[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in Louisiana in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, LA Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and Louisiana Registered Agent.co. Maya: Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. Louisiana. Is it any different from other states? Dan: A little. Every agent signs a notarized acceptance, and a change of agent went up to $30 on October 1 this year. Those two details shape how you choose. [0:35] What Louisiana requires Maya: What does the law say? Dan: Revised Statutes 12:1308 says every LLC must continuously maintain a registered office in the state and at least one registered agent. The registered office is treated as the company's domicile for all purposes. Maya: Who can be the agent? Dan: A citizen of the state who lives here, or a partnership, professional law corporation, or an authorized domestic or foreign corporation or LLC. Entities must have a certificate on file naming at least two individuals at their Louisiana address who can receive process. Maya: And the state's own words? Dan: The Secretary of State's FAQ says an agent can be almost anyone of legal age and a legal resident, including a member, an employee, an attorney or an accountant. Maya: What about the address? Dan: A municipal address, not a post office box only. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. Now the five. [1:30] Mainstay Filing Maya: Number one? Dan: Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, the same $149 at renewal. Maya: What do I get? Dan: Its Louisiana address on the public record rather than yours. Served papers are scanned and uploaded the same business day with no fee, and your first three government mailings a year are scanned free. Maya: Switching from another agent? Dan: Mainstay files the change and signs the notarized acceptance as your new agent. The $30 state fee passes through at cost. Maya: The honest catch? Dan: Two agents below it are $99, so it's not the lowest flat price. [2:10] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Second? Dan: Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. Its page says the price hasn't moved in 20 years, and up to 10 pieces of regular mail a year are scanned free. Maya: Catch? Dan: It auto-enrolls you in its annual report filing service, $100 plus state fees per filing, until you cancel. Maya: Louisiana's report is $35. Dan: So that service plus the state fee is $135, nearly four times what the state charges. Cancel it unless you want it. [2:45] LA Registered Agent.org Maya: Third? Dan: LA Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, same at renewal. A registered address on file, same-day scanning of legal documents and reminders before state deadlines. Maya: Switching? Dan: It costs just the $30 state fee. Annual report filing is a separate service. Maya: Versus Mainstay? Dan: $50 a year less, $150 over three years. [3:14] Bizee Maya: Four? Dan: Bizee, formerly Incfile. Free the first year with a formation package, then $149 a year. Maya: Any fine print? Dan: The free year needs a formation order, and the renewal is automatic. Maya: If I formed my company on my own? Dan: Then you start at $149. Two years comes to $298. [3:38] Louisiana Registered Agent.co Maya: And five? Dan: Louisiana Registered Agent.co, a flat $99. The office address on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail and reminders for state deadlines. Maya: Different from number three? Dan: Not on the listings. Same price, same catch. [3:56] The notarized acceptance Maya: Why does the notary matter? Dan: Because Louisiana is stricter than most. The Initial Report carries an agent's affidavit and acknowledgment of acceptance, and each agent must sign it before a notary public. Maya: Even for a change? Dan: Yes. A change must be accompanied by a notarized affidavit of acknowledgment and acceptance signed by the new agent. Maya: So I can't just name my cousin without telling them? Dan: Not and have it stand. The new agent has to show up in front of a notary. That's one reason people let a service handle the paperwork. [4:28] Naming the agent at formation Maya: Where does the agent go when I form the LLC? Dan: In the Initial Report, Form 973, filed with the Articles of Organization, Form 365. The Articles can't be accepted unless the Initial Report is filed too. Maya: What does that cost? Dan: The Articles are $125 since October 1, 2026, plus a $5 convenience fee on card payments. Maya: Anything else on the Initial Report? Dan: The names and municipal addresses of the first managers or members. [5:04] Changing the agent Maya: How do I change it later? Dan: Form 983, the Notice of Change of Registered Office and/or Change of Registered Agent. The filing fee is $30, up from $25 before October 1, 2026. Maya: Who signs? Dan: A manager or member for the company, and the new agent signs the acknowledgment before a notary. Maya: Can I pay by card? Dan: Yes, with a $5 statutory convenience fee. You can also file online. Maya: Can I speed it up? Dan: Expedite is $35 for 24 hours or $60 for two to four hours. The change takes effect when the Secretary of State accepts it for record. Maya: Is there a shortcut? Dan: If your annual report is due or past due, you can make the change there instead. [5:51] If the agent resigns Maya: What if my agent resigns? Dan: Louisiana is different here. The agent resigns by giving written notice to the company and to the Secretary of State. We found no resignation form and no fee on the forms page or the fee schedule. Maya: Do I have to replace them? Dan: Yes. A successor agent must be appointed within 30 days of the resignation. Maya: Sounds tighter than other states. Dan: It is. Thirty days is not much when the new agent needs a notary. [6:20] When there's no agent Maya: What if papers need to reach a company with no agent? Dan: The Code of Civil Procedure lets the server go to any manager, any member, or an employee of suitable age and discretion where the business is regularly conducted. Maya: And if that fails? Dan: Then personally on the Secretary of State, who forwards the citation. Maya: What about a vacated office? Dan: If no statement of change is filed within 30 days after the registered office is vacated, anyone other than the company can treat the Secretary of State's office as its registered office. Maya: Any other state action? Dan: A company that skips its annual report three years in a row can be revoked, but the state first mails notice to its last registered agent, at least 30 days ahead. [7:07] The annual report Maya: What does Louisiana want each year? Dan: An annual report, $35, on or before the anniversary date of organization. Maya: What's on it? Dan: The registered office, each agent, and each manager or member with a municipal address. Maya: So the yearly spend? Dan: With Mainstay, $149 plus $35 is $184. With a $99 agent, $134. Maya: Does the state remind me? Dan: We didn't verify a reminder program, so put the anniversary in your calendar. [7:43] Doing it yourself Maya: Can I be my own agent in Louisiana? Dan: As a Louisiana citizen who lives here, with a municipal address, yes. An organizer, a member or an employee can serve too. Maya: What's the tradeoff? Dan: The agent's name and address are publicly displayed on the Secretary of State's website. Maya: And presence? Dan: The agent is the person who receives legal documents and must forward them to the business. A same-day scanning service makes sure that happens fast. [8:12] Picking one Maya: How would a New Orleans or Baton Rouge owner decide? Dan: Three things. Does the price hold, is there a real Louisiana address, and who handles the notarized $30 change. Maya: And your answer? Dan: Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Louisiana, at $149 a year. [8:31] The five in a row Maya: All five, once more? Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to cancel. Three, LA Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, Louisiana Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. Maya: The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.