A West Virginia LLC may name an agent — if it names none, or the agent cannot be found, the Secretary of State is the agent, and Form AAO is $15

What West Virginia actually requires

W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 is the LLC permission, and it is a permission. A limited liability company and a foreign limited liability company authorized to do business in this state may continuously maintain in this state an office, which need not be a place of its business in this state, and an agent and address of the agent for service of process on the company. An agent shall be an individual resident of this state, a domestic corporation, another limited liability company, or a foreign corporation or foreign company authorized to do business in this state. The same section also says every limited liability company shall pay the annual report fee of $25, or the biennial report fee of $50, as described in W. Va. Code §59-1-2a. That sentence is the report fee. It is not a sentence that turns “may” into “shall” for the agent. The 2008 amendments are effective beginning on and after July 1, 2008. The biennial-reporting amendments enacted in the 2026 regular session take effect on July 1, 2026, and do not forgive prior failures to file annual reports or pay annual fees previously due. Form LLD-1, Rev. 07/2026, says you may wish to maintain an agent for service of process in West Virginia who can receive service of a summons or complaint. The agent may be an individual resident, a corporation, or another limited liability company. The form’s own line 5 is the name and address of the person or company to whom notice of process may be sent, if any. Northwest’s West Virginia page says all state-registered businesses are required to have a West Virginia registered agent. Bizee’s West Virginia page says every West Virginia LLC must appoint a registered agent and that the law requires every LLC to appoint one and keep that appointment current. ZenBusiness’s West Virginia page, last updated August 27, 2025, says state law explicitly mandates a registered agent and that a filing will be rejected if the agent is left off. We print those vendor sentences. We print the statute’s “may” and the form’s “if any.” We do not invent a winner that erases the statute.

W. Va. Code §31B-2-203 is what the articles must set forth. The list includes the address of the initial designated office in West Virginia, if any, and the mailing address of the principal office, and the name and address of the initial agent for service of process, if any. It also includes each organizer and each member with authority to execute instruments, whether the company is a term company, whether it is manager-managed, whether a member is liable for debts under the operating-agreement rule, the purpose, and an email address for filing reminders unless there is a technical inability to comply. Form LLD-1 prices those articles at $100. W. Va. Code §59-1-2 prices articles of organization of a limited liability company at $100. The fee schedule prices domestic articles of organization at $100 and a foreign limited liability company at $150. Bizee’s West Virginia page says the articles fee is $100 online and $65 by mail. We print the statute, the form, the fee schedule, and Bizee’s $65. We do not treat $65 as W. Va. Code §59-1-2. A veteran-owned organization can have the registration fee waived under the fee statute’s veteran rule. Form LLD-1 says that waiver, and it says a veteran-owned entity also has four consecutive years of annual-report fees waived after initial formation. W. Va. Code §59-1-2a says the same four-year report-fee exemption, and it says the company is not exempt from filing deadlines or other fees. The report is still due. The fee can be waived. That waiver is not the registered-agent job.

A foreign limited liability company uses the same “if any.” W. Va. Code §31B-10-1002 says the application for a certificate of authority shall set forth the address of the initial designated office in this state, if any, and the name and address of the initial agent for service of process in this state, if any. LegalZoom’s West Virginia article, updated May 18, 2026, says a foreign LLC must appoint a registered agent as part of foreign qualification. W. Va. Code §31B-10-1002 prints “if any.” We print both. We do not invent a winner.

The corporation rule is a different chapter, and it is still a “may.” W. Va. Code §31D-5-501 says each corporation may continuously maintain in this state a registered office that may be the same as any of its places of business, and a registered agent. That agent may be an individual who resides in this state and whose business office is identical with the registered office, a domestic corporation or domestic nonprofit corporation whose business office is identical with the registered office, or a foreign corporation or foreign nonprofit corporation authorized to transact business in this state whose business office is identical with the registered office. W. Va. Code §31D-2-202 says the articles of incorporation must set forth the street address of the initial registered office, if any, and the name of the initial registered agent at that office, if any. We do not collapse that “may” into the LLC “may.” The LLC list allows another limited liability company. The corporation list does not. The corporation agent’s business office has to be the registered office. The LLC designated office need not be a place of the company’s business. ZenBusiness says an agent can be an individual resident or a profit or nonprofit corporation, and that an LLC’s agent can also be an LLC. That split is close to the two statutes. ZenBusiness then says the filing will be rejected without an agent. W. Va. Code §31D-2-202 and W. Va. Code §31B-2-203 both print “if any.” We print both.

