South Dakota Registered Agent

A South Dakota registered agent is a person or entity authorized to accept legal mail on behalf of a business. The registered agent is required to accept this service of process at the physical address on file with the South Dakota Secretary of State. Once the documents are in their possession, the registered agent must promptly forward them to the affected business.

Learn more:

• Purpose of SD Registered Agents
• South Dakota Registered Agent Requirements
• How to Find a South Dakota Registered Agent
• Reasons to Hire Registered Agents Inc
• How to Appoint a South Dakota Registered Agent
• FAQs

The Purpose of SD Registered Agents

The purpose of a South Dakota registered agent is to act as a legal point of contact for businesses. That means if someone sues a South Dakota business, the registered agent will receive the related paperwork. The agent is then obligated to send that paperwork along to the affected business as soon as possible.

South Dakota registered agents also receive annual reports, tax notifications, and other state mail for the businesses they serve. To ensure businesses receive critical documents in a timely manner, state law also requires registered agents to keep their information updated with the Secretary of State’s office.

South Dakota Registered Agent Requirements

Under South Dakota law, a registered agent can be one of the following:

• Noncommercial Registered Agent: Either an individual who resides in South Dakota or a business registered in the Mount Rushmore State.
• Commercial Registered Agent: An agent or entity that has paid a fee to register with the Secretary of State and appears on the official list of South Dakota Commercial Registered Agents.
• Organizational Office Holder: An officer of the business who accepts the role of registered agent, but uses their company title rather than their individual name. For example, if you appoint your company’s secretary, you would list “Secretary” on the agent file, not a name like “Jane Doe.” Note: This option is available to corporations but not LLCs.

In all cases, registered agents must have an actual street address or rural route box number, not a PO box or virtual office.

Can I be my own registered agent in South Dakota?

Yes, you can be your own registered agent in South Dakota as long as you have a street address or rural route box number. You must also be fine with listing your address on formation paperwork that becomes part of the public record.

Finally, you must be able to stay at the listed address during regular business hours to accept legal mail. If those conditions won’t work for you, you can designate someone else as your registered agent.

How to Find a South Dakota Registered Agent

How you find a registered agent in South Dakota depends in large part on the type of registered agent you’re looking to appoint.

For a noncommercial registered agent, you can approach a business associate, friend, or someone else you trust. Remember that whoever you appoint will be dealing with sensitive legal documents. If you’re not running an LLC, you also have the option to appoint one of your organization’s officers to act as your registered agent.

Interested in hiring a commercial registered agent? You can search for one by name in the Secretary of State’s database. Before you do, think about what services you want a registered agent to offer besides the basics. Registered agents are required to accept legal mail, but premium registered agent services like ours include additional services like domain name registration.

Why Should I Hire Registered Agents Inc?

When you hire Registered Agents Inc as your South Dakota registered agent, you receive the benefits of a national operation alongside the perks of a local business. That means you get:

• Same-day document uploads
  Our South Dakota team scans and uploads legal mail for you as soon as we get it. We never send it out for processing.
• Speedy notifications
  You won’t have to keep refreshing your account to see if you’ve got a new document, because we’ll email you as soon as something is uploaded.
• Annual report filings
  South Dakota businesses are responsible for filing an annual report, due on the first day of the anniversary month. However, when you hire us as your registered agent, you won’t have to worry about that, since our service includes annual report filing. You’ll only pay the state fee.
• Local offices nationwide
  Registered Agents Inc has offices in all 50 states. Want to expand your South Dakota business to Minnesota? We can help you do that.
• Secure online account
  Hiring us means you get immediate access to your online account, aka the place where we upload any legal mail we get for you. You can also use it to add any additional services.
• Expert help
  We offer a customer support team that deals with South Dakota business filings all day, every day. If you have a question about state paperwork, they’re ready to help.

If you’re looking to provide your own registered agent services, check out our Wholesale Program.

How to Appoint a South Dakota Registered Agent

You’ll appoint a South Dakota registered agent when you fill out your entity’s formation paperwork. For an LLC, that paperwork is called Articles of Organization. For a corporation, you’ll complete Articles of Incorporation.

You can file formation paperwork online or by mail. LLCs and corporations must pay a $150 filing fee. Note that filing by mail means you’ll pay an extra $15 on top of the $150. Mailed filings should go to the below address:

Secretary of State
Capitol Building
500 East Capitol Avenue Ste 204
Pierre, SD 57501-5070

How do I change my registered agent in South Dakota?

To change your registered agent in South Dakota, fill out a Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Address. Make sure to pick the appropriate Statement of Change form for your entity.

There’s a $10 fee to file this form online. If you elect to file by mail, it costs a total of $25 with the $15 paper processing fee.

Frequently Asked Questions