The Articles of Organization form says the agent’s address cannot be a P.O. Box. Filings go to SDAT. They do not go to the Secretary of State counter in Annapolis. Every year the LLC also files Form 1. That report is $300 and due April 15. That report is not the resident-agent job. Check the live name on the Business Express entity search before you file.

Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 4A-210 is who must keep an agent. Each limited liability company shall have: (1) a principal office in this State; and (2) a resident agent. That is the whole of subsection (a). Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 1-101 then defines the words. Department means the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. Principal office means the place in this State filed or recorded with the Department as the principal office, or, if none is designated, the main office in this State for the transaction of business. Resident agent means an individual residing in this State or a Maryland corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership whose name, address, and designation as a resident agent are filed or recorded with the Department. Address means the post office address, and includes street and number, if any, county or municipal area, and state. We print that “if any.” We do not pretend the definition banned a P.O. Box in the same sentence. The Articles of Organization form does. Insert the name and address (cannot be a P.O. Box) of the resident agent. A resident agent is another entity or individual designated to accept service of process for the LLC. The resident agent can be any Maryland citizen who is over eighteen, a Maryland corporation or a Maryland LLC. That person must also sign the document. We print the statute and the form. The sources do not agree. This page does not add a third sentence.

Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 2-108 is why this page still talks about corporations. Each Maryland corporation shall have: (1) a principal office in this State; and (2) a resident agent. The corporation statute uses the same two words as the LLC statute. Maryland does not switch to registered agent for corporations the way Massachusetts does. The LegalZoom Maryland article, updated April 30, 2026, still says the term registered agent in Maryland can mean something slightly different if the business is an investment firm or broker dealer. That is LegalZoom copy. This page is the LLC / formation-owner job at SDAT. We do not score a broker-dealer registration.

Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 1-208 is the written-consent rule. An entity that is required to have a resident agent may not designate a person as a resident agent without first obtaining the person’s written consent. Unless waived by the Department, the entity shall file that written consent with the Department. The consent is effective on acceptance by the Department. If the Department waives the filing, the entity shall certify that the written consent was obtained, keep a copy in its records, and give the Department a copy on request. That waiver path is the statute’s. Subsections (a) and (b) do not apply to resident agents designated before October 1, 1998. A person designated a resident agent may resign without paying the fee under Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 1-203. The Business Express entity-search page repeats the consent line and cites § 1-208(a). It also says the Department cannot recommend any company to act as your resident agent.

The Charter Filing FAQ is the office’s own gloss. A resident agent is a person designated to accept court papers if the company becomes involved in a lawsuit, or if someone is attempting to subpoena the company’s records. The resident agent must be a resident of the State of Maryland. If you are appointing an individual, that person must be at least 18 years old. If you are appointing a company, that company must be a Maryland corporation or a Maryland LLC, and you must use the full, legal name. A person must sign the resident agent consent on behalf of the appointed company and recite their name and title. If you are at least 18, are a Maryland citizen, and sign the consent, you can be the resident agent for your own company. The Maryland Business Express change-of-agent screen we retrieved adds a different sentence: an LLC or corporation cannot act as its own agent. Northwest’s Maryland FAQ, retrieved the same day, answers “Can my Maryland LLC be its own resident agent?” with yes, so long as the address is not a post office box. We print the statute’s who-may-serve list, the FAQ, the portal, and the vendor FAQ. The sources disagree. This page does not pick one.

Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 4A-210 is also how an LLC changes the line. The company files a statement signed by an authorized person. A change of the resident-agent address is a statement signed by an authorized person. The designation or change is effective when the Department accepts the statement for record. A resident agent who moves in this State may file one statement that names the company, the old and new addresses, and the date the change is effective. If those addresses are also the principal office, the same statement may move the principal office after written notice to the company. The official Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent cites § 2-108 on the corporation side. File it on Maryland Business Express or on paper. Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 1-203 prices a notice of change of address of principal office at $25, and a notice of change of name or address of resident agent at $25, up to a maximum of $30,000 for a bulk filing. The SDAT charter fee table we retrieved repeats $25 per entity and lists a $50 expedited column. The Business Express portal treats an online filing as expedited. We print the statute and the table. The page does not publish a free online change.