The address rule is what the statute and the forms print. It is not a vendor slogan. W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 says “an office” and “an agent and address of the agent.” It does not print the words “no P.O. Box.” W. Va. Code §31B-2-203 says “the address of the initial designated office.” It does not print “street.” Form LLD-1 calls line 4 the designated (physical) office, with a street, city, state, zip, and county, and a mailing address of that location if different. The instructions say the designated physical office need not be the principal place of business, and that you change it on Form AAO for $15. Form CF-1, the foreign-corporation certificate of authority, Rev. 07/2026, labels the designated physical office in West Virginia as “No. & Street,” and it labels the mailing line, if different, as “Street/PO Box.” The agent line on that form is also “if any.” W. Va. Code §31D-2-202 uses the words “street address” for the corporation’s initial registered office, if any. W. Va. Code §31D-5-502 says a new registered office is a street address or a description of physical location, and that after the change the mailing addresses of the registered office and the agent’s business office will be identical. Bizee’s page says a P.O. Box does not satisfy the requirement and that the registered office must match the agent’s business office. LegalZoom’s article says a P.O. box does not qualify and that the agent must be at least 18. W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 does not print an age. ZenBusiness says a P.O. box is not sufficient and that the agent must be present during all normal business hours. Northwest says the agent must list a physical address and be present during business hours. We print the forms’ physical line and the corporation statute’s street address. We print the vendors’ P.O. Box sentences as vendor copy. We do not invent a statute sentence that W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 did not print, and we do not treat a mailing-line P.O. Box on Form CF-1 as the designated physical office.

W. Va. Code §31B-1-109 is how a limited liability company changes the line. The company delivers a statement of change that sets forth the name of the company, the address of its current designated office if any, the new designated office if that office is changing, the name and address of its current agent if any, and the new address or the new agent if the agent or the agent’s address is changing. The LLC statute does not say the new agent must sign. Form AAO, Rev. 07/2026, is the form the Secretary of State prints for an application to appoint or change process, officers, and/or addresses. The fee on the form is $15.00. The change-of-agent block says the agent named has given consent, and it has a line for the new agent’s signature. W. Va. Code §59-1-2 prices receiving, filing, and recording a change of the principal or designated office, a change of the agent of process, or a change of officers, directors, partners, members, or managers at $15. The fee schedule row is “Change of Agent, Address & Officers (AAO) $15.00” for all applicable business types. W. Va. Code §31D-5-502 is the corporation path, and it does require the new agent’s written consent, either on the statement or attached to it, and it requires that the registered office and the agent’s business office mailing addresses be identical after the change. ZenBusiness prints Form AAO at $15. That dollar matches the statute, the form, and the fee schedule. Northwest’s West Virginia page says they will pay and file the change of agent. That is Northwest’s service. The page does not print the state’s $15. Bizee’s page says you file a statement of change and does not print $15. LegalZoom’s article says confirm the current amount at sos.wv.gov and does not print $15. We print those sentences. We do not invent a Northwest, Bizee, or LegalZoom change dollar the pages did not print.

W. Va. Code §31B-1-110 is how an LLC agent steps down. The agent delivers a statement of resignation to the Secretary of State. After filing, the Secretary of State mails a copy to the designated office and another copy to the principal office. An agency is terminated on the thirty-first day after the statement is filed. W. Va. Code §31D-5-503 is the corporation resignation. The statement may say the registered office is also discontinued. The Secretary of State mails a copy to the principal office. The appointment is terminated, and the office is discontinued if the statement said so, on the thirty-first day after filing. The fee schedule we opened does not title a separate resignation row. It titles the AAO change at $15. Northwest’s West Virginia page says a statement of resignation is filed with $15 for processing. ZenBusiness says the resignation form includes a $15 filing fee and that the agent remains on file for 31 days unless a replacement is appointed sooner. The 31-day sentence matches W. Va. Code §31B-1-110 and W. Va. Code §31D-5-503. We print the vendors’ $15. We do not invent a resignation dollar the fee schedule did not title. LegalZoom’s FAQ cites Section 31E-5-503 for resignation and says the LLC risks administrative dissolution if it does not name a replacement within sixty days. Chapter 31E is the nonprofit corporation act. The LLC resignation we read is W. Va. Code §31B-1-110. The LLC dissolution list we read does not name a missing agent. We print LegalZoom’s citation. We do not move it into W. Va. Code §31B-1-108.

