Alabama Registered Agent Requirements
Every Alabama LLC must designate and continuously maintain a registered agent and a registered office in the state. The requirement comes from Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31, it attaches the moment your Certificate of Formation is filed, and it never expires while the LLC exists. Here is what the statute actually demands, who qualifies, and how our service fits.
What the Statute Requires
Section 10A-1-5.31 of the Code of Alabama governs the designation and maintenance of the registered agent and registered office. In practice it means three things for your LLC:
- A named registered agent must appear in the state's records at all times.
- The registered office must be a street address in Alabama where process can be personally served on the agent. It does not have to be a place where the LLC does business, but it cannot be solely a mailbox service or a telephone answering service, and the Secretary of State's forms rule out PO boxes.
- The agent must keep a business office at the same address as the registered office.
Who Can Serve
Under the statute, the agent must be either:
- an individual who resides in Alabama, or
- a domestic entity, or a foreign entity registered to transact business in Alabama.
That first category means a member or manager who lives in Alabama can be listed as the agent, since any Alabama-resident individual qualifies. The practical tradeoffs are a different question: the agent's address becomes part of the public record, and someone needs to be reachable at that address during business hours whenever a process server shows up. Listing your home puts lawsuits, state notices, and a fair amount of junk mail on your doorstep.
What the Agent Actually Handles
Ready to get started?
Get StartedThe registered agent is the LLC's official window for:
- Service of process. If the LLC is sued, the papers go to the agent, and the clock on responding starts running.
- State notices. Official correspondence from the Alabama Secretary of State routes through the registered office.
- Tax and legal mail. Government notices addressed to the entity land with the agent for forwarding.
An agent who misses a delivery is the expensive kind of failure: a lawsuit can proceed while you are unaware of it.
Changing Your Registered Agent
Alabama handles agent swaps with one filing: the Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity, a statement of change under Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.32. The state does not number the form; you can download it directly from the Secretary of State. It is filed with the Secretary of State's Business Services Division, by mail or by email to miscellaneous.filings@sos.alabama.gov.
The fee is $100 per the official fee schedule. A caution: a lot of reference sites still list $25 for this filing, and that figure is simply out of date. The current schedule says $100.
Our Alabama Registered Agent Service
We serve as the registered agent for Alabama LLCs at $99 per year, renewing at the same annual price. The service includes:
- An Alabama street address that satisfies § 10A-1-5.31, keeping your own address off the public record
- Same-day scanning and forwarding when service of process or state mail arrives
- An online portal holding every document we have ever received for you
- Deadline reminders so nothing from the state slips past
Form your LLC through us for $199 and the first year of registered agent service is included; the seat renews at $99 per year afterward. Already have an Alabama LLC? You can add us as your agent on your own, or have us prepare the § 10A-1-5.32 change filing for you.