The same LLC section is how an agent steps down. A resident agent may resign by filing a counterpart or photocopy of the signed resignation. Unless a later time is specified, the resignation is effective at the time it is filed if the company has appointed a successor, or 10 days after it is filed if the company has not. That is a 10-day clock. It is not Michigan’s 30th day. It is not Massachusetts’s 31st day. The Charter Filing FAQ says a missing resident agent is a reason the record can show Not in Good Standing, and that you can appoint a new agent on Business Express or on the Resolution form.

The Business Express change screen we retrieved also prints a 2018 cap. Effective October 1, 2018, you may not increase the number of resident agents unless the entity currently has no resident agent. If there is no resident agent, you may designate only one. A business that already has more than one may change or remove a name. It may not add another. That is portal copy. We did not retrieve a matching sentence in § 4A-210. We print the portal. We do not treat that cap as the statute.

2026 Form 1 is the yearly bill this page will not confuse with the agent line. Domestic and foreign LLCs pay $300. Stock corporations pay $300. Non-stock corporations are listed at -0-. Family farms are $100. The face of the form says Due April 15th. The SDAT business page, retrieved the same day, says all domestic and foreign business entities should file their 2026 reports, or request a 60-day extension, on or before April 15, 2026. If the extension is approved, the due date is Monday, June 15. Extension requests may only be submitted online. Failure to file can forfeit the Maryland charter or the right to do business in Maryland. MarylandSaves can waive the $300 fee if the exemption was awarded in time. Form 1 is the Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return. If the business owns, leases, or uses personal property in Maryland with a total original cost of $20,000 or more, the personal-property sections come with that report. Those dollars and those sections are not the resident-agent job. Change the agent on the Resolution, not by hoping Form 1 rewrites the line.

The Secretary of State sits at 16 Francis Street, Annapolis, MD 21401. That office registers charities, commissions notaries, and takes trademark filings. The Secretary of State charity page says the State Department of Assessments and Taxation serves as the central repository of all required business filings that must be submitted to the State of Maryland, including Articles of Organization and the Annual Report due each year by April 15, and that SDAT is not part of the Secretary of State’s Office. A later fetch of some Secretary of State pages still pointed nonprofit filers to 301 West Preston Street. The live SDAT business page we retrieved says we are now located at 123 Market Place, Baltimore, MD 21202, and prints 700 E. Pratt St., Suite 2700, Baltimore, MD 21202-6377 as the Department line. Form 1 still mails to P.O. Box 17052, Baltimore, Maryland 21297-1052. The Articles of Organization form we retrieved still mails Charter Division filings to 700 East Pratt Street, Suite 2700. Drop boxes sit in the lobby at 123 Market Place. Same-day drop-box service is a $425 expedited fee plus the base fee. Those lines are SDAT. They are not a commercial resident-agent suite. Maryland does not post Florida-style 10–noon / 2–4 windows. We do not treat a company 9-to-5 line as Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 4A-210.

Confirm the live name and street on the Business Express entity search before you treat a marketing city as current. Headquarters is not the resident office. 16 Francis Street is the Secretary of State, not SDAT. 123 Market Place and 700 East Pratt Street are SDAT, not a vendor suite. That search returned a live lookup form on retrieval.

Cited prices, retrieved September 12, 2026

We print what the company’s official registered-agent page said on the retrieval date. No company publishes a different Maryland resident-agent price from the national card, except where we note a Maryland-page renewal line. The page does not publish a separate renewal price.

