Georgia Registered Agent Requirements in 2026: Who Can Serve, How to Change and What It Costs

Every company registered with the Georgia Secretary of State must name a registered agent: a person or business in Georgia that accepts lawsuits and official notices on the company's behalf. It sounds like a formality, but it is one of the few ongoing legal duties a Georgia LLC has, and getting it wrong can lead to a default judgment or the company being dissolved. This guide explains the Georgia statute, who can serve, the choice between being your own agent and hiring a commercial one, how to change or replace an agent, and how the annual registration fits in. Fees come from the Corporations Division schedule effective September 6, 2025, and were checked in October 2026.

Quick answer

Under O.C.G.A. 14-11-209, every Georgia LLC must continuously keep a registered office in Georgia and a registered agent whose business office is at that address. The agent can be a Georgia resident (including you), a corporation or LLC, or a foreign company authorized in Georgia. To change agents, file an amended annual registration for $30, or update it in your yearly $60 annual registration.

• Being your own agent is free; commercial agents are a market cost (about $50–$300 a year)

• An agent who resigns must notify you; the appointment ends within 31 days

• 60 days without an agent is a ground for administrative dissolution

• No agent? Plaintiffs can serve the Secretary of State instead

• Annual registration is due January 1 to April 1; late penalty $25

What a registered agent does in Georgia

The registered agent is the company's official address for legal papers. When someone sues your LLC, the summons and complaint are delivered to the agent. Subpoenas, garnishment notices and some state correspondence go there too. The agent's job is to be available at the registered office during business hours to receive them and to pass them on to the company promptly.

The registered agent is not a lawyer for the company, and has no power to run the business. Nor is the registered office necessarily where you work: the statute says it may be, but need not be, a place of the company's business. What it must be is a real Georgia street address. The annual registration asks for the street address and county of the registered office, which rules out a post office box as the registered office.

For corporations, the Georgia Business Corporation Code contains a parallel requirement, and the practical rules — a Georgia registered office, an agent at that office, changes through the annual registration — work the same way. This guide quotes the LLC Act because LLCs are the most common Georgia entity for small businesses.

Who can be a registered agent: the O.C.G.A. 14-11-209 rules

Section 14-11-209(b) lists who can serve:

• An individual resident of Georgia. This includes a member, manager, employee, family member or your accountant, as long as they live in Georgia.
• A corporation (a Georgia corporation).
• Another limited liability company (a Georgia LLC).
• A foreign corporation or foreign LLC that holds a certificate of authority to transact business in Georgia.

Section 14-11-209(a) adds that the agent's business office address must be the same as the registered office address. That is the practical test: the agent has to be at that address. An individual who lives in Georgia but works elsewhere all day is a weak choice even though they qualify on paper. The LLC itself cannot be its own agent; the list doesn't include it.

Individual agent vs commercial registered agent in Georgia

	You or another individual	Commercial agent company
Who qualifies	Any Georgia resident	Corporation or LLC in Georgia, or a foreign one authorized here
Yearly cost	$0	About $50–$300 (market estimate)
Address on public record	Your home or office	The agent's office
Availability during business hours	Your responsibility	Staffed office
Out-of-state owners	Not possible unless you live in Georgia	Works from anywhere
Risk if you move or travel	Missed lawsuits, change filings	Low, if the bill is paid

Who qualifies

You or another individual

Any Georgia resident

Commercial agent company

Corporation or LLC in Georgia, or a foreign one authorized here

Yearly cost

You or another individual

$0

Commercial agent company

About $50–$300 (market estimate)

Address on public record

You or another individual

Your home or office

Commercial agent company

The agent's office

Availability during business hours

You or another individual

Your responsibility

Commercial agent company

Staffed office

Out-of-state owners

You or another individual

Not possible unless you live in Georgia

Commercial agent company

Works from anywhere

Risk if you move or travel

You or another individual

Missed lawsuits, change filings

Commercial agent company

Low, if the bill is paid

Being your own agent vs hiring a commercial agent

Doing it yourself. It costs nothing, and for a Georgia resident with a shop or office that is open every weekday, it is often the right choice. The downsides are privacy and availability. Your address is public on the Secretary of State's records and on every annual registration, and if a process server arrives while you are away, the risk falls on you. If you work from home, your home address becomes the company's public legal address.

Hiring a commercial agent. You pay an annual fee and the agent's office becomes your registered office. Most services scan and email documents the day they arrive, and many add annual registration reminders. They are essential for owners who live outside Georgia, since a non-resident individual cannot serve. Georgia's LLC statute does not set up a separate licensing system for commercial agents; any qualifying corporation or LLC can act. That makes it worth checking a provider's track record and how it notifies you before you sign up.

The middle path. Some owners appoint their accountant or attorney, who is already at a Georgia office and handles legal papers routinely. Confirm in writing that they agree to act and how they will forward documents.

Naming your agent when you form the company

When you file Articles of Organization for a Georgia LLC ($110, which includes the $10 service charge the Corporations Division adds to most filings) through the Secretary of State's online system, you enter the registered agent's name and the registered office street address and county. A foreign LLC registering in Georgia does the same on its application for a certificate of authority, which costs $235.

