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Before filing the Articles of Organization to form a North Carolina LLC, you need to select a North Carolina Registered Agent for your LLC.
A North Carolina Registered Agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail on behalf of your LLC in case your business gets involved in a lawsuit.
Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.
(Why is Northwest the best? Read our Northwest Registered Agent review)
North Carolina Registered Agents can also serve as a general point of contact for receiving business and tax notices, payment reminders, and other documents.
They must have a physical street address in North Carolina. A Registered Agent’s address is sometimes called a Registered Office address. This can be a business address or home address. (PO Boxes are not allowed).
Your North Carolina Registered Agent must also be available during normal business hours (9am – 5pm) in case Service of Process arrives. Service of Process for an LLC includes delivery of legal documents such as complaints, summons, and/or subpoenas.
In short, this is how the North Carolina court and legal systems work. By providing a reliable North Carolina physical address and a Registered Agent of record, the delivery of legal mail and court documents can be tracked. It’s similar to how ‘certified mail return receipt’ works. It creates a physical record that something was delivered.
Can I be my own Registered Agent in North Carolina?
Yes, you can be your LLC’s Registered Agent, as long as you meet the requirements mentioned in the next section.
However, you actually have 3 options when forming an LLC in North Carolina:
- You can be your LLC’s Registered Agent in North Carolina (are there risks?)
- A friend or family member can be your LLC’s Registered Agent.
- You can hire an NC Registered Agent Service, technically known as a Commercial Registered Agent.
Important: If your Registered Agent is going to be an individual (you, a friend, or a family member), that individual must be a resident of North Carolina and be at least 18 years of age.
What’s the best Registered Agent option to choose?
If you have a physical address located in North Carolina (such as a home or office address), and are available during business hours, you can be your LLC’s Registered Agent.
If you don’t have an NC street address, but a friend or family member does, you can use their address. They just need to be available at that location during business hours.
If you don’t have a street address in North Carolina, and you don’t have a friend or family member’s address that you can use (or prefer not to), you can hire an NC Registered Agent Service.
Using a Registered Agent Service in North Carolina also offers more privacy (can keep your address off public records) and can be a more reliable setup.
North Carolina Registered Agent Service
Note: The terms “North Carolina Registered Agent Service” and “North Carolina Commercial Registered Agent” mean the same thing. We will use them both interchangeably.
A North Carolina Registered Agent Service specializes in receiving Service of Process (legal mail) on behalf of your North Carolina LLC. Most Registered Agent Services in North Carolina cost between $100 and $300 per year.
Once hired, your Registered Agent Service will receive Service of Process on behalf of your North Carolina LLC and then forward it to you by mail, or scan and upload it to your online account.
Who’s the best North Carolina Registered Agent?
The North Carolina Registered Agent Service that we recommend (and use ourselves) is Northwest Registered Agent ($125 per year).
Northwest has been in the business for over 20 years and they have great customer service.
However, one of the greatest things about using Northwest is the privacy feature.
How to keep your address off public records:
It’s important to realize that all addresses in your LLC’s Articles of Organization become a part of public record. If you want to keep your address off of public record, using a service that will allow you to use their address as your LLC’s address can be very helpful.
Northwest Registered Agent is the only company that offers a service where they’ll let you use their address throughout your entire Articles of Organization.
Any mail that is sent to your LLC will be scanned by them and uploaded into your online account.
Special discounted pricing for LLC University® readers
Northwest usually charges $100 + state fees to form an LLC. However, we’ve negotiated a discounted rate (60% off) for LLC University® readers.
Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.
(Why is Northwest the best? Read our Northwest Registered Agent review)
Risks of being your LLC’s Registered Agent in North Carolina
As mentioned above, you, a friend, or family member can be your own Registered Agent in North Carolina.
But are there any risks to being your own Registered Agent?
In short, there are risks. They are not extremely likely to occur, but if they do, you could lose your liability protection and the North Carolina Secretary of State has the power to administratively dissolve (shut down) your LLC.
This can happen if you don’t always keep a Registered Agent on file, or if the North Carolina Secretary of State is unsuccessful in reaching them.
Additionally, if a process server (a person who serves court documents and notices of lawsuits) is unsuccessful in reaching your North Carolina Registered Agent, a court case can proceed in your absence and you might not even know about it. Worse, the court could enter a default judgment against your LLC if you aren’t there to defend yourself.