Vendor Year 1 Year 2 Letters Link
Northwest Registered Agent $125/year standalone; first year free only if you form the entity through Northwest $125/year (same price; $100/year per state if you have five or more states) B+ / B / B Official page
Bizee Free first year when you form through Bizee; standalone registered agent $149/year Official pages we retrieved say $149/year after the free first year (or $149 from day one if you buy standalone) C+ / B- / B Official page
LegalZoom $249/year on the official registered-agent overview (first-time customers) Official footnote: auto-renews at the purchase rate until you cancel; “The renewal rate is subject to change.” C / B- / B- LegalZoom
ZenBusiness $99 + MD state fees for the first year (standalone); national card says $99 + state fees $199/year renewal on the official national pages; those pages say the rate is subject to change C / B- / B- ZenBusiness

A change of resident agent is a separate SDAT filing. We cite Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 4A-210, Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 1-203, and the office’s $25 / $50 expedited split, not company blogs. The $300 Form 1 is still not the resident-agent job.

Who publishes a Maryland street

A city is not a resident office. We print only the streets the companies publish for resident-agent use. The pages we read do not publish the rest. Confirm the live name and street on the Business Express entity search before you file. Headquarters is not the resident office. The Secretary of State’s Annapolis contacts are not vendor suites. SDAT’s Baltimore contacts are not vendor suites.

If you are your own resident agent, the street on the public record is often your home. If you hire a commercial resident agent, the agent line is that organization’s name. Northwest names Baltimore, ZIP 21201, Baltimore County, on the office list, and Baltimore on the product page, and no street on either. LegalZoom’s Maryland article names Rosedale and no street. Bizee publishes no Maryland street. ZenBusiness publishes the Secretary of State’s Annapolis contacts. We label every published city vendor-claimed. Use the Business Express entity search.

In-state office, the post-office ban, and the $300 Form 1

Maryland wants an in-state resident or a Maryland company, a principal office in this State, and someone who can take court papers. The Articles of Organization form says the agent’s address cannot be a P.O. Box. The statute’s address definition still says street and number, if any. The agent must consent in writing unless the Department waives the filing and the company certifies the consent. Change the agent on the Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent at $25, with a $50 expedited column on the paper table. Resignation is effective on filing if a successor is already named, or on the 10th day if not. The annual report is Form 1. For an LLC it is $300 and due April 15, with a 60-day online extension to June 15. That report is not the resident-agent job. Maryland does not post a Florida-style 10–noon / 2–4 clock, and it does not run a Nevada-style ten-company commercial-agent register. Northwest claims Baltimore, ZIP 21201, Baltimore County. LegalZoom’s Maryland article names Rosedale. ZenBusiness publishes 16 Francis Street, the Secretary of State. Bizee names no Maryland street. Process Score has not been to those offices. We do not treat a company 9-to-5 line as Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 4A-210.

Service of process, not marketing mail

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

Home-address privacy

A commercial resident agent is how most Maryland owners keep a home off the agent line. SDAT still publishes whatever other addresses you put on a formation filing or Form 1. Privacy of the agent line is not privacy of every field. Confirm the live line on the Business Express entity search.

Scorecards

Northwest Registered Agent

Commercial registered agent
Year-1 / year-2 price
B+
National $125/year, same in year 2. Five-or-more-states is $100/year per state. No Maryland-only price.
SOS street and presence
B
Product page and office-locations list both name Baltimore, MD 21201, Baltimore County. No street. Confirm Business Express. The page does not publish one.
Process and privacy
B
In-office scan of documents they receive. Grade the court-paper path, not the mail-scanning add-on.

Year 1: $125/year standalone; first year free only if you form the entity through Northwest

Year 2: $125/year (same price; $100/year per state if you have five or more states)

Retrieved: 2026-09-12

Official page

Bizee

Commercial registered agent
Year-1 / year-2 price
C+
Year 1 can be $0 with formation on the official card. Year 2 is $149. No Maryland-only price.
SOS street and presence
B-
No Maryland resident-agent street on the product pages. Houston HQ is not a Maryland resident-agent street. Confirm Business Express.
Process and privacy
B
Published court-paper path: notify, scan to portal, FedEx the papers. Not a mailbox.