W. Va. Code §31B-1-111 is the LLC service path, and it is the part that makes the optional agent usable. An appointed agent is an agent of the company for service of any process, notice, or demand required or permitted by law to be served on the company. If the company fails to appoint or maintain an agent in this state, or the agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the agent’s address, the Secretary of State is an agent of the company upon whom process, notice, or demand may be served. Service on the Secretary of State is made by delivering to and leaving with the Secretary of State, the assistant Secretary of State, or the clerk in charge of the limited liability company department the original process, notice, or demand and two copies for each defendant, along with the fee required by W. Va. Code §59-1-2. No process may be served on or accepted by the Secretary of State less than ten days before the return day. The Secretary of State files a copy endorsed with the time of service, transmits one copy by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, and transmits the original back to the clerk of the court. The mail goes to the company’s registered agent. If there is no registered agent, it goes to the individual last named to receive process. If no person has been named, it goes to the principal office last given to the Secretary of State. If no address is on record, it goes to the address on the original process, if available. Service is sufficient if the return receipt is signed by an agent or employee of the company, or if the mail is refused and returned showing the Postal Service refusal stamp. If the mail is refused or undeliverable, the Secretary of State keeps a preservation duplicate and may dispose of the original returned mail, and written notice goes to the court clerk by certified mail, facsimile, or email. The court may order continuances so each defendant can defend. W. Va. Code §59-1-2 prices acceptance, indexing, and recordation of service of process at $15, shipping and handling by certified mail inside the United States at $5, and registered mail outside the United States at $15. Those are the service fees. They are not Form AAO. LegalZoom’s article describes the Secretary of State filing a copy and mailing to the principal office last on file. That mailing path can match W. Va. Code §31B-1-111 when no agent is named. The same article also cites a foreign-corporation section for undeliverable mail. The LLC path we read is W. Va. Code §31B-1-111.

The corporation service path is wider. W. Va. Code §31D-5-504 says the registered agent is the corporation’s agent for service of process, notice, or demand. If the corporation has no registered agent, or the agent cannot with reasonable diligence be served, the corporation may be served by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed to the secretary of the corporation at its principal office. Service under that mail path is perfected at the earliest of the date the corporation receives the mail, the date shown on the return receipt if signed on behalf of the corporation, or five days after deposit in the United States mail if mailed postpaid and correctly addressed. In addition, the Secretary of State is constituted the attorney-in-fact for and on behalf of each corporation created under that chapter. The Secretary of State has authority to accept service for each such corporation. No act of a corporation appointing the Secretary of State as attorney-in-fact is necessary. The delivery packet is the original and two copies for each defendant, plus the same W. Va. Code §59-1-2 fee, with a class-action shortcut of one copy for each named defendant. The forward path is the registered agent, or if none, the person last named to receive notice, or if none, the principal office last given, or if none, the address on the original process. The ten-day return-day limit is in this section too. This section does not prescribe the only means of serving a corporation. We do not treat the LLC rule as this automatic attorney-in-fact rule. For an LLC, W. Va. Code §31B-1-111 makes the Secretary of State the agent when the company fails to appoint or maintain an agent, or the agent cannot be found. For a corporation created under chapter 31D, the Secretary of State is already the attorney-in-fact.

The annual report is a different paper. Say it once so the $25 does not get mixed up with the agent’s job. W. Va. Code §31B-2-211 says a limited liability company, and a foreign limited liability company authorized to transact business here, shall deliver an annual report that sets forth the name and the jurisdiction, the address of the designated office if any, the name and address of the agent for service of process in this state if any, the principal office, the managers and the members who can execute instruments, and an email for filing reminders unless there is a technical inability to comply. The information is current as of the date the report is signed. The first report is delivered between January 1 and July 1 of the year following the calendar year of organization or of authority to transact business. Later reports are delivered between January 1 and July 1 of the ensuing calendar years. If the report is missing required information, the Secretary of State returns it, and a correction delivered within 30 days after the notice is timely. A company that has timely filed all required annual reports for five consecutive calendar years, and is in good standing, may elect a biennial report instead. The election is made when filing the fifth consecutive timely annual report. A company that had already met the five-year test as of the effective date of that subsection may elect between January 1 and July 1 of the next calendar year following that effective date. The biennial amendments take effect July 1, 2026. The next calendar year after that effective date is 2027. We print that window. We do not invent a September 2026 election the statute did not print. After the election, the company skips the next calendar year’s annual report. The first biennial report is due between January 1 and July 1 of the second calendar year after the election, and every two years after that. A biennial correction window is 60 days. A missed biennial report, or a loss of good standing, revokes the election, and the company needs five new consecutive timely annual reports before it can elect again. The amendments do not forgive old missed reports or old unpaid fees.