A few reasons a process server might not be able to reach your North Carolina Registered Agent:
- You, your friend, or family member are not there during business hours (the state requires North Carolina Registered Agents to maintain normal business hours)
- You/they are on vacation or out of town
- You/they moved and you forgot to file a Change of Registered Agent with the state
Using a North Carolina Registered Agent Service, like Northwest Registered Agent, is a more reliable setup and offers more privacy.
It also gives you the freedom to take vacations and not worry about changing your Registered Agent address if you move.
Once you determine who will serve as your North Carolina LLC Registered Agent, you can file your North Carolina LLC Articles of Organization.
If you need to hire a North Carolina Registered Agent Service, please do so before going to the next step.
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North Carolina Registered Agent FAQs
Is a Registered Agent required in North Carolina?
Yes, a Registered Agent is required in North Carolina to form your LLC and keep it in good standing with the North Carolina Secretary of State.
This is because Registered Agents accept legal mail on behalf of your LLC in the event that your business is involved in a lawsuit. This legal mail is called “Service of Process” and the North Carolina Secretary of State needs to make sure your business is able to receive it.
How much does a Registered Agent cost in NC?
Most North Carolina Registered Agent Services cost between $100 and $300 per year.
If you’re looking to save money and have an address in the state where you can be available during regular business hours, you can be your LLC’s Registered Agent. (This can be a home address or a business address).
If you don’t have an address in the state or don’t want your address to be on public records, we recommend hiring Northwest Registered Agent as your Registered Agent Service.
They have exceptional customer service and will let you use their address to keep yours off public records.
Can I be my own Registered Agent?
Yes, you can be your LLC’s Registered Agent. North Carolina law allows any consenting adult who is an NC resident to be your LLC’s Registered Agent. That includes you, a friend, or a family member.
Just know that anyone serving as your Registered Agent will have their address made public record as your registered office address.
If you aren’t comfortable with your address being on public record, then you can hire Northwest Registered Agent as your Registered Agent Service. They’ll let you use their NC office address throughout your filing so your information remains private while still meeting all NC legal requirements.
Can a family member be a Registered Agent in North Carolina?
Yes, a family member can be your Registered Agent in North Carolina, if they meet the legal requirements.
To be your Registered Agent, your family member must have a physical address in North Carolina. (PO Boxes aren’t allowed). And they must be available at that address during normal business hours.
How do I add a Registered Agent to an LLC in NC?
You are required to add your Registered Agent to your LLC in NC when you file your Articles of Organization.
If you need to change this information for any reason, you can file a Statement of Change of Registered Office And/Or Registered Agent. You can get the form from the NC Secretary of State’s Forms page and the filing is only $5.
How do I find a Registered Agent in NC?
You can find a Registered Agent by searching online or by contacting the North Carolina Secretary of State.
Or if you’re just looking to hire a Registered Agent Service in NC, we recommend Northwest Registered Agent.
To learn more about how Northwest compares against the other top Registered Agent companies, check out Best Registered Agent Services in North Carolina.
What does a Registered Agent do for a business entity?
A Registered Agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail and notices on behalf of a business entity.
Legal mail (called Service of Process) is sent if your LLC is involved in a lawsuit. Additionally, the North Carolina Secretary of State Business Registration Division may send notices and reminders to your LLC.
Registered Agents should generally be available during regular business hours (9am – 5pm), Monday through Friday.
They must also have a physical address in the state. PO Box addresses aren’t allowed.
References
North Carolina LLC Act: Section 57D-2-40
North Carolina Secretary of State: Service of Process
North Carolina Secretary of State: Registered Office and Registered Agent Information
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.
North Carolina LLC Guide
Looking for an overview? See North Carolina LLC
How do I start my own Public/Motivational Speaker business? Please advise and help. I need a contact number.
Hi James, we don’t offer telephone support at this time. However, if you want to form a North Carolina LLC to operate your speaking business, you can follow our North Carolina LLC guide (which has step-by-step lessons). Or if you’d rather hire someone to do it for you, we recommend using Northwest Registered Agent.
Can I change my registered agent at any time? If I choose to be the registered agent & then decide to get a commercial one later?
Hey Seyon, yup, it’s not “set in stone”. You can file a change of Registered Agent at any time. Hope that helps.
Morning! Hope your day is going well so far. I’m considering North West to be my registered agent for my retail business. I already printed out the forms. Should I make an appointment with you or at the nearest office location near me in Raleigh, NC. Thanks, your video’s are very informative.
Hey Janette, good afternoon! We don’t offer in-office appointments or document review services, but we’re here if you have any questions. Is there something particular you’re stuck on, or need clarity on?