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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class session 2 · North Dakota

North Dakota Registered Agent Class (2026): 6 Assignments and the 3 Best Agents

Today's class on getting a registered agent in North Dakota in 2026 comes with one answer: hire North Dakota Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and ND Registered Agents.org ($99 a year), in that order. In 6 assignments you will learn what North Dakota requires of a registered agent, who qualifies, which address counts and how the agent is put on record.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Key facts for this class

Is a registered agent required?YesLook at ndlegis.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Yearly cost of the graded agents$99 to $149 a yearRead from each company's price page
Annual report$50 a yearLook at sos.nd.gov for yourself; we read it in August 2026
Assignments6Listed below

Class objectives

  • The legal requirement
  • The address and eligibility rules
  • How to name or swap the agent
  • The agents at the top of the class

North Dakota: the graded services

Three-year tuition and homework done weigh the most; how we grade lists all five criteria.
Top of the class

1. North Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for one-state companies

$99 a year, $99 at renewal

North Dakota Registered Agent.co earns the top grade in North Dakota: $99 a year, unchanged at renewal, for an LLC that stays in the state.

Since Mainstay Filing costs more across three years, this service ends up on top.

Covered by the tuition

  • A North Dakota address for the registered office
  • Legal papers scanned and posted for you

Strengths

  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing
  • $99 each year, no increase

Weak spots

  • Serves North Dakota alone
  • No help with the annual report
Works in every state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one agent for every state

$149 a year, $149 at renewal

Mainstay Filing makes a respectable second: $149 a year from one provider, including for states you add later.

Three years of tuition run $150 above North Dakota Registered Agent.co, and tuition is 30% of the grade.

Covered by the tuition

  • A registered office in North Dakota
  • Scans of papers served on the company, free and on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Strengths

  • One price in all fifty states
  • A flat $149 yearly

Weak spots

  • Costs $50 extra every year
  • Agent service and nothing more
In-state service

3. ND Registered Agents.org: best for an in-state mailing address

$99 a year, $99 at renewal

Grade number 3 belongs to ND Registered Agents.org, where $99 a year, unchanged at renewal, for an LLC that stays in the state.

On price, it is level with North Dakota Registered Agent.co.

Covered by the tuition

  • A North Dakota address for the registered office
  • Legal papers scanned and posted for you

Strengths

  • $99 each year, no increase
  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing

Weak spots

  • Serves North Dakota alone
  • No help with the annual report

The North Dakota grades compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1North Dakota Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit North Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3ND Registered Agents.org$99$99/yr$297Visit ND Registered Agents.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, read November 13, 2026. The state bills the same whichever agent you name.

The North Dakota agent, in order

  1. Assignment
    1

    Read what North Dakota requires

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Textbook page: Look at ndlegis.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Find out who is allowed to serve

    A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial agent: a North Dakota resident, or an entity registered with the Secretary of State that has a North Dakota business office. A business cannot serve as its own agent. (N.D. Cent. Code § 10-01.1-05)

  3. Assignment
    3

    Pick an address that complies

    The address has to be a complete physical address in North Dakota. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Paying a service keeps your home address out of public records.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Decide who holds the role

    Qualify and you can serve yourself. A professional from the grade list runs $99 to $149 per year.

  5. Assignment
    5

    Record the appointment

    For a newly formed North Dakota LLC, the Articles of Organization is where the agent is named. Any later switch is filed separately at the North Dakota Secretary of State.

    Textbook page: Look at sos.nd.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  6. Assignment
    6

    Track the recurring filing

    Plan for the annual report: $50 every year, due November 15. Any notice about it comes through the registered agent.

    Textbook page: Look at sos.nd.gov for yourself; we read it in August 2026

What the agent costs in North Dakota

EntryReceiverPrice
The agentThe provider$99 to $149 a year
From year twoThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Annual reportPaid to the state$50 every year
Filing fee plus two later reports plus any minimum tax makes the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

How we graded the North Dakota picks

On tuition across three years (30% of the grade) came out on top, with close behind.

North Dakota Registered Agent.co wins the cost criterion with $297 over three years, against $150 more at Mainstay Filing.

North Dakota questions

Is having a registered agent the law in North Dakota?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own registered agent?

Often. Run the two tests in assignments 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes, any time. Assignment 5 shows how to file the change with the North Dakota Secretary of State.

What does a registered agent cost in North Dakota?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Mainly the annual report, $50 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Pick North Dakota Registered Agent.co: a street address inside the state for the registered office, at $99 a year. Then Mainstay Filing and ND Registered Agents.org.

Keep learning

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. The North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division lesson rests on sos.nd.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  2. The North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division lesson rests on sos.nd.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  3. The North Dakota report due date lesson rests on ndlegis.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  4. The North Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source lesson rests on sos.nd.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  5. The North Dakota registered agent statute lesson rests on ndlegis.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  6. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from North Dakota Registered Agent.co
  7. Pulled November 13, 2026: North Dakota service page from Mainstay Filing
  8. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from ND Registered Agents.org