North Dakota Registered Agent Primer (2026): 6 Moves and the 3 Best Agents
Short answer for North Dakota, 2026: use Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), ND Registered Agents.org ($99 a year) and North Dakota Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), ranked best to worst, if you want help appointing a registered agent. Make the 6 moves below and your registered agent is set up properly.
Posted prices, read November 13, 2026. The state bills the same whichever agent you name.
The primer, move by move
Move 1
What North Dakota requires
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Where this comes from:ndlegis.gov, read October 2026
Move 2
Who counts as an agent
A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial agent: a North Dakota resident, or an entity registered with the Secretary of State that has a North Dakota business office. A business cannot serve as its own agent. (N.D. Cent. Code § 10-01.1-05)
Move 3
Meet the address rule
The address has to be a complete physical address in North Dakota. P.O. boxes are not accepted.
A service provides a North Dakota street address, so yours stays off the record.
Move 4
Decide who takes the role
Qualifying owners can name themselves. The recommended agents cost $99 to $149 annually.
Move 5
Get the agent on record
New companies list the agent on the Articles of Organization. Replacing the agent later means filing again with the North Dakota Secretary of State.
Where this comes from:sos.nd.gov, read October 2026
Move 6
Recheck every year
The annual report runs $50 every year, due November 15; notices about it come through the registered agent.
Where this comes from:sos.nd.gov, read August 2026
What the agent costs in North Dakota
What
Paid to
Cost
Hiring an agent
Service
$99 to $149 a year
Each later year
Service
$99 to $149 a year
Annual report
State agency
$50 every year
We get the three-year state number by adding the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax. Service fees stay separate.
Why Mainstay Filing is first
To-dos the price takes off you is 38% of the mark, and it is where moved ahead in North Dakota.
ND Registered Agents.org costs less, but reach across states won the higher mark.
What founders ask
Do North Dakota LLCs need a registered agent?
Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Can I be my own registered agent?
Often. Run the two tests in moves 2 and 3.
Can I change my registered agent later?
Change whenever you like through the North Dakota Secretary of State, as move 5 describes.
What does a registered agent cost in North Dakota?
Prices here run $99 to $149 a year.
What does the LLC pay the state each year?
Once a year there is the annual report at $50.
Which registered agent would you choose?
Our order: Mainstay Filing, ND Registered Agents.org and North Dakota Registered Agent.co. Mainstay Filing leads because $149 a year for an agent that goes wherever the company goes next.
Proof for North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division: the claims lean on sos.nd.gov, which we last read in August 2026. Open it and compare.
Proof for North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division: the claims lean on sos.nd.gov, which we last read in August 2026. Open it and compare.
Proof for North Dakota report due date: the claims lean on ndlegis.gov, which we last read in August 2026. Open it and compare.
Proof for North Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: the claims lean on sos.nd.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
Proof for North Dakota registered agent statute: the claims lean on ndlegis.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
Mainstay Filing: North Dakota service page, read on November 13, 2026
ND Registered Agents.org: pricing page, read on November 13, 2026
North Dakota Registered Agent.co: pricing page, read on November 13, 2026