In short
- A registered agent resigns by filing form RA-100 with the Secretary of State. There is no fee.
- The Secretary of State says the business must then file a new Statement of Information, the short report that names the company's agent.
- The Secretary of State can suspend a company for a missing Statement of Information.
What a resignation means
A registered agent, which the state calls an agent for service of process, is the person or company that accepts lawsuits and other legal papers for the business. Every California corporation and LLC has to name one. The Secretary of State's service of process page says they "are required by statute to designate an agent for service of process."
An agent can stop serving. To do that, the agent files a Resignation of Agent for Service of Process, form RA-100, with the Secretary of State. The form lists no fee.
These are the general rules the state publishes, not advice for your company. Check with a licensed professional before acting on them.
What the state expects next
The Secretary of State's business entity FAQs say businesses "must file a new Statement of Information when their agent for service of process resigns or is no longer valid."
The Statement of Information is the short report that lists who runs the company, its addresses and its agent. Our Statement of Information guide explains the filing, and the bizfile business search shows which agent the state has on record.
Why it matters
- The Secretary of State's status definitions say a company is suspended by the Secretary of State "for failure to file the required Statement of Information." Our suspension guide explains more.
Sources: the Secretary of State's business entity FAQs, form RA-100, service of process page and status definitions.
More on corpgate.com
Corpgate, Inc. has two guides on corpgate.com for this situation:
Every company's situation is different. A licensed attorney or tax professional can tell you what applies to yours.
Questions about a resigned agent
What does it mean when a registered agent resigns?
It means the agent is ending its role as the business's agent for service of process. The agent resigns by filing form RA-100, the Resignation of Agent for Service of Process, with the Secretary of State.
Does the business have to do anything after its agent resigns?
The Secretary of State says businesses must file a new Statement of Information when their agent for service of process resigns or is no longer valid.
Is there a fee for an agent to resign?
Form RA-100 lists no fee for filing a resignation of agent.
Related guides
About this information
Corpgate, Inc. is not a law firm or a tax professional and does not give legal or tax advice. This page is general information about California business filings, drawn from official government sources, and it may not fit your situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with anyone. Fees, deadlines and rules change; check the official source linked on this page before you act. For advice about your own corporation or LLC, talk to a licensed California attorney or tax professional. Corpgate, Inc. provides registered agent service and does not prepare legal documents.