Year 1: Free first year when you form through Bizee; standalone registered agent $149/year

Year 2: Official pages we retrieved say $149/year after the free first year (or $149 from day one if you buy standalone)

Retrieved: 2026-09-12

Official page

LegalZoom

Commercial registered agent
Year-1 / year-2 price
C
Official $249/year. Year 2 is “purchase rate,” subject to change. The page does not publish $299.
SOS street and presence
B-
The Maryland article names Rosedale as the office. No street published. Confirm Business Express.
Process and privacy
B-
Published court-paper scan, email, and postcard. Junk mail is filtered. That is not the product we grade.

Year 1: $249/year on the official registered-agent overview (first-time customers)

Year 2: Official footnote: auto-renews at the purchase rate until you cancel; “The renewal rate is subject to change.”

Retrieved: 2026-09-12

LegalZoom

ZenBusiness

Commercial registered agent
Year-1 / year-2 price
C
Year 1 $99 + MD state fees is a first-year deal. Year 2 is $199, subject to change on the national card. Read the renewal line.
SOS street and presence
B-
Maryland product page publishes no ZenBusiness street or city. The Annapolis line is a Secretary of State contact. Confirm Business Express. The page does not publish a suite.
Process and privacy
B-
Scan, dashboard, email; overnight for urgent legal notices. Not a mailbox. Their national product currently excludes PLLCs and nonprofits. That is ZenBusiness’s exclusion, not a Maryland statute.

Year 1: $99 + MD state fees for the first year (standalone); national card says $99 + state fees

Year 2: $199/year renewal on the official national pages; those pages say the rate is subject to change

Retrieved: 2026-09-12

ZenBusiness

What this page does not do

Choosing among being the agent yourself, asking a lawyer, or hiring a commercial agent: DIY vs lawyer vs commercial. California’s scorecard is a different statute: California scorecard. Texas keeps the written consent with the company: Texas scorecard. Florida files the acceptance and posts a 10–noon / 2–4 clock: Florida scorecard. Delaware bans a virtual-only agent and sets the commercial bar above 50: Delaware scorecard. New York starts with the Secretary of State already on the agent line: New York scorecard. Nevada makes a commercial agent register at ten companies: Nevada scorecard. Wyoming bans UPS stores and virtual addresses as the registered office: Wyoming scorecard. Arizona makes the statutory-agent appointment wait on a signed acceptance: Arizona scorecard. Illinois gives you 60 days after your agent resigns, then you are not in good standing: Illinois scorecard. Ohio cancels the articles if you miss the 30-day statutory-agent notice: Ohio scorecard. Georgia wants the registered office at the same street as the agent: Georgia scorecard. Pennsylvania files a registered office, not a registered agent: Pennsylvania scorecard. New Jersey wants a street for your registered agent and will not take a P.O. Box alone: New Jersey scorecard. Colorado will not take a commercial mailbox or a P.O. Box as the registered-agent street: Colorado scorecard. North Carolina’s LLC annual report is $200 paper or $203 online by April 15. That filing is not the registered-agent job: North Carolina scorecard. Virginia’s LLC pays a $50 annual registration fee and files no annual report: Virginia scorecard. Washington files the agent’s prior consent and will not take a P.O. Box or a PMB as the street: Washington scorecard. Michigan’s statute names a resident agent and sends the filing to LARA: Michigan scorecard. Indiana’s live statute names a registered agent. Older Indiana law called the same job resident agent: Indiana scorecard. Massachusetts’s LLC statute names a resident agent. The corporation statute names a registered agent. The $500 annual report cannot change that line: Massachusetts scorecard. Tennessee will not take a P.O. Box as the registered office. The $300 LLC annual report is not the registered-agent job: Tennessee scorecard.

