Michigan Resident Agent & Registered Office
Michigan calls it a resident agent, most people call it a registered agent, and every LLC and corporation in the state has to have one at a real Michigan street address.
Important: Clear Path Document Services is a non-attorney document preparation service and cannot provide legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created. Read full disclaimer
Quick Answer
Michigan requires every LLC and corporation to name a resident agent and a registered office in its formation documents. The resident agent is the person or company that accepts legal papers and official notices for the business, and the registered office must be a physical street address in Michigan — not a P.O. box. You can be your own resident agent if you are a Michigan resident with a business office or residence at the registered office address, but that address becomes part of the public record. To change your agent or registered office later, Michigan uses form CSCL/CD-520, the Certificate of Change of Registered Office and/or Resident Agent. Clear Path prepares these filings and offers a business mailing address so your home address stays off your public marketing and correspondence.
Who qualifies for this service?
This document preparation service is a fit for Michigan residents who match the criteria below. If your situation is different, contact us and we'll tell you whether we can help or whether you should speak with an attorney.
- New Michigan LLCs and corporations choosing a resident agent
- Home-based business owners who don't want their home address on public filings
- Out-of-state owners forming or qualifying a Michigan entity
- Businesses whose current agent moved, resigned, or stopped responding
- Companies whose registered office address is out of date with LARA
- Anyone who received a notice that their filings are out of compliance
How the process works
Clear, predictable steps from intake to court-ready paperwork.
Tell us your setup
Entity name, whether it exists yet, and what address you want on the public record.
We review your matter
We confirm what Michigan requires for your entity type and what's currently on file.
Written quote
Flat preparation fee, with any LARA filing fee listed separately. Nothing is purchased online.
Documents prepared
Formation documents, or the CSCL/CD-520 change certificate if you're updating an existing record.
Filing
Submitted to Michigan LARA at your direction, and we confirm the record updated.
Address service if you need it
If you use our business mailing address, we set up how mail reaches you.
Paperwork we organize for you
Document preparation only. We do not represent you in court.
Documents and information you'll need
- Exact legal entity name as filed with Michigan LARA
- Entity ID number, if the business already exists
- The name and Michigan street address you want as resident agent and registered office
- Owner or officer name and contact information
- Authorization from an authorized person to sign the filing
- Your current mailing address for correspondence
Common mistakes to avoid
Small errors can cost you weeks. Here's what we see most often.
- Listing a P.O. box as the registered office — Michigan requires a physical street address in the state.
- Naming a friend or relative who then moves, so official notices never arrive.
- Letting the registered office address go stale after a move and missing a lawsuit or state notice.
- Assuming a resident agent is the same as a BOC-3 process agent for trucking — they are different roles under different laws.
- Thinking a registered agent keeps your name private; the owner information on other filings can still be public.
- Changing the address on one filing and forgetting the separate CSCL/CD-520 change certificate.
Local Michigan considerations
Michigan's resident agent rules come from LARA's Corporations Division. For corporations the resident agent may be an individual who resides in Michigan whose business office or residence is the same as the registered office, or a domestic or qualified foreign corporation or LLC with a business office at the registered office address. The registered office must be a physical Michigan street address. Changes are made on form CSCL/CD-520. Two separate things people confuse: a resident agent is a state-level requirement for your entity, while a BOC-3 process agent is a federal requirement for motor carriers — a trucking company generally needs both. Clear Path is a document preparation service and does not act as your resident agent; we prepare the filings and can provide a business mailing address.
Key Terms
- Resident agent
- Michigan's term for the registered agent — the person or company designated to receive legal papers and official notices for a business.
- Registered office
- The physical Michigan street address on file for the entity where the resident agent can be reached. A P.O. box is not allowed.
- CSCL/CD-520
- Michigan's Certificate of Change of Registered Office and/or Change of Resident Agent, used by domestic and foreign corporations and LLCs.
- LARA Corporations Division
- The Michigan agency that maintains entity records, accepts formation filings, and processes agent changes.
- Service of process
- The formal delivery of legal papers, such as a lawsuit, to a business through its resident agent.
People Also Ask
Reviewed and updated by the Clear Path document team. Informational only — not legal advice.
Ready to get your paperwork started?
Start the guided intake, or call or text us — we review every matter before quoting a price, and nothing is purchased online.