Registered Agents Washington.us

Washington compliance

Washington registered agent requirements

Every Washington LLC and corporation must keep a registered agent on file. Below: eligibility, the address rule and how to make a change, each tied to its source.

Updated October 29, 2026 ยท Registered Agent rules

Short answer

Washington law sets who can be a registered agent and requires an in-state street address[2]. Serving personally is open to any owner who lives in Washington and has a qualifying address. Washington law also lets the company be named as its own registered agent. Replacing the agent is a $0 filing[3].

Mainstay Filing serves as Washington registered agent for $149 a year, the same at renewal[1].

Legal term
Registered agent
Registered Agent required
Yes
Company can be its own agent
Yes
Change fee
$0
Change form
Statement of Change/Designation of Registered Agent
Mainstay Filing
$149 a year

Updated October 29, 2026. Rules from the statute and state forms; fees from official sources; prices from providers' own pages.

01Who can serve as a Washington registered agent

Washington's rule is in RCW 23.95.415[2].

A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, a noncommercial agent (any person or business with a Washington address), or the holder of a named position in the company. The agent consents in advance.

Serving personally is open to any owner who lives in Washington and has a qualifying address. Washington law also lets the company be named as its own registered agent. Owners who live outside Washington, and so cannot serve themselves, usually hire a service.

02The address rule

The statute and the state's forms set this out. The address has to be a physical street address in Washington. P.O. boxes and private mailboxes are not accepted.[2]

The agent's name and address is part of the public record for the company, so whatever is listed appears in the Washington Secretary of State's records.

03Changing a Washington registered agent

Washington charges $0 for this change[3]. The document is the Statement of Change/Designation of Registered Agent[4].

  1. Pick a new registered agent who qualifies in Washington and confirm they accept.
  2. Submit the Statement of Change/Designation of Registered Agent to the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division.
  3. There is no state fee for this filing in Washington.
  4. Once the Washington Secretary of State processes it, confirm the company's record shows the new registered agent.

The 50-state median for this filing is $15. For Washington's $0, no state charges less (9 others match it).

Switching to Mainstay Filing includes the Washington change filing; it submits the form to the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division[1].

04Context: new businesses in Washington

82.5%open after 1 year[5]
42.2%open after 5 years
17.77new applications per 1,000 residents, 2025[6]

A registered agent has to stay on record for as long as the company exists. By the Bureau of Labor Statistics' count, 42.2% of business locations that opened in Washington between April 2019 and March 2020 were still operating in March 2025.

BLS figures for Washington move more than most states' from one group of openings to the next, so single-year rates should be read with care.

05What a registered agent costs

Naming yourself or a colleague costs nothing beyond the state's filing fees. Mainstay Filing charges $149 a year, and the same at renewal[1]; that covers its Washington address on the public record, same-day scans of papers served, compliance reminders and the first three government mailings a year.

Other services' prices for Washington were read from their own pages on October 20, 2026, 7 in all. Year one cost $0 to $249 and renewal $125 to $249. In Washington, 3 of them raise the price after year one, so the renewal figure is the one to compare.

06Questions

Can I be my own registered agent in Washington?

Serving personally is open to any owner who lives in Washington and has a qualifying address. Washington law also lets the company be named as its own registered agent.

Can a Washington registered agent use a P.O. box?

The address has to be a physical street address in Washington. P.O. boxes and private mailboxes are not accepted.[2]

Who offers registered agent service in Washington?

Mainstay Filing offers it for $149 a year, with no increase at renewal[1]. Other services' published Washington prices ran $0 to $249 for the first year on October 20, 2026.

How much does it cost to change the registered agent in Washington?

$0, paid to the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division[3].

Sources

  1. Mainstay Filing pricing, registered agent and FAQ pages. Updated October 29, 2026.
  2. RCW 23.95.415 (designation of registered agent); address rule RCW 23.95.410; entities required to maintain an agent RCW 23.95.405; change by entity RCW 23.95.430. app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=23.95.415. Updated October 29, 2026.
  3. Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division: Statement of Change/Designation of Registered Agent fee. www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/fee-scheduleexpedite. Updated October 29, 2026.
  4. Statement of Change/Designation of Registered Agent. www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-12/6.2025%20-%20Statement%20of%20Change%20or%20Des. Updated October 29, 2026.
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, Establishment Age and Survival, Table 7 (data through March 2025). www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmage.htm. Updated October 29, 2026.
  6. U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (state annual and monthly series). www.census.gov/econ/bfs/index.html. Updated October 29, 2026.