Massachusetts Registered Agent Requirements

In Massachusetts, the statute books use the term resident agent for what the rest of the country calls a registered agent. Same job, different label: a person or company designated to receive service of process, state notices, and official mail on behalf of your LLC or corporation. The core requirement for LLCs sits in M.G.L. c. 156C § 5, with the details spelled out in the Corporations Division's regulation, 950 CMR 112.13.

What Massachusetts Law Requires

Under M.G.L. c. 156C § 5, every Massachusetts LLC must continuously maintain a resident agent for service of process. The same section requires the LLC to keep an office in the Commonwealth, which is where the records described in § 9 are maintained. Changes to the agent or the agent's address are filed under § 5A.

Put simply: from the day your entity is formed until the day it is dissolved, the state expects a named agent at a real Massachusetts address.

Who Can Serve as a Registered Agent in Massachusetts

The statute allows three kinds of agents:

• An individual who is a resident of Massachusetts (state guidance says 18 or older)
• A domestic corporation
• A foreign corporation authorized to do business in the Commonwealth

The regulation at 950 CMR 112.13 broadens the entity category slightly, admitting other business entities authorized by law and qualified to do business in Massachusetts.

Whoever holds the role, one thing is constant: the agent's name and street address go on your public filings, where anyone searching the state's database can see them. That visibility is why many owners appoint a commercial agent rather than listing an address they care about.

The Address Rule: A Street Address, No PO Boxes

The regulation is blunt on this point. In the words of 950 CMR 112.13, "A post office address is not sufficient." The agent's office address must be an actual street address in Massachusetts, and the agent should be reachable there during normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

What Does a Registered Agent Do?

Your agent is the official channel between your business and the Commonwealth. In practice, that means receiving:

• Service of process if your business is sued
• Notices and correspondence from the Secretary of the Commonwealth
• Tax mail and compliance reminders
• Annual report notices
• Any legal document that requires a formal response

When something arrives at our office, we scan it and upload it to your portal the same day, with an email alert so nothing sits unread.

Who Needs One?

Any entity with an active filing at the Corporations Division needs an agent on record, including:

• Massachusetts LLCs
• Corporations, both C-corps and S-corps
• Nonprofits
• Foreign entities registered to do business in Massachusetts

Why Most Owners Use a Professional Service

Privacy. The agent's address is public. Using ours keeps your home address out of the searchable record.

Availability. Someone has to be at the listed address during business hours, every business day. Our office is staffed so you do not have to be.

Compliance help. Massachusetts LLC annual reports run $500 by mail or $520 online, due each year on your anniversary date. We track that deadline and remind you before it hits.

Freedom to move. Change offices or travel as much as you like; as long as we are your agent, your state filings stay current.

Our Service

We provide everything Massachusetts asks of an agent:

• A physical registered office address in Massachusetts
• Service of process accepted and scanned the same day
• Compliance reminders for annual reports and deadlines
• A secure online document portal
• Our address on public filings instead of yours

No setup fees, and court paper scans are included.

Get Started

Visit our enrollment page to set up service. Forming a new entity? List us on your certificate of organization. Switching agents? We will walk you through the Statement of Change filing, which is free online or $25 by mail or walk-in.

Have questions? Check our FAQ or contact us at support@maregisteredagent.org.

Serving Businesses Across Massachusetts

Massachusetts registered agent requirements apply statewide — every LLC and corporation needs an agent with a physical Massachusetts address, regardless of where the business operates. We handle documents for businesses throughout the state:

Boston — Suffolk County; state capital and largest city; healthcare, education, finance, and biotech.

Worcester — Worcester County; Central Massachusetts healthcare, biotech, and higher education center.

Springfield — Hampden County; Western Massachusetts manufacturing, healthcare, and insurance hub.

Cambridge — Middlesex County; home to MIT and Harvard; biotech and technology.

Lowell — Middlesex County; Merrimack Valley technology and manufacturing center.

Brockton — Plymouth County; South Shore commercial and healthcare center.

Quincy — Norfolk County; Boston metro financial services and shipbuilding heritage.

Lynn — Essex County; North Shore manufacturing city with GE Aviation.

New Bedford — Bristol County; major commercial fishing port and manufacturing center.

Newton — Middlesex County; Boston metro professional services and education center.

Wherever your business operates in Massachusetts, our registered office address meets state requirements for receiving service of process and official correspondence.