Yes, you can use your home address as your Registered Agent address.
However, it’s important to know that your Registered Agent address is public record.
This means that if you use your home address as your Registered Agent address, it could be found by anyone searching for your business online.
We’ll explain why your Registered Agent address is public record, and how to keep your home address private.
Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.
Only need RA service? Use this link instead ($125 per year).
(Learn why we recommend Northwest in our review)
What is a Registered Agent?
A Registered Agent is a person or business that agrees to accept state notices and legal documents on behalf of an LLC before forwarding those documents onto the LLC.
The delivery of legal documents is called Service of Process.
And a Registered Agent’s main duty is to accept of Service of Process.
This makes your Registered Agent your LLC’s primary point of contact in the state where it’s registered to do business.
So, the state and courts need to know where your Registered Agent is located.
This is why all states require you to list your Registered Agent’s name and address on your LLC Articles of Organization, and keep it up-to-date using your LLC Annual Report.
What are Public Records?
Put simply, public records are documents that aren’t confidential, meaning that the public has a right to view and access them.
Most states consider business filings that are submitted to the Secretary of State to be public records.
Some states, like Michigan, allow you to access a business’s entire filing history on its Secretary of State website.
Other states, like Wisconsin, require you to order copies of documents in order to see a business’s filing history.
Regardless of the state, you can always find a business’s Registered Agent information (including their name and address) on their Secretary of State’s website.
Are Public Records permanent?
Yes, once something is on the public record, it’s usually there permanently (unless you get a court order to remove it).
This means that your home address will permanently be on the public record if you use it as your Registered Agent address.
This is true even if you change your Registered Agent.
For example: Let’s say that you formed your LLC in 2024. On your Articles of Organization, you listed yourself as your Registered Agent and used your home address as your Registered Agent address (called the Registered Office).
In 2025, you filed your Annual Report, again listing your home address.
In 2026, you hired a Registered Agent Service and changed your Registered Office to their address.
Even though the Registered Office address has changed, your Articles of Organization and 2025 Annual Report will always list your home address as your Registered Office.
Said another way, your Registered Agent address is part of the public record, and updating it doesn’t remove it from past filings.
Why is my Registered Agent address public record?
Your Registered Agent must be on the public record because the state and courts need to know where to send state notices and legal documents.
Registered Agents play an important role in our legal system by receiving Service of Process on behalf of LLCs.
This duty helps make sure that legal documents, like summons and complaints, are delivered to, and received by, the right people. It also helps courts track the delivery of documents.
Most court actions have strict timing, so a Registered Agent’s address must be easy to find.
If your Registered Agent address wasn’t on public record, people trying to sue your business would have to contact you to ask where legal documents would need to be sent.
This process would be very inefficient. And not everyone would be honest about their address if they were part of a lawsuit.
So, your Registered Agent address must be public record so the state and courts can run efficiently.
Should I use my home address as my Registered Agent address?
It depends.
If you’re comfortable with your home address being public record, then there really isn’t a drawback to listing your home address as your Registered Agent address.
Also, if you’re already using your home address as part of your business, you really don’t need to worry about using it as your Registered Agent address.
For example: Let’s say that you run a woodworking LLC out of your home. You advertise your services online and regularly have customers come to your shop which is located in a shed at your home address.
Since you’re already advertising using your address, and have customers coming to your home, there isn’t much risk to using your home address as your Registered Agent address.
That said, if you run your LLC out of your home but don’t do in-person business, you may want to keep your home address private.
For example: Let’s say you have a Nebraska LLC that sells custom made jewelry. All sales are done online, and your home address is left off of all advertising that you do.
However, you listed yourself as your Registered Agent, and used your home address as the Registered Agent address.
Now anyone who searches for your business can find your home address on the Nebraska Secretary of State website, or by doing a simple Google search.
Even if you don’t mind your home address being on public record, you also have to consider that it may appear on other websites.
Some websites download the records from Secretary of State websites and republish them. This can cause your address to quickly spread across the internet.
If you run your LLC out of your home and privacy is important to you, this is something to consider.
Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.
Only need RA service? Use this link instead ($125 per year).
(Learn why we recommend Northwest in our review)
What if I’m my own Registered Agent?
If you run your business out of your home and you list yourself as your LLC’s Registered Agent, you must list your home address as your Registered Agent address.
This means that when deciding if you want to be your own Registered Agent, you should consider how much you value your privacy.
If having your home address on public record doesn’t bother you, being your own agent might be the way to go.
If you’d rather keep it private, we recommend hiring a Registered Agent Service.
Our favorite company is Northwest Registered Agent because they:
- let you use their address throughout your LLC paperwork,
- have excellent customer service, and
- only cost $125/year.
If privacy is important to you, Northwest is the most affordable way to protect it.
FAQs
Can I use a PO Box as my Registered Agent address?
No, you can’t use a PO Box as your Registered Agent address.
According to state law, the Registered Agent’s address must be a physical address.
And the Registered Agent must be physically present at the Registered Agent address during normal business hours (Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm).
Since a PO Box isn’t a physical address and your Registered Agent isn’t physically present there, it can’t be used as your Registered Agent address.
For more information, please read Can I use a PO Box as my Registered Agent address?
How do I choose a Registered Agent Service?
When choosing a Registered Agent Service for your business, you’ll want to make sure that the services they provide meet the needs of your business.
You’ll also want to consider things like cost, payment schedule, and cancellation methods.
We recommend Northwest Registered Agent because they:
- allow you to use their address throughout your LLC paperwork,
- have excellent customer service, and
- are reasonably priced ($125 per year).
To help you make the best decision for your business, please read Best Registered Agent Services for Your LLC.
Is the Principal Office the same thing as the Principal Place of Business?
No, a “Principal Office” is different from a “Principal Place of Business”.
When you are asked to list a “Principal Place of Business”, you’re usually being asked for the location where you are physically doing business.
Most business license applications ask for your “Principal Place of Business” because you must physically display the license at that location.
You should never use a Registered Agent address as your LLC’s “Principal Place of Business”.
On the other hand, the “Principal Office” is the location where you keep your business records, or where your decision-makers are located.
It doesn’t have to be a location where you are physically doing business.
These locations can be the same address, but they don’t have to be.
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.