California’s Secretary of State allows an individual resident or a § 1505 corporate agent. That is the whole menu. Everything else is packaging.
| Do it yourself | Your lawyer | Commercial registered agent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is the agent | You, a member, or another California resident. | Counsel, if they reside in California and agree to be listed. | A corporation with a current § 1505 application. You need their advance approval. |
| Whose street hits the SOS | Usually your home or office. The FAQ says that street is a public record. | The lawyer’s office street, if that is what you file. | The corporate agent’s 1505 street — not the owner’s home, if you actually designate the corporation. |
| Hours | You must be available during ordinary business hours for hand delivery. Travel is your problem. | The firm’s reception, if they will accept service. Ask. Do not assume. | The job they sell: someone at a physical street during posted business hours. |
| Year-1 price | $0, plus the cost of being home. | Whatever the engagement letter says. We will not invent a blended hourly. | Cited on the California scorecard: Northwest $125 (or free year 1 with their formation); Bizee free year 1 with formation / $149 standalone; LegalZoom $249; ZenBusiness $99 + state fees. |
| Year-2 price | $0, same hours problem. | Still the engagement. Some firms drop the listing if invoices stop. | Northwest $125; Bizee official $149; LegalZoom “purchase rate,” subject to change; ZenBusiness $199. Retrieved August 30, 2026. |
| Service of process | A process server finds you. There is no scan portal unless you build one. | The firm forwards papers under its own procedure. Ask for the SLA in writing. | Scan, email, courier — vendor-published paths, graded as process, not as mailbox mail. |
| Home-address privacy | Weak, if your residence is the agent street. | Better if the office street is used. The rest of the SOS filing can still name you. | The point of a commercial agent: keep the home off the agent line. |
| Not a mailbox | Your kitchen table is still not a CMRA. | A law office is not a pack-and-ship store. | SOP and official notices only. Do not use the agent street as a shop or a Google pin. |
When DIY is honest
DIY is honest if you live in California, will be at a street address during ordinary business hours, and accept that the street is public. It is a bad fit if you travel, work from a coffee shop, or do not want a process server at the house. The SOS will not waive hours because you prefer email.
When a lawyer is the product
Counsel as agent is a person-and-office product. You are not buying a 50-state scan dashboard. You are buying someone who already has a California street and, if you are lucky, a receptionist. Ask whether they charge a separate annual listing fee and what happens if you change firms. We do not invent that fee.
When a commercial agent is the product
A commercial registered agent is the § 1505 corporation. Year-1 teasers are common. Year 2 is the price. Confirm consent before you file the name. Confirm the live agent on bizfile Online. Read the California scorecard for cited stickers. Links there are official pages.
None of these three options is a virtual mailbox, a CMRA, or a virtual office. If a commercial agent also sells mail scanning of marketing pieces, that add-on is out of scope for Process Score.
Sources for this page
- California Secretary of State, Agent for Service of Process FAQ (retrieved August 30, 2026)
- Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13
- Official vendor price pages cited on the California scorecard, retrieved August 30, 2026.