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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 2 · Ohio

The Ohio Registered Agent Unit (2026): 6 Tasks and the 2 Best Agents

For naming a registered agent in Ohio in 2026, this unit puts Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and OH Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) at the top of the class, in that order. The 6 tasks below cover what Ohio requires of a statutory agent, who may serve, which address counts and how to put the agent on record.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Unit overview

Must you have one?
Yes
codes.ohio.gov (page read October 2026)
Service prices
$99 to $149 a year
Read from each company's price page
Unit tasks
6
One by one

Course objectives

  • Why Ohio wants an agent on file
  • Who is eligible and the address test
  • How to name or swap the agent
  • The agents at the top of the class

The Ohio honor roll

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

Our first pick$149 yearly, $149 at renewal

Our first pick is Mainstay Filing; $149 a year, $149 at renewal, and the same plan works in every other state.

Three years run $150 higher than with OH Registered Agent.org, but it completes more of the assignments, and the grade pays for that.

What the price covers

  • A real street address in 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

  • Goes with you to any state
  • $149 a year, same at renewal

What to weigh

  • OH Registered Agent.org is $50 a year lower
  • An agent-only plan, so no report filing
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. OH Registered Agent.org: best for owners based in the state

In-state service$99 yearly, $99 at renewal

OH Registered Agent.org takes second place: an in-state street address for the registered office at $99 a year.

What the price covers

  • A Ohio address for the registered office
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • A smaller yearly bill than Mainstay Filing
  • Price $99; renews at $99

What to weigh

  • A single-state service
Visit OH Registered Agent.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.
2OH Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit OH Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices come from each company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. Switching agents does not change what the state charges.

The unit, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Read what Ohio requires

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

    Source: codes.ohio.gov (page read October 2026)

  2. Task 2

    Who can take the role

    An Ohio resident, or a business entity with a business address in Ohio. The rule comes from Ohio Rev. Code § 1706.09.

  3. Task 3

    Learn the registered office rule

    The address has to be the agent's home or usual place of business in Ohio. P.O. boxes and commercial mail receiving agencies are not accepted.

    Paying a service keeps your home address out of public records.

  4. Task 4

    Decide who will hold the role

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

  5. Task 5

    Name the agent in your filing

    On a new Ohio LLC, the agent goes on the Articles of Organization (Form 610). A later switch is a separate filing with the Ohio Secretary of State.

    Source: codes.ohio.gov (page read October 2026)

  6. Task 6

    Check the record every year

    With no report due, your one job is keeping the statutory agent appointment current.

What the agent costs in Ohio

EntryReceiverCost
Hiring an agentYour service$99 to $149 a year
From year twoYour service$99 to $149 a year
State fees were read from the official pages named in the sources. Three years means the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where there is one.

How the grades came out

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

Covering all fifty states counted for more than OH Registered Agent.org did under our grading.

Questions students ask

Is an LLC in Ohio obliged to keep a statutory agent?

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

Can I be my own statutory agent?

Often. Test yourself against the two rules in tasks 2 and 3.

Can I change my statutory agent later?

You can; an existing LLC files a change with the Ohio Secretary of State, as task 5 shows.

What does a registered agent cost in Ohio?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

There is no report fee.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Mainstay Filing is first, OH Registered Agent.org follow, and Mainstay Filing wins on assignments the price completes.

Reading list and sources

  1. Everything about Ohio Rev above traces to codes.ohio.gov, a page we reread in August 2026.
  2. Everything about Ohio formation fee: Filing fee, official source above traces to codes.ohio.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  3. Everything about Ohio registered agent statute above traces to codes.ohio.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  4. We opened the Ohio service page at Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026
  5. We opened the pricing page at OH Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026