Registered Agent Requirements in Massachusetts

Massachusetts statutes use the term resident agent for the role known nearly everywhere else as a registered agent. The label differs; the obligation does not. Every LLC registered with the Secretary of the Commonwealth must designate and continuously maintain one. The requirement lives in M.G.L. c. 156C § 5, implemented by regulation 950 CMR 112.13.

The Statutory Framework

Three citations govern the registered agent role for Massachusetts LLCs:

• M.G.L. c. 156C § 5 requires each LLC to maintain a resident agent for service of process, along with an office in the Commonwealth where the records required by § 9 are kept.
• M.G.L. c. 156C § 5A governs changing the agent or the agent's address.
• 950 CMR 112.13 is the Corporations Division regulation setting out the address and eligibility details.

Who May Serve

Under § 5, a Massachusetts registered agent may be:

• An individual resident of Massachusetts, at least 18 years old per state guidance
• A domestic corporation
• A foreign corporation authorized to do business in the Commonwealth

950 CMR 112.13 widens the entity category, permitting other domestic or foreign business entities authorized by law and qualified to do business in Massachusetts to hold the role. Whoever serves, the agent's name and address become part of the public record attached to your entity.

The Address Standard

950 CMR 112.13 states that "The office address of the resident agent must be a street address." The regulation rules out post office boxes entirely. Practical availability matters as well: the agent should be reachable at that address during standard business hours, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.

What the Agent Receives

• Service of process in lawsuits naming your entity
• Official correspondence from the Secretary of the Commonwealth
• Annual report notices and compliance mail
• Tax notices and other government communications requiring response

Each function shares one property: a deadline starts running when the document lands. An agent who is present, organized, and fast protects that response time.

Entities That Need One

• Domestic LLCs and PLLCs
• Domestic corporations
• Foreign LLCs and corporations qualified in Massachusetts
• Nonprofit organizations
• Limited partnerships and LLPs

An active registration at the Corporations Division means an active agent obligation, without interruption.

The Case for Professional Coverage

Address privacy. Filings are searchable by anyone. Our Massachusetts address on your record keeps your own out of the database.

Continuous presence. Business-hours availability admits no vacation days. A staffed office does what an individual cannot.

Speed. Documents are scanned into your portal the day they arrive, with an email alert on receipt.

Deadline awareness. The $500 annual report ($520 electronically) lands on your anniversary date. We remind you before it does.

What Our Service Includes

• A physical Massachusetts address satisfying § 5 and 950 CMR 112.13
• Same-day scanning and digital delivery of every document
• Email alerts on receipt
• Anniversary-date annual report reminders
• A secure portal for document storage and retrieval
• Your address kept off public filings

No setup charges, no per-document surcharges, no renewal increases.

Getting Started

Enroll through our checkout page; service confirms within one business day. New entities list us on the Certificate of Organization. Existing entities file the Statement of Change, free online or $25 on paper, using the details we provide.

Commonwealth-Wide Service

Whether your business is in Boston, Cambridge, Worcester, Springfield, or anywhere else in Massachusetts, the registered agent requirement applies uniformly. Our physical Massachusetts address satisfies the Corporations Division for entities located throughout the Commonwealth.