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Your registered agent resigned: what to do, and how long you have
State rules read on statutes and official state pages, checked Oct 11, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Short answer: a resignation doesn't dissolve your LLC on the spot, but the clock can be short.
- In most of the 16 states we checked, the resignation takes effect about 30 days after the agent (or the state) files it.
- In California and Wyoming the old agent's authority ends the day the resignation is filed.
- In Maryland it takes effect 10 days after filing if you haven't named a successor.
- In Delaware, if you don't designate a new agent within 30 days of the filing, the state cancels your certificate of formation.
Do three things today: appoint a new agent (or yourself, if you qualify), file the change with your state, and confirm the state's business record shows it.
Not sure the letter is real? A genuine resignation is filed with the state, so it shows up on your state's business record. If a letter asks you to pay a company you don't recognize, run it through our Letter Check first.
The fix, in three steps
- Appoint a replacement. Choose a commercial agent, or act as your own if you meet your state's rule (many states require the agent to live in the state; others accept an in-state street address; someone must be there during business hours). Each state's rule is in our state table, and the trade-offs are in should you be your own registered agent?
- File the change with your state. State change fees run from $0 to $100; 10 states charge nothing (fees by state, official sources checked Oct 7, 2026). Some agents file the change for you; we list which ones under "Choosing your replacement" below.
- Confirm on your state's business search that the new agent is listed. Check again a week later, and save a dated screenshot or PDF.
Keep the resignation notice, your filing receipt and the screenshot together. If you're also leaving the old provider, follow our cancellation guide.
How long you have: resignation rules in 16 states
Two dates matter:
- The effective date is when the old agent stops being your agent.
- Your deadline is when your state expects a new agent on record, after which it may start penalties, revocation or dissolution.
States set these differently. Where a statute gives no owner deadline, treat the effective date as your deadline.
| State | When the resignation takes effect | Your deadline and what the state does | Service if you have no agent | Change fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 12:01 a.m. on the 31st day after delivery to the Secretary of State, or when you designate a new agent, if sooner | Not stated in the section we read | Not verified | $100 | Ala. Code §10A-1-5.34(d) ↗ (opens in a new tab) (read via Justia); the Secretary of State resignation form ↗ (opens in a new tab) confirms the 31st-day rule (via Justia) |
| Alaska | Not verified | The state says an entity without an agent "for 30 days or more" may be placed in Non-Compliant status, which can lead to involuntary dissolution | Not verified | $25 | Alaska Division of Corporations FAQ ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| California | On filing. "Upon filing of the statement of resignation, the authority of the agent to act in that capacity shall cease." The Secretary of State sends notice to your principal office | The LLC must promptly file an updated Statement of Information ($0 to change the agent) | A court may order service on the Secretary of State; complete on the 10th day after delivery | $0 | Corp. Code §17701.15 ↗ (opens in a new tab), §17701.16(c) ↗ (opens in a new tab) (via Justia) |
| Delaware | Without a successor: 30 days after the certificate of resignation is filed. The agent must give you written notice at least 30 days before filing | Designate a new agent within 30 days after the filing, or "the certificate of formation … shall be canceled" | On the Secretary of State | $50 | 6 Del. C. §18-104(d) ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Florida | The 31st day after the state files the resignation, or when a new agent is filed, if sooner. The agent must promptly mail you a copy | Failing to keep an agent is a ground for administrative dissolution; you get 60 days after the state's notice to cure | Not verified | $25 | Fla. Stat. §605.0115 ↗ (opens in a new tab), §605.0714 ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Illinois | Not sooner than 30 days after filing. The agent must mail you notice at least 10 days before filing | A new agent "must be placed on record within 60 days after" the resignation notice. Failing to keep an agent is a ground for administrative dissolution | Not verified | $25 | 805 ILCS 180/1-35 ↗ (opens in a new tab), 180/35-25 ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Maryland | 10 days after filing if you haven't appointed a successor; at filing if you have (unless the resignation states a later date) | Not stated in the section we read. The section sets no separate duty for the agent to notify you | Not verified | $25 | Corps. & Ass'ns §4A-210 ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Missouri | Not verified. The state's resignation form requires written notice to the LLC | The Secretary of State may cancel the articles for failing to keep an agent, after at least 30 days' written notice | The Secretary of State is "automatically appointed" as agent while the default lasts | $10 | RSMo 347.033 ↗ (opens in a new tab), 347.183 ↗ (opens in a new tab), form LLC-6 ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Nevada | The 31st day after filing, or when a new agent is appointed, if sooner | File a statement of change before the effective date, or the LLC is in default: a $75 penalty, then revocation if it isn't cured | On the Secretary of State, after an affidavit of due diligence | $60 | NRS 77.370 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NRS 86.251, 86.272, 86.274 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NRS 14.030 ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| New Mexico | 30 days after the state receives the notice, or when a successor is appointed, if sooner | Failing for 30 days to appoint and keep an agent is a ground for administrative revocation | Not verified | $20 | NMSA 53-19-5(E), 53-19-66.1 ↗ (opens in a new tab) (via Justia) |