The dollars and the clock for that report also sit in W. Va. Code §59-1-2a. After July 1, 2026, each corporation, limited partnership, domestic limited liability company, and foreign limited liability company engaged in or authorized to do business here shall pay an annual report fee of $25 for the services of the Secretary of State as attorney-in-fact and for other administrative services. A company that elects biennial reporting pays $50. The same section says the annual or biennial report and fee are due on or before 11:59 p.m. on June 30 of each year, or every two years if the biennial election was properly made. W. Va. Code §31B-2-211 says between January 1 and July 1. Form LLD-1’s annual-report notice says between January 1 and July 1. Form LLD-10, Rev. 07/2026, says each year an annual report is due by July 1. We print June 30 at 11:59 p.m., and we print July 1. We do not invent a winner. The late fee in W. Va. Code §59-1-2a is $50 for an annual delinquency and $100 for a biennial delinquency. A nonprofit’s late fee is $25 for an annual delinquency and $50 for a biennial delinquency. The fee schedule prints the same pair: profit organizations $50, non-profit organizations $25. Before dissolution or revocation for failure to pay, the Secretary of State notifies the entity by certified mail, return receipt requested, postmarked at least 30 days before the dissolution or revocation date in the notice. A bad-check add-on is an amount not exceeding $5 plus any bank charge. The Secretary of State may waive or reduce a late fee when the cause was beyond the filer’s control. Form LLD-10 says a reinstatement packet includes $25 for the application, every missing annual-report fee of $25 including the current year, and the late fee for each missing year. W. Va. Code §31B-8-811 says an administratively dissolved limited liability company may apply within two years, state that the ground is gone, state that the name still works, and attach a Tax Commissioner certificate that taxes have been paid. The statute does not print the $25 application dollar. We print the form’s dollar. Reinstatement relates back. Form LLD-10 also says that beginning July 1, 2026, a business that has filed annual reports on time for at least five years may be eligible to apply for biennial reporting at onestop.wv.gov. We print that form sentence next to the statute’s “next calendar year” window. We do not invent a winner about a click in September 2026.

The dissolution lists are not the same, and neither list is the registered-agent job. W. Va. Code §31B-8-809 says the Secretary of State may commence a proceeding to administratively dissolve a limited liability company if it fails to pay fees, taxes, or penalties within 60 days after they are due, or fails to deliver its annual report within 60 days after it is due, or loses a required professional license, or is in default with the Bureau of Employment Programs, or misrepresents a material matter. A missing agent is not on that list. W. Va. Code §31B-8-810 says the Secretary of State notifies the company by certified mail under W. Va. Code §31B-1-111. If the company does not correct each ground, or show that the ground does not exist, within 60 days after service of that notice is perfected, the Secretary of State signs and files a certificate of dissolution. Administrative dissolution does not terminate the authority of the agent for service of process. The company may carry on only the business needed to wind up. W. Va. Code §31D-14-1420 is the corporation list. It includes failure to pay fees, franchise taxes, or penalties within 60 days, and failure to notify the Secretary of State within 60 days that the registered agent or registered office changed, that the agent resigned, or that the office was discontinued. It also includes an expired duration, a revoked professional license, an employment-programs default, and a material misrepresentation. It does not copy the LLC’s “annual report within 60 days” line. W. Va. Code §59-1-2a still covers corporations in the $25 report fee and in the certified-mail notice before dissolution or revocation for unpaid fees. Bizee’s page says West Virginia can administratively dissolve an LLC for not maintaining a registered agent. W. Va. Code §31B-8-809 does not print that ground. LegalZoom’s FAQ ties a 60-day replacement failure to dissolution. W. Va. Code §31D-14-1420 prints a 60-day notice failure after a resignation or a discontinued office. W. Va. Code §31B-8-809 does not. We print the vendor sentences and the two lists. We do not invent a winner.

