Short answer
A registered office is the street address in your LLC’s state where its registered agent can be found and served with legal papers. The registered agent is the person or company that accepts those papers. Delaware and Florida law list the registered office and the registered agent as two separate requirements. Texas says the registered office must be a physical address in Texas and “cannot solely be the address of a mailbox service or telephone answering service.”
Key takeaways
- Delaware law says each LLC must keep in Delaware “A registered office, which may but need not be a place of its business in the State of Delaware” and a registered agent for service of process.
- The registered agent is the person or company. The registered office is the agent’s address. Delaware requires the agent to have “a business office identical with such registered office.”
- The Texas Secretary of State says a registered office “must be a physical address in Texas where the registered agent can be personally served with process during business hours.” It says the office “cannot solely be the address of a mailbox service or telephone answering service.”
- Delaware requires the address of a registered office in filed documents to “include the street, number, city and postal code.”
- A principal office is a different address. Florida law defines it as the principal executive office of the LLC, “regardless of whether the office is located in this state.”
- In Florida, an LLC can change its registered office address by filing a statement of change, or on its annual report.
What is a registered office?
A registered office is the address in a state where your LLC can be served with legal papers. Legal papers served in a lawsuit are called process, and delivering them is called service of process. The registered office is where your registered agent receives those papers for the LLC.
State law creates the requirement. Section 18-104 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act is titled “Registered office; registered agent.” It says each LLC “shall have and maintain in the State of Delaware: (1) A registered office, which may but need not be a place of its business in the State of Delaware; and (2) A registered agent for service of process on the limited liability company.”
Florida uses almost the same words. Section 605.0113 of the Florida Statutes says each LLC “shall designate and continuously maintain in this state: (a) A registered office, which may be the same as its place of business in this state; and (b) A registered agent.” Both laws say the registered office must be in that state. Florida applies the same rule to an LLC from another state that has a certificate of authority in Florida.
Both laws also say the registered office does not have to be where you run the business. Delaware says it “may but need not be a place of its business.” Florida says it “may be the same as its place of business in this state.”
The term means something different in the United Kingdom. Section 86 of the UK Companies Act 2006 says “A company must ensure that its registered office is at all times at an appropriate address.” The rest of this guide covers United States LLCs only.
Did this answer your question?
Is a registered office the same as a registered agent?
No. The registered agent is the person or company that accepts legal papers for your LLC. The registered office is the address where that agent can be found. State law lists them as two items, but it ties them to the same place.
Delaware requires a registered agent “having a business office identical with such registered office.” Florida says the registered agent must be an individual who lives in Florida, or an entity authorized in Florida, “whose business address is identical to the address of the registered office.” So the agent’s business address and your registered office are the same address.
Because the two addresses must match, an LLC in Delaware or Florida that hires a registered agent company lists that company’s business address as its registered office. Delaware law also ties the two together when the agent changes. It says that when a successor agent takes over, “the successor registered agent’s address, as stated in such certificate, shall become the address of each such limited liability company’s registered office in the State of Delaware.”
Your registered agent address and your business address are separate questions. Our guide to the registered agent address vs business address explains when one address can serve both roles. This guide answers the narrower question of what the registered office is.
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What the law says a registered office address must be
Each state sets its own address rules. The three states below each publish their rule in the statute or on the Secretary of State’s own page.
- Texas: The Secretary of State’s formation FAQ says “An entity’s registered office must be a physical address in Texas where the registered agent can be personally served with process during business hours. It cannot solely be the address of a mailbox service or telephone answering service.”
- Delaware: Section 18-104(k) says that in any certificate of formation or other filed document, “the address of a registered agent or registered office shall include the street, number, city and postal code.”
- Florida: Section 605.0113 requires the registered office to be “in this state.” When an LLC changes the address, Section 605.0114 asks for “the new street address of the registered office in this state.”
Registered office vs principal office vs mailing address
Many state forms ask for more than one address. Each address has a different job. Florida law shows the difference clearly, because its annual report asks for “The street address of its principal office and its mailing address,” while the registered office is a separate record.
Florida defines a principal office as “the principal executive office of a limited liability company or foreign limited liability company, regardless of whether the office is located in this state.” So the principal office can be in another state or another country. The registered office cannot. Our guide to the Sunbiz principal address and mailing address explains each Florida field in detail.
| Address | What it is | Where it must be | Florida law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered office | The address where the registered agent accepts legal papers | In the state (Delaware, Florida, and Texas law) | Section 605.0113: “A registered office, which may be the same as its place of business in this state” |
| Principal office | The main executive office of the LLC | Anywhere | Section 605.0102: “regardless of whether the office is located in this state” |
| Mailing address | The address where the LLC receives mail | The statute we read does not set a location rule | Section 605.0212: the annual report states “its mailing address” |
How to change a registered office
In Florida, an LLC files a statement of change with the Department of State. Section 605.0114 says the statement contains the LLC’s name, the current registered agent, and “The street address of its current registered office for its current registered agent.” If the address is changing, it also gives “the new street address of the registered office in this state.”
Florida also lets an LLC make the change in other filings. Section 605.0114(4) says the change “may also be made on the limited liability company’s or foreign limited liability company’s annual report.” The same subsection lists an application for reinstatement and an amendment to the articles of organization.
In Delaware, Section 18-104(b) lets a registered agent move the registered office of the LLCs it serves. The agent files a certificate with the Secretary of State and pays the fee set in Section 18-1105(a)(2). After the filing, the statute says each LLC’s registered office “shall be located at the new address of the registered agent.”
Choosing the address for your registered office
The registered office is part of the state’s record. Florida law says the Department of State “shall maintain an accurate record of the registered agent and registered office for service of process.” The same subsection says the Department “shall promptly furnish information disclosed thereby upon request and payment of the required fee.” Treat the address as one that other people can learn.
Delaware law lets the LLC itself serve as its registered agent. In that case, the LLC’s own business office in Delaware must be the registered office, because the agent’s office and the registered office are the same. In Texas, the Secretary of State says the registered office must be a place where the agent “can be personally served with process during business hours.” Our guide on whether a registered agent hides your home address shows how often a home address ends up in public Florida filings.
save office is not a registered agent and does not provide a registered office. For a question about your state’s rule, contact the Secretary of State or an attorney in that state. For the LLC’s everyday mail, our Silicon Valley virtual office address and Los Angeles business address pages describe the business addresses save office offers.
Not legal or tax advice
This guide summarizes Delaware Code Title 6 Section 18-104, Florida Statutes Sections 605.0102, 605.0113, 605.0114, and 605.0212, the Texas Secretary of State formation FAQ, and UK Companies Act 2006 Section 86, as read on October 31, 2026. Rules differ by state and can change. Ask your state’s Secretary of State or an attorney about your LLC.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
Primary sources this guide is based on.
- 1State of Delaware · Delaware Code Title 6, Chapter 18, Subchapter I (Section 18-104) (accessed October 31, 2026)
- 2The Florida Senate · Florida Statutes Section 605.0113, Registered agent (accessed October 31, 2026)
- 3The Florida Senate · Florida Statutes Section 605.0114, Change of registered agent or registered office (accessed October 31, 2026)
- 4The Florida Senate · Florida Statutes Section 605.0102, Definitions (accessed October 31, 2026)
- 5The Florida Senate · Florida Statutes Section 605.0212, Annual report for department (accessed October 31, 2026)
- 6Texas Secretary of State · Business Organizations: Formation FAQs (accessed October 31, 2026)
- 7legislation.gov.uk · Companies Act 2006, Section 86 (accessed October 31, 2026)
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