Maryland · State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT)
In Maryland, a resident agent who misses two knocks can get your lawsuit sent to the state instead
Maryland runs LLC filings through its tax department, calls the registered agent a resident agent, and only lets a Maryland resident or a Maryland-formed entity hold the job. The part owners miss is the court rule: if a process server tries your agent twice on separate days and fails, the plaintiff can serve SDAT for $50 and move on. An agent who is actually there during the day matters more here than the price tag.
Partner links on this page are affiliate links. FTC disclosure. Not legal advice. Prices retrieved 30 August 2026.
What Maryland law says
| Item | Published rule |
|---|---|
| Agent required | §4A-210(a): each LLC has a principal office in Maryland and a resident agent. |
| Who may serve | §1-101(x): an individual residing in Maryland, or a Maryland corporation, LLC, or limited partnership on file with SDAT as resident agent. A company formed in another state does not qualify on its own. |
| Changing agent | §4A-210(b): statement signed by an authorized person; SDAT’s form adds that the new resident agent must also sign. Effective when SDAT accepts it for record. |
| Resignation | §4A-210(d): effective on filing if a successor is appointed, otherwise 10 days after filing, unless a later date is stated. |
| Agent unreachable | Rule 2-124(o): substituted service on SDAT if there is no resident agent, the agent is dead or gone from the address on file, or two good-faith attempts on separate days have failed. |
| Annual report | Form 1, due April 15, $300 for LLCs. Unfiled reports are certified after September 30 and the right to do business is forfeited by proclamation (§4A-911); 60-day cure as of the forfeiture date (§4A-912). |
Maryland state fees that touch your agent
| Filing | Fee | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Change of resident agent, agent address, or principal office | $25 | §1-203(b)(2)(ii); SDAT fee schedule. New agent signs. Effective when accepted. |
| Expedited review | $50 | SDAT fee schedule: 7 to 10 business days instead of 4 to 6 weeks. Online payments add a 3% convenience fee. |
| Form 1 annual report | $300 | Due April 15. Owed with or without business property. Waived for MarylandSaves-compliant employers (§1-203(b)(13)). |
| Service of process on SDAT | $50 | §1-203(b)(7); paid by the plaintiff, per defendant. |
| Articles of reinstatement | $100 | SDAT fee schedule, domestic LLC, after the 60-day cure window. |
| Articles of organization | $100 | Context only. Names the first resident agent. Foreign LLC registration is also $100. |
Doing it yourself vs paying an agent
A member who lives in Maryland can serve for $0. The trade is the one on our be your own agent and home address notes: your name and address go on the public record (see is the agent address public?), and in Maryland you need to be findable on two separate tries or the plaintiff can go to SDAT. The $300 annual report is owed either way, so it is left out of the comparison below.
| Option | 3 years | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Yourself (Maryland resident) | $0 | Your address on the record; be there for service. |
| Northwest | $375 | $125/year flat. Northwest says it files the change of agent for new clients when appointed. |
| Bizee standalone RA | $447 | $149/year. |
| ZenBusiness standalone RA | $497 | $99 year one, then $199/year. |
lib/prices (briefing retrieved 30 August 2026, see 3-year cost). Add $900 of Form 1 fees over three years to any row.Switching resident agents in Maryland
- Pick a successor that fits §1-101(x): a Maryland resident or a Maryland corporation, LLC, or limited partnership. Get its signature on the change statement; SDAT requires the new agent to sign.
- File the change with SDAT online through Maryland Business Express or on paper ($25, plus $50 if you want it reviewed in 7 to 10 business days). It takes effect when SDAT accepts it.
- Only then cancel the old vendor, so you never sit in the 10-day gap a resignation creates. Vendor walk-throughs: leave LegalZoom · leave ZenBusiness · leave Bizee.
If you already lapsed, start with no registered agent? If you got a forfeiture notice, the 60-day window under §4A-912 is the one to watch.
What this page does not do
It does not cover Maryland corporations, nonprofits, business personal property tax amounts, or local licenses, and does not pick an agent for you. Maryland next to the other states we track: change of agent and annual report vs RA renewal. Nearby: Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania. All states: state notes.
Questions
Does a Maryland LLC need a registered agent?
Yes, though Maryland calls it a resident agent. Md. Code, Corporations and Associations §4A-210(a) says each LLC shall have a principal office in Maryland and a resident agent. Foreign LLCs registering with SDAT name a Maryland resident agent too.
Who can be a resident agent in Maryland?
Corps. & Ass'ns §1-101(x) defines a resident agent as an individual residing in Maryland, or a Maryland corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership, whose name, address, and designation are on file with SDAT. That is narrower than most states: an out-of-state company cannot serve directly, so national agent services act through a Maryland entity. A member who lives in Maryland can serve personally.
How much does it cost to change a resident agent in Maryland?
