Resident agent vs registered agent: same job, different word

The name changes. The job does not. The agent keeps a street in the state, takes court papers there, and gets them to the company. Handing over those papers is called service of process. The agent is not a mailbox. What is a registered agent for an LLC? covers the job. Ohio and Arizona use a third name, covered in What is a statutory agent?

If you hire a commercial registered-agent company for a Michigan LLC, it serves as your resident agent. Same service, same price on the company’s page. Only the label on the state form is different.

Michigan resident agent

Michigan’s LLC rule is MCL 450.4207. Every Michigan LLC, and every out-of-state LLC authorized to do business in Michigan, must keep two things in the state at all times: a registered office and a resident agent.

• The registered office is a street in Michigan. It may be the same as the place of business, but it does not have to be.
• The resident agent can be a person who lives in Michigan whose business office or home is at that registered office. Or it can be a corporation or LLC with a business office at that same address.
• The job. The resident agent is the company’s agent for any process, notice, or demand the law allows to be served on the company.

The office that keeps the record is the Corporations Division at the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, called LARA. LARA’s FAQ says a resident agent is a person designated to accept mail, documents, or service of process on behalf of an entity. It says the division records the resident agent’s name on the public record, and that the registered office address is the physical location of the resident agent.

LARA’s annual statements page adds three plain rules. The resident agent address must be in Michigan. If you do not have a Michigan address, you may hire a service company or a law firm. A business cannot be its own resident agent.

Michigan change of resident agent form

The form is CSCL/CD-520, Certificate of Change of Registered Office and/or Change of Resident Agent. The version we read was revised July 2025. What it says:

• Fee: $5.00, nonrefundable.
• Who uses it: Michigan and out-of-state corporations and LLCs.
• No P.O. box. The form says a post office box may not be the registered office. A P.O. box is allowed only on the separate mailing line.
• Who signs for an LLC: a manager if the LLC is run by managers, a member if it is run by members, or an authorized agent. The resident agent may sign if only the registered office is changing.
• How to file: online at michigan.gov/corpfileonline, by mail to the Corporations Division in Lansing, or in person.

LARA’s FAQ describes the online steps. Sign in to the MiBusiness Registry Portal with a MiLogin for Business account, search for the company, choose File Online, then File Subsequent Document. Pay by debit or credit card. The statute behind the form is MCL 450.4209.

You can also update the resident agent on the annual statement. LARA’s annual page says the annual filing is the time to update the registered office and the resident agent’s name and address. The LLC annual statement is $25 and due February 15. LLC annual report has the dates for Michigan and other states. If you need the change on the record now, file the $5 form. Do not wait for February.

When a Michigan resident agent quits

MCL 450.4208 sets the clock for an LLC. The agent files a written notice of resignation with LARA and tells a member or manager. The company must promptly appoint a successor. The old appointment ends 30 days after the notice is filed, or as soon as a successor is appointed, whichever comes first.

If nobody is there, Michigan has a backup. Under MCL 450.4207(4), if the LLC fails to keep an agent, or the agent cannot be found with reasonable diligence, the person suing can deliver or mail the summons and complaint to LARA by registered mail. The lawsuit then reaches the state office, not you. Service of process covers why that is a bad way to find out.

The Michigan scorecard grades the commercial companies that serve as resident agents there, with the price after year 1 and how each one says it forwards court papers.

Maryland resident agent

Maryland’s LLC rule is Md. Code, Corps. & Ass’ns § 4A-210. Each LLC must have a principal office in Maryland and a resident agent.

• The LLC names or changes its resident agent by filing a signed statement with the Department. The change takes effect when the Department accepts it for record.
• A resident agent who moves within Maryland can file a statement of the new address.
• A resident agent may resign by filing a signed resignation. It takes effect right away if the LLC has appointed a successor. If not, it takes effect 10 days after filing.

Ten days is short next to Michigan’s 30. If your Maryland agent resigns, act that week. The Maryland scorecard covers the state’s forms and the commercial agents.

Indiana and the other states say registered agent

Indiana’s INBiz page says each business entity must continuously maintain a registered agent and a registered office in Indiana, and that a business cannot act as its own registered agent. That is the same rule as Michigan’s, under the more common name. The Indiana scorecard has the details.

If you own LLCs in both Michigan and Indiana, you need an agent in each state. One company can serve as both if it has an office in both. Foreign qualification covers registering an LLC in a second state.