| New York | 30 days after the resignation certificate is filed | A separate registered agent is optional | The Secretary of State is the agent for service for every LLC | $30 | LLC Law §301 ↗ (opens in a new tab), §302 ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| North Carolina | The 31st day after filing | Not verified | Not verified | $5 | G.S. 55D-32 ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Ohio | 30 days after filing. The agent must mail you notice on or before the filing date | After the state's notice, the articles are canceled unless you cure within 30 days (the state may allow longer) | Not verified | $25 | ORC 1706.09(F), (L) ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Texas | The 31st day after the Secretary of State receives the notice. The agent must send notice to your last known address | Failing to keep an agent can lead to involuntary termination if not corrected before the 91st day after the state mails notice | The Secretary of State is your agent for service | $15 | BOC §5.204 ↗ (opens in a new tab), §5.251 ↗ (opens in a new tab), §11.251 ↗ (opens in a new tab) (via Justia) |
| West Virginia | The 31st day after filing | Not verified | Not verified | $15 | W. Va. Code §31B-1-110 ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
| Wyoming | On filing. The agent must send you notice at least 30 days before filing | File a statement of change within 30 days after you receive the resignation. The state marks you "delinquent awaiting administrative dissolution," and you have 60 days after its notice before forfeiture | On the Secretary of State | $5 | W.S. 17-28-103 ↗ (opens in a new tab), 17-29-705 ↗ (opens in a new tab) (via Justia); state resignation form ↗ (opens in a new tab) |
All rows VERIFIED on the cited statute or official page, checked Oct 11, 2026; "Not verified" cells are UNKNOWN. Change fees come from our state fee table (official fee schedules, checked Oct 7, 2026).
States that act fast
- California and Wyoming: the old agent is gone as soon as the resignation is filed. In Wyoming you should already have had a 30-day warning from the agent; in California the Secretary of State sends the notice.
- Maryland: 10 days after filing if you haven't named a successor.
- Delaware: if no new agent is designated within 30 days after the agent files, the certificate of formation is canceled. The section we read sets out no separate warning step from the state before that happens.
- Nevada: your statement of change is due before the resignation takes effect, or the LLC is in default.
States we haven't verified yet
We haven't checked the other 34 states and DC against their statutes, so we don't list them. "Not verified" means we don't know; it never means "no deadline." Until we add your state, treat the date on your resignation notice as your deadline and check your state's statute or business division. Every state's business search is linked from our state table.
What can go wrong while you have no agent
The registered agent is where lawsuits and official state mail are delivered. When that address goes dead, states handle service differently:
- The state becomes your agent: Texas, Delaware, Wyoming and Missouri.
- A court has to order it: California.
- The plaintiff files an affidavit of due diligence first: Nevada.
- The Secretary of State is always the agent: New York.
Papers served through the state are mailed to whatever address the state has for you. If that address is old, you may never see them, and a case can go ahead without you.
In Florida, an LLC that hasn't kept an agent can't bring or continue a lawsuit in a Florida court until it complies, and a court may order a penalty of $5 a day, up to $500 (Fla. Stat. §605.0113 ↗ (opens in a new tab), checked Oct 11, 2026).
Penalties and dissolution come later, through the state's own process, at the deadlines in the table. Fixing the agent is cheap at every stage; costs rise once back reports and reinstatement are involved (annual fees and late penalties by state).
If you've been served with a lawsuit, talk to a lawyer licensed in your state now. This page explains general rules, not your case.
Choosing your replacement
Almost everyone who gets a resignation notice has to appoint someone: a commercial agent, a qualifying person, or yourself. Here is how the realistic options compare. Rankings come from our methodology, not from commissions.
How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.
For most existing LLCs: Northwest Registered Agent.
- $125 a year VERIFIED. Northwest says: "We haven't raised our price in 20 years" (Northwest agent page ↗ (opens in a new tab), checked Oct 11, 2026). That describes the past; it isn't a price lock.
- It files the change for you. Northwest says it will "file your Alabama change of registered agent paperwork for you for free and pay the state filing fee" (Northwest change page ↗ (opens in a new tab), checked Oct 11, 2026). We read the Alabama version of that page; confirm for your state at checkout.