Before you list someone, get their agreement. If you use a commercial agent, sign up first and copy their exact name and address, because a mismatch between the agent's name and the office address on file makes service harder and can confuse anyone checking your record. Keep the agent's contact details with your company records and give them a current email for forwarding.

Changing your registered agent or registered office

Section 14-11-209(c) sets out the method: the LLC files an amendment to its annual registration stating:

1. the LLC's name;
2. the street address and county of its current registered office;
3. if the office is moving, the new street address and county;
4. the name of the current registered agent; and
5. if the agent is changing, the name of the successor agent.

Changing your Georgia registered agent

1. 1

   Line up the new agent

   Confirm the person or company agrees to serve and get their exact name and Georgia street address and county.

2. 2

   Log in to the Corporations Division online system

   Find your entity and choose the amended annual registration (or file the change with your regular annual registration if it's January 1 – April 1).

3. 3

   Enter the old and new details

   Current registered office and agent, new office street address and county, and the successor agent.

4. 4

   Pay $30

   Amended annual registration fee, including the $10 service charge. Paper filings are accepted but slower.

   Tip: Changing during your regular annual registration avoids the separate amendment fee.

5. 5

   Tell the old agent

   Cancel the old service so they stop billing you, and download the filed record for your files.

Timing tip. Because the annual registration itself lists the agent, the cheapest moment to change is during the January 1 – April 1 window, when you would pay the $60 registration anyway. Outside the window, the change costs $30. Don't wait for the window if the old agent has already resigned or moved, though: the 60-day clock for dissolution is more expensive than the amendment.

When the agent moves office. A registered agent who moves can change the registered office address for all the companies it represents by filing one statement, signed only by the agent, and mailing a copy to each company. The fee is $5 per entity (minimum $20) plus the service charge. If your commercial agent relocates within Georgia, you don't have to file anything yourself, but check that your record shows the new address.

When an agent resigns

An agent can resign under section 14-11-209(d) by filing a statement of resignation, which can also discontinue the registered office. The agent must deliver or mail written notice of the intended resignation to the LLC's principal place of business on file, on or before the date of filing. Resignation is free when filed online and $10 on paper.

The appointment ends on the earlier of two dates: when the LLC files its annual registration or a statement designating a new agent (and office, if discontinued), or the 31st day after the resignation was filed. In practice you have about a month of coverage, and the notice goes to the address on your record, so a stale principal office address means you may never see it. Commercial agents most often resign because an invoice went unpaid.

What happens if you have no agent

Dissolution. Under O.C.G.A. 14-11-603(b), the Secretary of State may start administrative dissolution if an LLC is without a registered agent or registered office for 60 days or more, or fails within 60 days to report that its agent or office has changed, resigned or been discontinued. The Secretary of State mails a notice; if you don't fix the problem within 60 days of that notice, the LLC is dissolved. A dissolved LLC continues to exist only to wind up its business, and reinstatement within five years costs $260 plus whatever registrations are owed.

Service on the Secretary of State. Section 14-11-209(f) makes the Secretary of State the LLC's agent whenever the company fails to appoint or maintain one, or the agent can't be found at the registered office with reasonable diligence. The plaintiff certifies that failure, mails the papers by registered or certified mail to your last registered office, and serves the Secretary of State, paying a $10 fee. The case then proceeds. If the mail goes to an address nobody checks, the first you hear of the lawsuit may be a default judgment.

The annual registration and your agent

Every Georgia LLC and every foreign LLC authorized in Georgia files an annual registration (O.C.G.A. 14-11-1103). It states the company's name and jurisdiction, the street address and county of the registered office, the name of the registered agent at that office, and the mailing address of the principal place of business. That makes the annual registration the yearly checkpoint for your agent details.

The Georgia annual registration year

January 1

Annual registration window opens

By April 1

File and pay $60; confirm or change the agent

After April 1

$25 late penalty added

60 days after the due date

Unfiled registration is a ground for dissolution proceedings

Within 5 years of dissolution

Reinstatement possible for $260

The first annual registration is due between January 1 and April 1 of the year after the LLC is formed. An LLC formed in October 2026 files its first one in early 2027. The fee is $60 ($50 plus the $10 service charge). After April 1 the Corporations Division adds a $25 penalty, and an LLC that hasn't filed with all fees and penalties within 60 days of the due date can be put into dissolution proceedings. If the Division finds information missing, it returns the registration, and a corrected one filed within 30 days of the notice counts as on time.

Georgia registered agent costs: worked examples

An Atlanta bakery owner as her own agent. Keisha forms her LLC in March for $110, naming herself as agent at the bakery's address on Edgewood Avenue, where she is present every weekday. Her agent cost is $0. Her first annual registration in 2027 costs $60. Two years later she moves the bakery and updates the registered office in her January annual registration, paying nothing extra.

A home-based consultant who switches to a commercial agent. Ravi listed his Alpharetta home as the registered office. In August he hires a commercial agent for about $125 a year (market estimate) and files an amended annual registration for $30. His first-year cost of the change is roughly $155; from then on it is the agent's annual fee plus his $60 registration.