The public lookup sits on the business search. Confirm the live line on the business organization search before you treat a marketing city as current. Annual reports can be filed at the One Stop address printed on Form LLD-1, onestop.wv.gov. LegalZoom’s article names a different search host, apps.wv.gov/sos/businessentitysearch. The search we opened is apps.sos.wv.gov/business/corporations/. We print both hosts. We do not invent a third one.

Form LLD-1 prints the Business and Licensing phone as (304) 558-8000. The customer-order sheet prints the One Stop Center at 13 Kanawha Blvd. W., Suite 201, Charleston, WV 25302, and the State Capitol Building, Charleston, WV 25305, phone (304) 558-6000. ZenBusiness’s contact table prints State Capitol Building, 13 Kanawha Blvd. W, Suite 201, Charleston, WV 25305, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and (304) 558-8000. We print the form’s 25302 suite and the form’s 25305 Capitol, and we print ZenBusiness’s combined line and those hours. Those lines are Secretary of State contacts as the form and the vendor table print them. They are not a vendor’s registered office. West Virginia does not post Florida-style 10-to-noon and 2-to-4 windows. We do not treat a company 9-to-5 line as W. Va. Code §31B-1-108.

Cited prices, retrieved September 24, 2026

We print what the company’s official registered-agent page said on the retrieval date. No company publishes a different West Virginia registered-agent price from the national card, except where we note a West Virginia-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 24, 2026 from northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent and the West Virginia product page. The West Virginia 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 Hinton, WV, and that scans are same-day. It does not print a street. The same company also sells extra mail scans. The page says five free scans of regular business mail a year, then $15 a document. Those extras are a different product. We do not grade those extras as the registered-agent job. The same page says they will pay and file the change of agent. That is their service. Form AAO is $15. We do not invent a Northwest state-fee dollar the registered-agent page did not print. The same page says every state-registered business is required to have a registered agent, and that the agent must list a physical address and be present during business hours. W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 says “may.” We print Northwest’s requirement sentence as Northwest copy. We do not treat that hours line as the statute.
• Bizee: official registered-agent page: free first year with formation; standalone $149/year; year two $149/year. Retrieved September 24, 2026 from bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent and the West Virginia product page. That page says the articles fee is $100 online or $65 by mail, and that the annual report is due June 30. W. Va. Code §59-1-2 and Form LLD-1 print $100. W. Va. Code §59-1-2a prints 11:59 p.m. on June 30. W. Va. Code §31B-2-211 prints January 1 to July 1. The same page says the state can administratively dissolve an LLC that does not maintain a registered agent. W. Va. Code §31B-8-809 does not print that ground. It says every LLC must appoint an agent. W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 says “may.” After a free first year with formation, the page says the service is $149 a year. The page names no West Virginia street. We print those vendor sentences. We do not invent a West Virginia-only price from a missing dollar.
• LegalZoom: official overview retrieved September 24, 2026: “$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 from legalzoom.com/…/registered-agent-overview.html and the West Virginia article, updated May 18, 2026. The article says W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 uses “may,” and that the Secretary of State is the fallback under W. Va. Code §31B-1-111 when no agent is designated. Those two sentences can match the statutes we read. It also says the agent must be at least 18. W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 does not print an age. It says a foreign LLC must appoint an agent. W. Va. Code §31B-10-1002 prints “if any.” It cites Section 31E-5-503 for resignation. The LLC section we read is W. Va. Code §31B-1-110. It says the annual report is due July 1 and tells you to confirm the fee. It does not print $25. It talks about $49 to $300 a year as a market range. That range is not a LegalZoom price. The article’s own service price is $249/year. It publishes no LegalZoom street and no LegalZoom city. We print those vendor sentences. 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 24, 2026 from the pricing help page and the West Virginia page. The West Virginia page was last updated August 27, 2025. It does not print $99 or $199. It talks about $100 to higher rates as a market range. That range is not a ZenBusiness price. It prints Form AAO at $15. That dollar matches the form, the fee schedule, and W. Va. Code §59-1-2. It says you can change the agent on the annual report between January 1 and July 1 for $25, and that this avoids a second fee. W. Va. Code §31B-2-211 says the report lists the agent if any. Form LLD-10’s annual-report sheet, attached to a reinstatement, says “if new agent, furnish new agent’s signature.” We print ZenBusiness’s annual-report change sentence and those two papers. We do not treat the annual report as Form AAO. It says resignation stays in place for 31 days and that the resignation fee is $15. The 31 days match W. Va. Code §31B-1-110. The fee schedule does not title a resignation row. The page publishes no ZenBusiness street. It prints Secretary of State contacts. The national page says they currently do not offer registered-agent service to PLLCs or nonprofits. That is their national exclusion, not a West Virginia statute. We keep the $99 and $199 card. We do not invent a West Virginia-only price.

