Can You Be Your Own Registered Agent in California? Yes, If You Meet These Rules

The California rule

Who can serve: A California resident, or a corporation registered with the Secretary of State as a corporate agent under Corporations Code § 1505. A business cannot act as its own agent for service of process.

The address: An individual agent's California street address goes on the public record. A registered corporate agent's address is already on file with the state and is not repeated in the company's filing.

The LLC itself cannot be its own agent in California; an individual or another business serves. Changing agents in California has no state fee. Source: Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13, checked October 20, 2026.

The trade-offs

• Your California address goes on the public filing.
• Papers are handed to you at that address, so you need to be there when the state’s rule says.
• If you move, you file a change of agent (no state fee in California).

If you would rather not

Mainstay Filing is $149 a year for registered agent service in California, the same at renewal. Service of process is scanned and uploaded the same business day at no fee.