An out-of-state company registering in Georgia. A Tennessee LLC opens a warehouse in Savannah. It files for a certificate of authority ($235) and, with no Georgia resident on staff yet, names a commercial agent at about $125 a year. Its first-year Georgia cost is about $360 before local licences, then $60 a year plus the agent fee.

A company whose agent resigned. A Macon LLC's commercial agent resigns over an unpaid bill, mailing notice to an old office address. The owner doesn't see it, the appointment lapses after 31 days, and two months later the Secretary of State mails a notice of grounds for dissolution. Filing an amended annual registration naming a new agent ($30) within the 60-day cure period fixes it; ignoring it leads to dissolution and a $260 reinstatement.

Other Corporations Division fees you may need

Fees are non-refundable, and each filing needs its own payment. Online filings are paid by card.

Common mistakes

Using a virtual mailbox or PO box. The registered office needs a street address and county, and the agent must actually be there. Mail-forwarding addresses don't meet the requirement.

Naming someone who moves away. An individual agent must be a Georgia resident. If your agent moves out of state, they no longer qualify; file a change.

Letting the principal office address go stale. Resignation notices and dissolution notices go to the address on record. Keep it current in every annual registration.

Changing agents mid-year when you could wait — or waiting when you shouldn't. A planned switch can ride along with the annual registration at no extra cost. A resignation can't wait.

Assuming the agent handles your annual registration. Some do, as an add-on. Many only send a reminder. The filing and the $60 fee remain your responsibility.

Georgia registered agent checklist

0/7

• Agent is a Georgia resident or a company authorized in Georgia
• Registered office is a Georgia street address with county, where the agent is present
• Agent has agreed in writing and has your current email and phone
• Principal office mailing address on file is current
• Annual registration calendared for January 1 – April 1
• Commercial agent invoice on auto-renew
• Change filed within 60 days of any agent resignation or move

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Official links

• Georgia Secretary of State — Corporations DivisionOnline filings, annual registration, entity search
• Corporations Division filing feesEffective September 6, 2025
• O.C.G.A. 14-11-209 — Registered office and agent
• O.C.G.A. 14-11-1103 — Annual registration
• IRS — apply for an EINFree, online

What to do next

Look up your company on the Secretary of State's search and confirm the agent and registered office shown are correct. If you are forming a new LLC, decide between serving yourself and hiring an agent, check your name with our LLC name checker, and then work through the local permits in our Georgia business license guide. Get your free EIN from the IRS. For how agents work in other states, see our Texas, Delaware and California registered agent guides.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Georgia LLC need a registered agent?

Yes. O.C.G.A. 14-11-209 requires every Georgia LLC to keep a registered office in Georgia and a registered agent for service of process at that office, continuously. An LLC without an agent for 60 days, or that fails to report a change of agent within 60 days, can be administratively dissolved by the Secretary of State.

Can I be my own registered agent in Georgia?

Yes, if you are an individual resident of Georgia and your business office is at the registered office address. Members and managers often serve as their own agent. You must be reliably available at that street address to accept legal papers, and the address appears in the public record and on your annual registration.

How do I change my registered agent in Georgia?

File an amendment to your annual registration with the Corporations Division, online through the eCorp system, giving the LLC's name, the current registered office street address and county, the new address and county if it changes, the current agent and the successor agent. The fee is $30. You can also update the agent when you file your regular annual registration between January 1 and April 1.

How much does a registered agent cost in Georgia?

Serving as your own agent is free. Commercial registered agents in Georgia commonly charge about $50 to $300 a year, depending on extras such as mail scanning; that is a market estimate from published pricing, not a state fee. State fees apply only when you change: $30 for an amended annual registration.

What happens if my Georgia registered agent resigns?

The agent files a statement of resignation and must mail notice to your principal place of business on or before filing. The appointment ends on the earlier of your next annual registration or statement naming a new agent, or the 31st day after the resignation is filed. Appoint a replacement quickly: after 60 days without an agent, the Secretary of State can start administrative dissolution.

What happens if someone sues my LLC and I have no registered agent?

If the LLC has no agent, or the agent cannot be found at the registered office with reasonable diligence, the Secretary of State becomes the LLC's agent. The plaintiff certifies the failure, mails the papers to your last registered office and serves the Secretary of State for a $10 fee. The case can go ahead even if you never see the papers.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 9 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Corporations Division Filing Fees (effective September 6, 2025; rev. 8/2025) — Georgia Secretary of State · accessed 9 October 2026
2. 2.O.C.G.A. § 14-11-209 — Registered office and registered agent — Official Code of Georgia (text via Justia) · accessed 9 October 2026
3. 3.O.C.G.A. § 14-11-1103 — Annual registration — Official Code of Georgia (text via Justia) · accessed 9 October 2026
4. 4.O.C.G.A. § 14-11-603 — Dissolution and reinstatement — Official Code of Georgia (text via Justia) · accessed 9 October 2026
5. 5.Apply for an EIN online — Internal Revenue Service · accessed 9 October 2026
6. 6.Beneficial Ownership Information — FinCEN · accessed 9 October 2026