A change of agent is a separate Secretary of State filing. Form AAO, the fee schedule, and W. Va. Code §59-1-2 price it at $15. ZenBusiness prints $15. Northwest says their filing service covers the change and does not print the state line. Bizee does not print $15. LegalZoom does not print a change dollar. The annual report can list the agent if any. It is still not the registered-agent job. The $25 report fee, and the $50 late fee, are not this change.

Who publishes a West Virginia 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 business search before you file. Headquarters is not the registered office. The Secretary of State’s Charleston contacts are not vendor suites.

• Northwest. The West Virginia product page says they accept and scan documents on-site at their registered office in Hinton, WV. It does not print a street or a suite. We do not invent a Hinton street the product page did not print. Northwest also sells extra mail scans. Those extras are a different product. The city is vendor-claimed. Use the business search for the name on your own filing.
• Bizee. Claims owned offices in all 50 states. The official registered-agent page names no West Virginia street. The live West Virginia product page names no West Virginia street. The contact page lists 17350 State Highway 249, Suite 220, Houston, TX 77064 as headquarters. That address is not a West Virginia registered-agent street.
• LegalZoom. The West Virginia article publishes no LegalZoom city and no LegalZoom street. We do not invent a Charleston suite. We do not treat a LegalZoom virtual-mail street as the registered-agent street.
• ZenBusiness. The West Virginia registered-agent page publishes no ZenBusiness street or city. It prints Secretary of State office contacts at 13 Kanawha Blvd. W. Those lines are the office. They are not ZenBusiness. We do not treat Suite 201 or the Capitol as their suite.

If you are your own agent, the address on the public record is often your home. W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 lets an individual resident of this state serve. Form LLD-1 says you may wish to name one. The designated office line on that form is a physical office, with a mailing line if it is different. A commercial mailbox is not that physical line. If you hire a company, the agent line is that organization’s name, and the address on the filing still has to match the form you are filing. Northwest’s product page names Hinton and prints no street. Bizee publishes no West Virginia street. LegalZoom publishes no city and no street. ZenBusiness publishes Secretary of State contacts, not a ZenBusiness suite. We label every published city vendor-claimed. Use the business search.

The optional agent, the $15 change, and the two clocks

A West Virginia limited liability company may keep a designated office and an agent for service of process. The articles and the annual report say “if any.” A business corporation may keep a registered office and a registered agent. The articles of incorporation say “if any.” The two lists of who may serve are not the same, and the Secretary of State’s role is not the same. For an LLC, the Secretary of State becomes the agent when no agent is appointed or maintained, or when the agent cannot be found, and then forwards the papers by registered or certified mail. Acceptance of that service is $15, plus $5 for certified mail inside the United States, or $15 for registered mail outside the United States. For a corporation created under the business corporation act, the Secretary of State is already the attorney-in-fact, and no appointment of the Secretary of State is necessary. If a corporation has no agent, or the agent cannot be served, there is also a mail path to the corporate secretary at the principal office, perfected at receipt, at a signed return, or five days after mailing. Form AAO is $15. The LLC statute does not require the new agent’s signature. The form has a consent line. The corporation change statute requires written consent. Resignation ends on the thirty-first day. The fee schedule does not title a resignation dollar. Northwest and ZenBusiness print $15. The annual report is $25 for the Secretary of State’s work as attorney-in-fact and for other office work. W. Va. Code §59-1-2a says it is due by 11:59 p.m. on June 30. W. Va. Code §31B-2-211 says January 1 to July 1. A late profit report is $50. A company with five consecutive timely annual reports may elect a $50 biennial report. The special window for a company that had already met that test on July 1, 2026, is January 1 to July 1 of 2027. An LLC can be administratively dissolved for a report that is 60 days late, after notice and 60 more days to cure. A missing LLC agent is not on that list. A corporation can be administratively dissolved if it waits 60 days to report that the agent resigned or the office was discontinued. You can apply to put an LLC back within two years. The report lists the agent if any. It is not the job. West Virginia 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 Hinton and prints no street. LegalZoom publishes no city. ZenBusiness publishes Secretary of State contacts, not a ZenBusiness suite. Bizee names no West Virginia street. Process Score has not been to those offices. We do not treat a company 9-to-5 line as W. Va. Code §31B-1-108.

