How to Change Your Registered Agent in Maryland

Changing your registered agent in Maryland takes one filing with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) and a $25 state fee. Maryland statutes refer to the role as the resident agent, so the state's paperwork uses that wording, but it is the same registered agent job you know from other states. Here is the form, the fee, and each step in order.

The Official Form: Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent

Maryland's change filing is called the Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent. SDAT does not assign it a form number, so ask for it by its full name. The completed resolution goes to SDAT's Charter Division with a $25 filing fee, which applies to domestic and foreign entities alike. You can download the official form directly from SDAT: Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent (PDF).

One quirk worth knowing: when an agent resigns on their own, SDAT charges no fee for the resignation filing. The $25 applies when your entity files the resolution to appoint a replacement or update the agent's address.

Steps to Change Your Registered Agent in Maryland

1. Select your new agent. Under Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 1-101, the role can be filled by an individual residing in Maryland or by a Maryland corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership, and the agent needs a physical Maryland street address.
2. Complete the Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent with your entity name, SDAT ID, and the new agent's name and address, then obtain the required signatures.
3. Submit the resolution to SDAT's Charter Division and pay the $25 filing fee.
4. Watch for the update in SDAT's records. Your old agent remains listed until the resolution is processed, so confirm the new listing before assuming the switch is complete.
5. Save the state's confirmation with your entity records.

Why Business Owners Switch

Privacy. A home or office address listed as the agent sits in SDAT's public records for anyone to find. A professional agent's address takes its place.

Reliability. The agent must be available at the listed address during regular business hours to accept service of process. An agent who is slow to pass documents along can turn a routine lawsuit into a default judgment.

Price. Plenty of services in Maryland renew between $125 and $436 per year. Ours is $99, every year.

Relocation. If your current agent has left Maryland, the statute still requires an agent with an in-state address on file, so a replacement has to be appointed.

Making the Switch to Us

Sign up and we prepare the resolution with our name and Maryland address filled in, along with filing instructions. You file it with SDAT along with the $25 fee, and once SDAT processes it, we are your agent of record. We confirm your service within one business day and send portal credentials. From then on, legal documents and state mail reach our office, get scanned the same day, and appear in your portal with an email notification.

We also track your compliance calendar. Maryland's annual report, Form 1, is due to SDAT by April 15 with a $300 fee, and we remind you before it comes due.

Get Started Today

Ready to switch? Visit our enrollment page to set up the $99 annual registered agent service. Questions about the change process or the form? Reach us at support@mdregisteredagent.org.