Peace of Mind - The registered agent will help you stay on top of legislative changes, due dates for reports, and disparate laws of different states.Īrticles of Organization must be filed with the office of the California State of Secretary when forming an LLC in the state.This is useful if you travel often to see clients or if you are often on the go. Flexibility - You do not have to worry about making yourself available during all business hours to receive official documents.Privacy - Your name and contact information will not become public information posted on the website for everyone to see.While the state of California allows you to be your own registered agent (as long as you have a street address located in the state), using a registered agent service offers the following benefits: Also, the registered agent must be available to accept documents during normal business hours. You cannot use PO Boxes for your registered agent address. The registered agent must be a California resident or a registered California corporation with a physical address in California. You must provide a physical address where the business can receive legal notices, summonses, and subpoenas.

If you want to run an LLC then you are required to designate a registered agent for your business entity. However, if you want to be able to operate your business under an alternate name, then you have to register that “doing business as” name (DBA) as well.Ī DBA is not a legal name, but rather an assumed name under which a business can operate. You can request to reserve up to three names. To reserve a name, you must mail or drop off in person a name reservation request form, along with a $10 reservation fee and a $10 handling fee. You can also reserve a business name for up to 60 days while you complete the other steps toward setting up your LLC. Your inquiry will be processed in approximately two business days. If a name appears to be available, you can request a more formal name availability confirmation by mailing a completed name availability inquiry letter to the California Secretary of State’s office in Sacramento. You can search LLC names that are currently on file with the California Secretary of State on their Business Search tool. Under California law, LLCs can’t choose a name that’s so similar to another business’s name that it would cause confusion for the public.Ī useful rule of thumb is to come up with at least three names to choose from, just in case your first choice name is taken. Choose a Name For Your BusinessĬhoosing a name for your company is the first step in starting your LLC. To make this less daunting for you we’ve easily outlined the steps of forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in California. In order to set up a business there, you’ll need to navigate a complex set of rules and regulations unique to California. California is home to over four million small businesses, making it a world leader in entrepreneurship.

Setting up an llc