$25. Corps. & Ass'ns §1-203(b)(2)(ii) sets $25 for a notice of change of name or address of resident agent, and SDAT's fee schedule lists LLC changes of principal office, resident agent, and agent's address at $25 for domestic and foreign LLCs. An authorized person signs, the new resident agent must also sign, and the change takes effect when SDAT accepts it for record (§4A-210(b)). Standard review on SDAT's schedule can take 4 to 6 weeks; expedited review is $50 more.
Can I change my resident agent on the Maryland annual report?
We did not find that option. §4A-210 provides for a separate statement filed for record with SDAT, and SDAT's change form is that statement. The 2026 Form 1 annual report is an annual report and business personal property return, not an agent-change filing. File the $25 change on its own.
What happens if my Maryland resident agent resigns?
Under §4A-210(d), the agent files a signed resignation with SDAT. If you have already appointed a successor, it is effective when filed. If not, it is effective 10 days after filing, unless the resignation names a later date. Ten days is one of the shortest windows we have seen. After that, Maryland Rule 2-124(o) lets a plaintiff serve SDAT instead of you because the LLC has no resident agent.
Can someone sue my Maryland LLC by serving the state?
Yes. Maryland Rule 2-124(o) allows substituted service on SDAT when the LLC has no resident agent, when the agent is dead or no longer at the address on file, or when two good-faith attempts on separate days to serve the agent have failed. The plaintiff pays SDAT $50 under §1-203(b)(7). A home-based agent who is often out, or a vendor address you stopped paying for, is how owners end up served without knowing it.
What is the Maryland LLC annual report fee?
$300, on Form 1, the Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return, due April 15 (2026 Form 1). The fee applies to domestic and foreign LLCs under §1-203(b)(3)(ii) even if the LLC owns no business property. Employers that comply with MarylandSaves can have the fee waived under §1-203(b)(13). A late return draws a penalty based on the county assessment, and not filing at all leads to forfeiture.
What happens if a Maryland LLC does not file its annual report?
Under §4A-911, right after September 30 each year SDAT lists every Maryland LLC that has not filed the prior year's report and issues a proclamation forfeiting its right to do business in Maryland and to use its name, without any court proceeding. §4A-912 says notice goes to the mailing address on file within 10 days, and filing the report and paying what is due within 60 days restores the LLC as of the forfeiture date. After that, SDAT's fee schedule lists articles of reinstatement at $100.
Related: agent in every state? (foreign LLC fees) · Michigan (also “resident agent”) · compare vendors.
Sources
Official vendor, secretary of state, or statute pages. Third-party “best of” lists were not used. Retrieval dates are on each row.
- Md. Code, Corporations and Associations §1-101(x) ("resident agent" means an individual residing in Maryland or a Maryland corporation, LLC, or limited partnership whose name, address, and designation are filed with the Department) Retrieved 2026-10-23.
- Md. Code, Corporations and Associations §1-203 (notice of change of name or address of resident agent $25; LLC annual report $300; $50 for service of process on the Department; articles and reinstatement $100; annual report fee waiver for MarylandSaves-compliant employers; version effective 1 October 2026 keeps these amounts) Retrieved 2026-10-23.
- Md. Code, Corporations and Associations §4A-210 (each LLC has a Maryland principal office and a resident agent; change by statement signed by an authorized person, effective when SDAT accepts it for record; resignation effective on filing if a successor is appointed, otherwise 10 days after filing) Retrieved 2026-10-23.
- Md. Code, Corporations and Associations §4A-911 (after September 30 each year SDAT certifies LLCs that did not file the prior year's annual report and proclaims their right to do business and use their name forfeited, without proceedings) Retrieved 2026-10-23.
- Md. Code, Corporations and Associations §4A-912 (notice of forfeiture mailed within 10 days to the mailing address on file; filing the report and paying what is due within 60 days reinstates as of the forfeiture date) Retrieved 2026-10-23.
- Maryland Rule 2-124(o) (substituted service on SDAT if the entity has no resident agent, the agent is dead or no longer at the address on file, or two good-faith attempts on separate days to serve the agent have failed) Retrieved 2026-10-23.
- Maryland SDAT, Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent (rev. March 2023) (LLC statement signed by an authorized person; the new resident agent must also sign; effective when accepted for record) Retrieved 2026-10-23.
- Maryland SDAT, Fee Schedule for Documents Relating to Corporate Charters (rev. May 2024) (LLC change of principal office, resident agent, and agent's address $25; articles of organization and reinstatement $100; expedite $50; service of process $50 per defendant; 4 to 6 week standard review) Retrieved 2026-10-23.
- Maryland SDAT, 2026 Form 1 Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (domestic or foreign LLC $300, due April 15; late penalty based on the county assessment; failure to file results in forfeiture) Retrieved 2026-10-23.
- Northwest Registered Agent — registered agent ($125/year; $100/year per state at 5+) Retrieved 2026-10-12.
- Northwest — change of agent (files change paperwork and pays required state filing fee when appointed; $125/year) Retrieved 2026-10-07.