CA registered agent
California. A registered agent for $27 a year. Room temperature.
Somewhere in the California code there is a paragraph about registered agents. We pasted the relevant part below. The rest of the page is what California does when the paragraph is not met, which, with us, is the usual outcome, or whatever.
Where the lawsuit goes instead
Service, somewhere else
... and it is shown by affidavit to the satisfaction of the court that process against a domestic corporation cannot be served with reasonable diligence upon the designated agent ... the court may ...
Source: state statute, via incFACTS: Cal. Corp. Code § 1702(a); accord § 17701.16(c) (LLCs)
The California annual report, which you could also not do
Once a year California wants a form and a fee to keep your company on the list. The fee is below. Not paying it is in keeping with the rest of this page, or whatever.
Yearly report, LLC
$20 a year, give or take nothing.
... of a limited liability company or of a foreign limited liability company pursuant to Section 17702.09 of the ...
Source: state statute, via incFACTS: Cal. Gov. Code 12190(k)
Yearly report, corporation
$25 a year, give or take nothing.
... Cooperative Corporations (Form SI-200) - initial or annual statement: $20.00 filing fee and a ...
Source: official state fee schedule, via incFACTS: https://bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov/pdf/be-fee-schedule-062018.pdf
What California had in mind
What is required
The California code, more or less word for word:
The statement required by subdivision (a) shall also designate, as the agent of the corporation for the purpose of service of process, a natural person residing in this state or a corporation that has complied with Section 1505 and whose capacity to act as an agent has not terminated. ...
Source: state statute, via incFACTS: Cal. Corp. Code § 1502(b); accord § 17701.13(c) (LLCs)
What California does next
The state keeps a list of things it does to a company whose agent is not really there. Here is the list, pasted, unedited, because editing it would be effort.
A penalty, in dollars
If, within 60 days of providing notice of the delinquency, a statement pursuant to Section 1502 has not been filed by the corporation, the Secretary of State shall certify the name of the corporation to the Franchise Tax Board. ...
Source: state statute, via incFACTS: Cal. Corp. Code § 2204(a)-(b)
Also, apparently
... of the suspension and provide a notice of the suspension to the corporation, and thereupon, the corporate powers, rights, and privileges of the corporation are suspended, except for the purpose of ...
Source: state statute, via incFACTS: Cal. Corp. Code § 2205(a), (c)
A penalty, in dollars
... statement pursuant to Section 17702.09 has not been filed by the limited liability company or foreign limited liability company, the limited liability company or foreign limited liability company ...
Source: state statute, via incFACTS: Cal. Corp. Code § 17713.07(b); see § 17713.09
Also, apparently
... shall notify the Franchise Tax Board of the suspension, and shall provide a notice of the suspension to the limited liability company and thereupon, except for the purpose of amending the articles ...
Source: state statute, via incFACTS: Cal. Corp. Code § 17713.10(c)
How that lands with us
Lukewarm. We read it once. It did not change anything.
Coming back, if you feel like it
There is a fee to bring a California company back. incFACTS has not confirmed the figure, and we did not ask, or whatever.
The quoted passages were captured by incFACTS on 2026-08-01 and compared to the live code on 2026-08-10. Laws get amended. This page mostly does not.