Maryland LLC Registered Agent

These are persons or entities that agree to accept service of process and official mailings on behalf of your Maryland LLC.

When you are sued against, Service of Process or legal papers will be sent to your Registered Agent for LLC. The state may also send reminders and notices to your LLC via the Registered Agent.

A Maryland Registered Agent is required to provide a normal business hours (9-5) M- F address.

You can have the address of someone at the law firm on records and designate this person as a registered agent if you wish; other states allow P, O. Box for LLC Registered Agents but not Maryland No PO Box Addresses.

Do You Need a Registered Agent in Maryland?

Maryland requires all business entities to have a Registered Agent when forming an LLC. Also, keep in mind that a Registered Agent has to stay on file with the state as long as you have an LLC.

Why Do You Need a Registered Agent in Maryland?

A Registered Agent handles the service of process when your company is sued and will see to it that the LLC receives proof of delivery for legal documents.

Thus, all companies such as corporations and LLCs must have a Registered Agent on file with the state.

Or the Registered Agent of your LLC if you want to get someone involved in legal stuff. Maryland requires an LLC to name a Registered Agent for each so courtroom files can be accurately served and tracked.

Who can serve as my Maryland Registered Agent?

Maryland Registered Agent: You have 3 options for who your registered agent will be.

• You
• A friend or family member.
• Maryland Registered Agent Service

While it may be cheaper to act as your Registered Agent, doing so does have its drawbacks.

What are the risks?

If you do decide to act as your own Maryland Registered Agent, there are many pitfalls you may encounter such as:

• Missing vital state notifications
• Subject to administrative dissolution
• Service of Process (Loose Legal Cannon)

The problem is worse if you:

• Move without updating your residential address with the state
• You often travel or are away from home for many hours
• No address you can trust
• Neglect to observe your mail daily

Not posting an important notice from the state

The Secretary of State of Maryland or other agencies in the state are going to need a fast way to send important notices to your business.

These notices will often require your LLC to take certain actions on specific deadlines. Not meeting these deadlines could result in costly penalties and fees.

Administrative Dissolution

If your LLC is dissolved by the Maryland Secretary of State, this will lead to numerous consequences.

The state does not peek at your LLC every day, but if it finds that you are overdue for renewal and unable to reach you due to an incorrect address listed on the record.

Default Judgment

The process server will make several attempts of service to your business, in case it involves an LLC lawsuit.

This indicates that the assumption from which we were referring earlier — also known as piercing of the corporate veil, it gives rise to an expectation that doing so is easier than previously believed — applies in reverse and can lead someone who has brought litigation against your LLC on his behalf defenselessly. Typically, your LLC gets slapped with a default judgment as well.

The person you are suing with your LLC does not need to defend itself in the presence of yourself. This generally ends in a summary judgment against you as well as your LLC.

Contempt of Court

If you have an LLC that is involved in a lawsuit, expect to receive a subpoena. Requesting your testimony or records.

And if you fail to reply, you can be held in contempt of court. This approach can result in fees or the issuance of a bench warrant, through which the sheriff gets your data IOR makes you go to court.

Do YOU need to be your Registered Agent?

In Maryland, you are allowed to be your Registered Agent. When there are risks, they tend to be rare and you should pay for savings with a bit more time penning the index directly.

However, there are benefits to a professional Registered Agent Service as well, such as keeping your home address private.

Maryland Registered Agent Information is Public

You can just as easily appoint a friend or family member to be the Registered Agent of your LLC. However, that means the public can soon stroll up to your front door.

The information you provide in your Department of Assessments and Taxation, including the Registered Agent address will be held on file with the Maryland Secretary of State and available to anyone who wants it.

Listing your address as the LLCs Registered Agent Address will make it public and can be potentially to multiple websites.

Once this info pops up on another site – it propagates, by now your address can be slammed into Google.

We can assist in hiding your address if you do not wish for it to be publicly known.

Protect Our Address from Public Records

While in many cases business owners throughout Maryland work from their homes, remember that the address of your Registered Agent (if you use a service) will be visible on public records via the address listed on the LLC Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Hire a Maryland Registered Agent Service to keep away your residential address Your address will not necessarily appear on the public record for your Department of Assessments and Taxation (just theirs, if they are available.

Which is the Best Maryland Registered Agent?

Which Maryland Registered Agent is best for your business depends on a few different factors.

You:

If you meet all of the following requirements to be your Registered Agent in Maryland.

• You live in Maryland
• You use a Maryland physical address
• Just remember, your address will be displayed on public records.

Why choose this? The same is a good option to save some money as you do not have to pay for Registered Agent Service.

Friend or Family:

Anyone Can Be Your Maryland Registered Agent if you are:

• They live in Maryland
• They are relatively new (not always) and have an address on a street in Maryland.
• They must also be willing to disclose their address on public records.

Why choose this? That is a great thing to take advantage of if you do not live in Maryland and want to save some money by skipping the Registered Agent Service hiring process.

Maryland Resident Agent Service:

The price of membership with such services tends to fall in the $100-$300/year range. They will then forward the mail they receive to you or, in some cases (if digital), upload it directly to an online account.

Why choose this option? It's a good choice if you:

• Don't live in Maryland
• No Friend Or Family Whose Address You Can Use
• Unavailability for normal business hours mail delivery
• Do Not Want Your Address Listed in the Department of Assessments and Taxation

Maryland Registered Agent FAQs