In brief
Every Alabama LLC must keep a registered agent who qualifies under Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31[2], at a physical address in Alabama. Changing the agent costs $100[3].
One option in Alabama: Mainstay Filing, $149 a year as registered agent, renewing at the same price[1].
- Legal term
- Registered agent
- Registered Agent required
- Yes
- Change fee
- $100
- Change form
- Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity
- Mainstay Filing
- $149 a year
Updated October 29, 2026. Rules from the statute and state forms; fees from official sources; prices from providers' own pages.
Who qualifies
The rule comes from Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31[2].
An Alabama resident, or a business entity formed in Alabama or registered to do business there. The agent keeps a business office at the registered office address.
An owner who lives in Alabama can serve personally, as an individual, if the address and hours rules are met. Owners who live outside Alabama, and so cannot serve themselves, usually hire a service.
Changing an Alabama registered agent
The filing is the Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity, filed with the Alabama Secretary of State. The fee is $100[3].
- Line up a replacement registered agent that meets Alabama's rules and agrees to serve.
- File the Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity with the Alabama Secretary of State.
- Include the $100 filing fee.
- Check the Alabama Secretary of State business search to confirm the change shows on the record.
Across the 50 states the median change fee is $15; compared with Alabama's $100, no state charges more.
Switching to Mainstay Filing includes the Alabama change filing; it submits the form to the Alabama Secretary of State and charges the $100 state fee at cost[1].
What a registered agent costs
Mainstay Filing's Alabama registered agent service is $149 a year with no increase at renewal[1]. Papers served on the company are scanned and uploaded the same business day at no fee.
Other services' prices for Alabama were read from their own pages on October 20, 2026, 9 in all. First years ran $0 to $249, renewals $125 to $249. In Alabama, 3 of them raise the price after year one, so the renewal figure is the one to compare.
How long Alabama businesses last
Agent service is a recurring cost for the life of the company. In Alabama, 77.1% of new business locations were still open after one year and 51.4% after five, per BLS data through March 2025.
Where the agent must be
Alabama is specific here. The address has to be a street address in Alabama where papers can be handed to the agent. P.O. boxes are not accepted, and an agent cannot work only through a virtual office or a mail-forwarding service.[2]
Alabama lists this address in its public business search, so a home address used here becomes public.
Questions
Can I be my own registered agent in Alabama?
An owner who lives in Alabama can serve personally, as an individual, if the address and hours rules are met.
Can an Alabama registered agent use a P.O. box?
The address has to be a street address in Alabama where papers can be handed to the agent. P.O. boxes are not accepted, and an agent cannot work only through a virtual office or a mail-forwarding service.[2]
Can a service act as my Alabama registered agent?
Mainstay Filing offers it for $149 a year, with no increase at renewal[1]. Other services' published Alabama prices ran $0 to $249 for the first year on October 20, 2026.
How much does it cost to change the registered agent in Alabama?
$100, paid to the Alabama Secretary of State[3].
Sources
- Mainstay Filing pricing, registered agent and FAQ pages. Updated October 29, 2026.
- Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31 (Designation and maintenance of registered agent and registered office). alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/alison/CodeOfAlabama/1975/10A-1-5.31.htm. Updated October 29, 2026.
- Alabama Secretary of State: Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity fee. www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/form-files/FeeSchedule.pdf. Updated October 29, 2026.
- Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity. www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/ChangeRegisteredAgent.pdf. Updated October 29, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, Establishment Age and Survival, Table 7 (data through March 2025). www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmage.htm. Updated October 29, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (state annual and monthly series). www.census.gov/econ/bfs/index.html. Updated October 29, 2026.