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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 2 · North Dakota

The North Dakota Registered Agent Unit (2026): 6 Tasks and the 3 Best Agents

Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), North Dakota Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and ND Registered Agents.org ($99 a year): that is the order of the services we would hire in North Dakota in 2026 for naming a registered agent. Work through the 6 tasks and your registered agent will be appointed the right way.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Unit overview

Legally required
Yes
Taken from ndlegis.gov in October 2026
Cost of hiring an agent
$99 to $149 a year
From company pricing pages
Annual report
$50 a year
Taken from sos.nd.gov in August 2026
Task count
6
In order

What this unit teaches

  • The legal requirement
  • Who can act as agent
  • How to name or swap the agent
  • The agents at the top of the class

If you want someone else to file

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we grade), and three-year cost and assignments completed count most.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for owners planning to expand

Start with this oneYear 1: $149. Year 2: $149

Mainstay Filing earns the top grade in North Dakota: $149 a year, $149 at renewal, and the same plan works in every other state.

Over three years it costs $150 above North Dakota Registered Agent.co, and in return more of the work is handled.

What the price covers

  • An office address inside the state
  • Free scans of legal papers served on the company, sent the business day they arrive
  • Up to three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • $149 per year
  • Good in every state

What to weigh

  • Higher by $50 a year
  • This plan does not file your reports
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. North Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for a small yearly agent fee

One-state planYear 1: $99. Year 2: $99

Our second choice, North Dakota Registered Agent.co: for $99 a year you get a North Dakota agent with an office inside the state.

What the price covers

  • A registered office address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Price $99; renews at $99
  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing

What to weigh

  • Serves North Dakota alone
  • Annual report is outside the price
Visit North Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. ND Registered Agents.org: best for a second local choice

One-state planYear 1: $99. Year 2: $99

Our third choice, ND Registered Agents.org: for $99 a year you get a North Dakota agent with an office inside the state.

It lists the same prices as North Dakota Registered Agent.co.

What the price covers

  • A registered office address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing
  • Price $99; renews at $99

What to weigh

  • Serves North Dakota alone
  • Annual report is outside the price
Visit ND Registered Agents.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

A comparison of the services

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2North Dakota Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit North Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3ND Registered Agents.org$99$99/yr$297Visit ND Registered Agents.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. The state bills the same whichever agent you name.

How the North Dakota agent gets set up

  1. Task 1

    Read what North Dakota requires

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Source: Taken from ndlegis.gov in October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Find out who is allowed to serve

    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. This is in N.D. Cent. Code § 10-01.1-05.

  3. Task 3

    Pass the address test

    The address has to be a complete physical address in North Dakota. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    A service gives you a North Dakota street address so yours stays off the filing.

  4. Task 4

    Serve yourself or use a professional

    Hiring from the recommended agents costs $99 to $149 a year; serving yourself is the option for those who qualify.

  5. Task 5

    Record the appointment

    The Articles of Organization asks for the agent's name and address, and the North Dakota Secretary of State also takes change filings from LLCs switching agents.

    Source: Taken from sos.nd.gov in October 2026

  6. Task 6

    Watch the details

    The annual report costs $50 every year and is due November 15; any notice about it comes through the registered agent.

    Source: Taken from sos.nd.gov in August 2026

The bill

What forPaid toCost
A professional agentThe provider$99 to $149 a year
RenewalThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Annual reportGoes to the state$50 every year
To get the three-year state number we add up the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax, and we keep service fees separate.

How the grades came out

Assignments the price completes makes up 31% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in North Dakota.

An agent who can come with you to any state beat North Dakota Registered Agent.co's lower price.

North Dakota questions

Can a North Dakota LLC go without a registered agent?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own registered agent?

Maybe. Read tasks 2 and 3 and see whether you meet both rules.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Change whenever you like, through the North Dakota Secretary of State, as task 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in North Dakota?

Prices on this page run $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Mostly the annual report, $50 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Mainstay Filing is first, North Dakota Registered Agent.co and ND Registered Agents.org follow, and Mainstay Filing wins on assignments the price completes.

Reading list and sources

  1. Reading list entry for North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division: sos.nd.gov, reread August 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  2. Reading list entry for North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division: sos.nd.gov, reread August 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  3. Reading list entry for North Dakota report due date: ndlegis.gov, reread August 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  4. Reading list entry for North Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sos.nd.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  5. Reading list entry for North Dakota registered agent statute: ndlegis.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  6. Mainstay Filing: North Dakota service page, as seen on November 13, 2026
  7. North Dakota Registered Agent.co: pricing page, as seen on November 13, 2026
  8. ND Registered Agents.org: pricing page, as seen on November 13, 2026