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 West Virginia page talks about a physical street and does not print a West Virginia 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 West Virginia page adds same-day scans at the Hinton 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 West Virginia article names no city and no street. Junk-mail shredding is not the job we score. That 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 West Virginia statute. The West Virginia page prints Secretary of State contacts. Those lines are office copy. They are not W. Va. Code §31B-2-203.

Home-address privacy

Naming a commercial agent is how many West Virginia owners keep a home off the agent line. The Secretary of State still publishes the agent name and address when one is on file, and the annual report still lists managers or members with authority. Privacy of the agent line is not privacy of every field. A West Virginia limited liability company may leave the agent line blank. If it does, the Secretary of State is the agent under W. Va. Code §31B-1-111, and the mail goes to the last address the office has. A blank line is not the same thing as a private line. Confirm the live line on the business 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 W. Va. Code §31B-1-108.
• It does not treat the annual report, or the $25 fee, or the $50 late fee, as the registered-agent job. The report lists the agent if any. The job is taking court papers.
• It does not turn the LLC “may” into a “shall.” W. Va. Code §31B-1-108, W. Va. Code §31B-2-203, and Form LLD-1 print “may” and “if any.”
• It does not turn the corporation “may” into a “shall.” W. Va. Code §31D-5-501 and W. Va. Code §31D-2-202 print “may” and “if any.”
• It does not treat an LLC and a corporation as the same rule. The people who may serve differ. The Secretary of State’s role differs. The dissolution lists differ.
• It does not treat Northwest’s “required” sentence, Bizee’s “must,” or ZenBusiness’s “rejected filing” sentence as W. Va. Code §31B-1-108.
• It does not invent an age of 18. LegalZoom prints 18. W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 does not.
• It does not move LegalZoom’s Section 31E-5-503 citation into the LLC resignation section. The LLC section we read is W. Va. Code §31B-1-110.
• It does not treat Bizee’s $65 mail articles fee as W. Va. Code §59-1-2. The statute, Form LLD-1, and the fee schedule print $100.
• It does not invent a resignation dollar. The fee schedule we opened titles Form AAO at $15 and does not title a resignation row. Northwest and ZenBusiness print $15.
• It does not invent a Northwest, Bizee, or LegalZoom change dollar the pages we used did not print. ZenBusiness’s $15 sentence matches Form AAO.
• It does not treat Northwest’s “we will file the change for you” as a state fee. That line is their service.
• It does not treat ZenBusiness’s annual-report change sentence as a substitute for Form AAO. The report lists the agent if any. Form LLD-10 asks a new agent to sign on a reinstatement packet.
• It does not treat ZenBusiness’s “$100 to higher rates” range, or LegalZoom’s “$49 to $300” range, as that company’s West Virginia price.
• It does not invent a winner between June 30 at 11:59 p.m. and July 1. W. Va. Code §59-1-2a prints the first. W. Va. Code §31B-2-211 and Form LLD-1 print the second.
• It does not invent a September 2026 biennial election. The statute’s window for a company that had already met the five-year test on July 1, 2026, is January 1 to July 1 of the next calendar year.
• It does not treat a missing LLC agent as a ground in W. Va. Code §31B-8-809. That list names the annual report and unpaid fees. W. Va. Code §31D-14-1420 names a 60-day failure to report a resignation or a discontinued office.
• It does not treat a Houston headquarters as a West Virginia street.
• It does not treat 13 Kanawha Blvd. W., Suite 201, or the Capitol, as a vendor suite. Those contacts are the Secretary of State.
• It does not invent a West Virginia-only price a company did not print.
• It does not invent a Hinton street, or a LegalZoom street, the pages did not print.
• It does not treat a post office box on Form CF-1’s mailing line as the designated physical office. It does not invent a “no P.O. Box” sentence that W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 did not print.
• It does not pretend a blank LLC agent line is a private address. W. Va. Code §31B-1-111 makes the Secretary of State the agent, and the mail follows the last address on file.
• 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 West Virginia statute.
• It does not score West Virginia tax filings. A Tax Commissioner certificate on reinstatement is not the registered-agent job.