- Lowest five-year cost paying yearly: $625. Prepaying is cheaper: Harbor Compliance's 3-year plan ($297, then $159 a year) comes to $615 over five years, and InCorp's 5-year prepaid term ($87 a year) to about $435 (price index). Prepay only if you're sure you'll keep the LLC and that agent for the whole term.
- Annual-report filing may be switched on for you. Northwest's annual-report page says agent customers are "automatically … enrolled in our renewal service" at $100 + state fee per report, charged about 90 days before your state's deadline, and that you can cancel at any time. The same page also has an FAQ answering "Not automatically" (Northwest annual-report page ↗ (opens in a new tab), checked Oct 11, 2026). If you file your own reports, check your account after signing up and turn the service off.
See Northwest's registered agent service ↗ (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
Lowest first year: Harbor Compliance.
- $99 the first year, then $159 VERIFIED (Harbor agent page ↗ (opens in a new tab), checked Oct 11, 2026).
- Its 3-year plan is $297, then $159 a year: $615 over five years, slightly less than Northwest paying yearly.
- Leaving later takes written notice at least 90 days before renewal, and fees are non-refundable (§§17, 22 of Harbor's terms ↗ (opens in a new tab), checked Oct 11, 2026).
- See Harbor's registered agent service (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0
Free: be your own agent.
- $0 a year if you meet your state's rule.
- Your name and address go on the public record, and someone must be there during business hours. See should you be your own registered agent? and the rules by state.
If your agent resigned over an unpaid bill, you can pay it and stay. Do it before the effective date and confirm the agent hasn't already filed. Compare its renewal price first in our price index, or see the full best agent to switch to ranking.
Why agents resign, and how to stop it happening again
Providers' own terms give the reasons (all checked Oct 11, 2026):
- LegalZoom may terminate the service and resign, for example for non-payment, and says you pay any state resignation fee (LegalZoom terms ↗ (opens in a new tab)).
- Northwest says it may remove itself after you cancel, and warns this "could put your company(s) in default" (Northwest terms ↗ (opens in a new tab)).
- Harbor puts removal on you: you're "solely responsible for ensuring that our registered agent information is removed" from government records (§24 of Harbor's terms ↗ (opens in a new tab)).
We have no data on how often each cause happens.
To prevent a repeat:
- Keep a current card on file with your agent.
- Put your agent's renewal date in your calendar 90 days ahead.
- Never cancel an agent until the state record shows the new one.
- Keep your mailing address current with the agent, so its notice reaches you.
Common questions
Is my LLC dissolved? Not because of the resignation itself. Dissolution, revocation or cancellation follows the state's process at the deadlines above. The exception to watch is Delaware, which cancels the certificate if no new agent is designated within 30 days of the resignation filing.
Can my agent resign without telling me? Most states we checked require notice, either from the agent (Texas, Delaware, Wyoming, Illinois, Ohio, Florida) or from the state (California). Maryland's section sets no separate notice duty for the agent. If you're unsure, check your state's business record.
The state still shows my old agent. Am I covered? Not after the resignation takes effect, and in California and Wyoming that's the day it's filed. A listing on the record doesn't mean the agent will forward anything.
Can I appoint myself? In most states, yes, if you have an in-state street address and are available during business hours. In New York a separate agent is optional because the Secretary of State accepts service for every LLC. Details: be your own registered agent.
I'm registered in several states. Do I fix each one? Yes. Each state where you're registered has its own agent requirement and its own record.
My deadline has passed. Now what? Check your status on the state's business search. If you're still active, appoint an agent and file the change today. If you've been dissolved, revoked or forfeited, contact your state's business division about reinstatement; costs include back reports and penalties (annual fees and penalties by state). Wyoming, for example, allows revival within two years with a $250 penalty plus fees (W.S. 17-29-705 ↗ (opens in a new tab)).
What this page can't tell you
- We read the statutes listed on Oct 11, 2026. Texas and Wyoming statutes link to the legislatures' own sites (Wyoming's to the 2022 edition, the latest our reader could open). For California, Alabama and New Mexico we read the statute text through Justia, a public legal database, because the official code sites blocked or failed our reader; Alabama's 31st-day rule is also confirmed on the Secretary of State's form. The others come from official state websites.
- We haven't verified the other 34 states and DC.
- We don't know whether your state counts calendar or business days beyond what the statute says.
- We can't see your state record, and we haven't tested any agent service hands-on.
- This is general information, not legal advice.
See our methodology and how we make money.
Related: Change your registered agent · Cancel agent service · Best agent to switch to · Registered agent prices
How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.