Sources for this page

  1. Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 4A-210 (retrieved September 12, 2026), each limited liability company shall have a principal office in this State and a resident agent; a change is effective when the Department accepts the statement; resignation is effective on filing if a successor is named, or 10 days after filing if not
  2. Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 1-101 (retrieved September 12, 2026), Department means the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; resident agent means an individual residing in this State or a Maryland corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership; address means the post office address and includes street and number, if any
  3. Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 1-208 (retrieved September 12, 2026), written consent required; file it unless the Department waives the filing and the company certifies and keeps a copy; resignation pays no § 1-203(b)(2) fee
  4. Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 2-108 (retrieved September 12, 2026), each Maryland corporation shall have a principal office in this State and a resident agent
  5. Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 1-203 and the SDAT charter fee table (retrieved September 12, 2026), notice of change of principal office $25; notice of change of name or address of resident agent $25, bulk cap $30,000; table also lists a $50 expedited column
  6. SDAT Articles of Organization form (retrieved September 12, 2026), resident-agent address cannot be a P.O. Box; agent may be a Maryland citizen over eighteen, a Maryland corporation, or a Maryland LLC; mailing line 700 East Pratt Street, Suite 2700, Baltimore, Maryland 21202
  7. Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent (retrieved September 12, 2026), cites § 2-108 on the corporation side
  8. SDAT Charter Filing FAQ (retrieved September 12, 2026), who may serve; you may be your own agent if you are 18 and a Maryland citizen and sign the consent; a missing resident agent can put the record Not in Good Standing
  9. 2026 Form 1, Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return and the SDAT business page (retrieved September 12, 2026), LLC filing fee $300; due April 15, 2026; 60-day online extension to June 15; current lobby 123 Market Place, Baltimore, MD 21202; Department line 700 E. Pratt St., Suite 2700; Form 1 mail P.O. Box 17052
  10. Maryland Secretary of State, Charities (retrieved September 12, 2026), SDAT is the central repository of business filings, including Articles of Organization and the Annual Report due April 15; SDAT is not part of the Secretary of State’s Office
  11. Maryland Business Express entity search (retrieved September 12, 2026), official public lookup; cites § 1-208(a); the Department cannot recommend a resident-agent company
  12. Northwest Registered Agent, official registered-agent page, Maryland product page, and office locations (retrieved September 12, 2026), $125/year; first year free only with formation; $100/year per state at five or more states; product page names a Baltimore, MD scan office and still opens with leftover Washington State copy; office-locations list Baltimore, MD 21201, Baltimore County, and says they leave the street off this list; FAQ says an LLC may be its own resident agent if the address is not a post office box
  13. Bizee, official registered-agent page, Maryland product page, and contact (retrieved September 12, 2026), free year 1 with formation on the official card; standalone $149/year; year 2 $149/year; support Monday–Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST; no Maryland resident-agent street; /llc/maryland-registered-agent returned 404; Houston contact HQ is not a Maryland resident-agent street
  14. LegalZoom, official registered-agent overview (retrieved September 12, 2026), $249/year; auto-renews at the purchase rate, subject to change; no Maryland street on the official overview; Maryland registered-agent article updated April 30, 2026, retrieved the same day, Rosedale-based resident-agent service and no street; written consent; P.O. boxes not acceptable; an LLC cannot serve as its own resident agent; /articles/registered-agent-in-maryland returned 404
  15. ZenBusiness, official registered-agent page and Maryland resident agent (retrieved September 12, 2026; Maryland page last updated August 31, 2026), $99 + state fees year 1; $199 renewal, subject to change; Maryland product page publishes no ZenBusiness street; it prints 16 Francis St., Annapolis, MD 21401, telephone 410-974-5521, 8:30 to 4:30, Secretary of State contacts, not a vendor suite and not SDAT; /maryland-registered-agent/ returned 404; national product currently excludes PLLCs and nonprofits

Also setting up payroll in Maryland? Payroll Score covers the first paycheck there.