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Michigan keeps this simple. The Corporations Division at LARA says a resident agent is a person designated to accept mail, documents, or service of process on behalf of an entity. It records the agent's name on the public record. Two limits matter: the agent address has to be in Michigan, and a business cannot serve as its own resident agent. Our Michigan business guide covers the search tool.
Who can be a resident agent in Michigan?
The Division's annual filing page lists the rules we could confirm:
- The resident agent address must be in Michigan.
- A business cannot serve as its own resident agent.
- If you do not have a Michigan address, you may hire a service company or law firm.
So an individual with a Michigan address works. That may be one of your own members. Your LLC cannot name itself. If you live out of state, read LLC for non-residents and registered agent services. We name no provider.
The pages we read do not say whether the agent must consent in writing or whether an entity can serve as agent for another entity. Do not assume. Ask the Division.
What is the registered office?
The registered office address is the physical location of the resident agent. The Division's FAQ says it may, but need not, be the same as the entity's place of business. So a home office and a different agent address can sit side by side.
How do I change the resident agent?
The change is a Certificate of Change of Registered Office and/or Change of Resident Agent, form CSCL/CD-520. The online steps in the FAQ are:
- Go to the MiBusiness Registry Portal and log in with a MiLogin for Business account.
- Search for the entity and select File Online at the bottom of the slide drawer.
- Answer the two questions, review and approve the statement, and select File Online.
- Choose File Subsequent Document and select form CSCL/CD-520.
- Complete the form and pay by debit or credit card.
The fee schedule lists form 520 at $5. It also lists form 521, Resignation of Resident Agent. Check the current fee for 521 on that schedule before you file, because the layout of the table is hard to read for LLCs.
Does the agent come up again after formation?
Yes. Every annual filing asks you to add or update the registered office address and the resident agent name and address. If you give an email address for the agent, you get reminders to pay and notices when changes are made to the annual filing. The Division says those notices help you prevent business identity theft.
The LLC annual statement is $25 and due February 15, and the full list of steps is in our Michigan LLC guide.
What if the company has no agent?
The pages we read do not set out a penalty or a deadline for losing an agent, and we will not invent one. What they do say is that the annual filing must show a resident agent. A company that skips its annual filing goes to not in good standing, dissolution or revocation after a two-year grace period. Keep the agent record current.
How do I look up a resident agent?
The Division records the resident agent on the public record. Its Business Entity Search is the lookup tool, and filed documents can be viewed there too. Our registered agent lookup guide explains how to read the record, and service of process shows why a stale agent address is a risk. To weigh up naming yourself, read being your own registered agent.