Anyone can search a state’s business records. California’s Secretary of State says the agent’s name and physical street are a public record, and so are all the company addresses given in filings. Florida’s reinstatement page says anything you submit on that form becomes part of the public record. Assume every line you write on a state form can be read by a stranger.
The fix is mostly about choices you make at formation. Changing an address later is possible. Getting an old filing out of the public record is a separate question that this page does not promise an answer to. Ask the state office.
Where your home address can show up
| Line on the filing | Why it can be your home | What to use instead |
|---|---|---|
| Registered agent street | You named yourself as agent and work from home | A commercial agent’s street, or an office you are at during business hours |
| Principal office or company address | The company has no other address | An office, shop, or other business address the company actually uses |
| Mailing address | It defaulted to your home | A business address or, where the form allows it, a P.O. box |
| Manager, member, or organizer address | The form asks for an address for each person | Read the form. Some accept a business address where the person can be reached. |
The registered agent line
A registered agent is the person or company at a street in the state who can be handed a lawsuit for the business. It is not a mailbox. That street must be real, and in many states it cannot be a P.O. box. Michigan’s change form says a post office box may not be the registered office.
If you serve as your own agent from home, your home street is the agent street. Ohio makes this explicit. Ohio Rev. Code § 1706.09 says an individual statutory agent lists the street address of their primary residence. California’s FAQ warns that an officer named as agent should know their name and street become public.
This is the line a commercial agent fixes. The agent’s street goes on the record in place of yours, and the agent forwards what arrives. For an owner who works from home, that alone can be worth the fee. Can I be my own registered agent? covers the trade-off. What is a registered agent address? covers what that street must be. How much does a registered agent cost? covers the yearly price.
The state scorecards, such as Michigan and Indiana, include a privacy grade for each commercial agent. It covers whether the owner’s home stays off the agent line.
The company and mailing addresses
A registered agent covers the agent line only. It does not change the company’s principal office or mailing address. If you leave those as your home, your home is still on the record.
- Principal office. Use the address where the business really operates, if it has one away from home. A real office, shop, or shared workspace you rent works if you have a right to use it.
- Mailing address. Some forms treat this as a separate line. Michigan’s change form says the mailing line may be a street address or a P.O. box, while the registered office may not be a P.O. box.
Some agent companies sell a business address as a separate product. That is not part of the agent fee, and it has its own rules. Read what you are buying.
A virtual mailbox is the other common way to keep your home off the mailing line. Mailroom Score's guide to a virtual address for an LLC covers which filing lines a rented street can fill and which it cannot.
The manager and member lines
Some states ask who runs the LLC, with an address for each person. Two examples, read October 20, 2026:
- Nevada. The annual list under NRS 86.263 names each manager, or each managing member if there are no managers, with an address for each.
- Florida. A reinstatement under Fla. Stat. § 605.0715 lists the name, title, and address of at least one person with authority to manage the company.
Read the form’s instructions on what kind of address it accepts for a person. Do not put down an address you cannot be reached at. A false address on a state filing causes worse problems than a public one.
Steps, at formation
- Hire a registered agent in each state where the LLC is registered, or name a person whose street is an office.
- Decide the company address before you file. If the business has an office, use it.
- Read every address line on the articles and note what each one allows.
- Check the public record after the filing posts. Search your own LLC and read every line as a stranger would.
How to start an LLC, step by step covers the rest of formation.
Steps, if your home is already on the record
- Change the agent. File the state’s change form with the new agent’s street. In Michigan that is form CSCL/CD-520, a $5 filing. How to change a registered agent on an LLC covers the order.
- Change the company addresses. Some states take this on the annual report. California’s FAQ says an address of record is changed by filing the right document, such as a Statement of Information. LLC annual report covers those filings.
- Ask about the old filing. A new filing changes the current record. Whether older filings stay viewable is up to the state. Ask the office.
Short answers
Does a registered agent hide my name?
No. An agent replaces the agent’s street and name on that one line. Your name can still appear as a manager, member, or organizer if the form asks for it.
Can I use a P.O. box as my registered agent address?
Usually not. Michigan and Ohio both rule out a P.O. box for the agent’s street. A P.O. box can sometimes be the separate mailing address. Can an LLC use a PO Box? on Mailroom Score goes through four states line by line.
Can I form in a state that asks for fewer names?
You can form anywhere, but if you do business at home you will likely have to register there too. That second filing has its own public lines. Foreign qualification covers it.
Sources
Pages below were read October 20, 2026.
- California Secretary of State, Business Entities FAQ. The agent’s name and physical street are public, as are all company addresses in filings. An officer named as agent should know their street becomes public. Addresses of record are changed by filing, such as a Statement of Information.
- Florida Division of Corporations, Reinstatement. Information submitted becomes part of the public record.
- Fla. Stat. § 605.0715. Reinstatement lists the name, title, and address of at least one person with authority to manage.
- Ohio Rev. Code § 1706.09. An individual statutory agent lists the street of their primary residence. A P.O. box is not a usual place of business.
- Michigan LARA, Form CSCL/CD-520. $5. The registered office may not be a P.O. box. The mailing line may be.
- NRS 86.263. The annual list names each manager or managing member with an address.