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 $500 annual report cannot change that line: Massachusetts scorecard. Maryland’s statute names a resident agent and sends the filing to SDAT, not the Secretary of State: Maryland scorecard. Tennessee wants a registered office and a registered agent at the same street. The $300 LLC annual report is not that job: Tennessee scorecard. Minnesota wants a registered office. A Minnesota-formed company may name an agent. The free December 31 renewal is not that job: Minnesota scorecard. Wisconsin files the agent at DFI, not the Secretary of State. A P.O. Box, a mailbox service, or a telephone answering service is not the office: Wisconsin scorecard. Oregon’s street cannot be a commercial mail receiving agency, a mail-forwarding shop, or a virtual office. The $100 anniversary renewal is not the registered-agent job: Oregon scorecard. Missouri LLCs file no annual report with the Secretary of State. They still must keep a registered office and a registered agent: Missouri scorecard. Alabama’s street cannot be solely a mailbox service or a telephone answering service. The Business Privilege Tax return is a Department of Revenue paper: Alabama scorecard. South Carolina’s LLC statute names a designated office and an agent for service of process. Typical pass-through LLCs file no annual report with the Secretary of State: South Carolina scorecard. Arkansas’s LLC statute sends the job to the Model Registered Agents Act. The $150 franchise-tax paper is due May 1: Arkansas scorecard. Connecticut’s office is the Secretary of the State. Live form BUS-09 bans a P.O. Box on the business and residence street. The separate mailing line may be a P.O. Box: Connecticut scorecard. Utah’s office is the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. A P.O. Box is only allowed on the mailing line. The $18 annual report is due in the anniversary month: Utah scorecard. Mississippi’s office is the Secretary of State. The LLC statute sends the job to the Mississippi Registered Agents Act. The domestic LLC annual report is $0 and due April 15: Mississippi scorecard. Oklahoma’s LLC statute lets the company name itself as the agent. The $25 anniversary certificate is not that job: Oklahoma scorecard. Louisiana names the agent on a notarized Initial Report. The $30 anniversary annual report is still not that job: Louisiana scorecard. Iowa’s live statute names a registered agent with a place of business in this state. Changing the LLC agent on the live table is no fee. The $30 odd-year biennial report is still not that job: Iowa scorecard. Kentucky wants a registered office and a registered agent at the same street. Unless the agent signs the appointment, it waits on a written acceptance. The $15 June 30 annual report is still not that job: Kentucky scorecard. Nebraska’s LLC statute names an office and an agent for service of process. Changing the LLC agent on the live table is $25 online or $30 on paper. The $30 odd-year biennial report is still not that job: Nebraska scorecard. Kansas’s statute names a resident agent. Changing the agent is Form ROA at $30 online or $35 on paper. The $90 even-or-odd Information Report is still not that job: Kansas scorecard. Idaho’s anniversary-month annual report can change the registered agent if the agent line differs. The statute prices that report at no fee. The live change form’s paper surcharge is $20. The $100 commercial listing is still not that job: Idaho scorecard. New Mexico LLCs file no Secretary of State annual report. Staying without a registered agent for 30 days is how the state can revoke the company. The statute prices the LLC statement of change at $20: New Mexico scorecard. North Dakota will not let the company be its own registered agent. A statement of change is $10. A business LLC report, a farm report, and a corporation report are not the same day: North Dakota scorecard. New Hampshire bans a commercial mailbox, a virtual office, or a mail-forwarding service as the registered office. Form 10 is $15. Resignation ends after 31 days. Staying without an agent or office for 60 days is how the Secretary of State may dissolve the company. The April 1 $100 annual report is not that job: New Hampshire scorecard. Montana’s fee page prices a statement of change at no fee. The April 15 report is waived until it is late, and the LLC and corporation clocks are not the same: Montana scorecard.