The California Business Address Requirement
Starting a California LLC or incorporating in California? You’ll have to provide a business address. This requirement is simple enough for business owners who work out of a commercial space. But these days, you can run a business anywhere with a solid internet connection (and good coffee). What is a web-based worker to do? List your home address? Rent an office? Give up before you even start?
No, no, and no. Hire us to be your registered agent or to form your company. We’ll give you a business address to use on your formation documents at no extra cost.
Do I need a business address to start a California LLC or corporation?
Yes, you have to list a California business address on your articles of formation or organization.
If you don’t work out of a commercial building, like an office, shop, or storefront, that’s okay. Your business address doesn’t have to be in a commercial building. In fact, it doesn’t even need to be where you’re actually putting in the hours. But it does need to meet a few other requirements.
Can I use a PO box for my business address in California?
No. In California, you can’t list a PO box for your business address. You’ll have to list a physical street address in the state of California as your business address. If you don’t, your filing will be rejected.
I work from home. Can I just use my home address for my California business address?
You can, but we don’t recommend it. To begin, you might be violating local zoning regulations or HOA rules by running a business out of your home. But there’s something else to think about before giving your home address to the CA Secretary of State, and that’s your privacy.
These days, privacy is elusive. We give it up, little by little, for a bit of convenience. But at California Agents for Service of Process, we believe that your home address should remain private. Some things are still sacred.
If you list your home address on the California articles of organization or formation, it will become part of the public record. This means that your home address will be posted on a government website for all the world to see. For many California business owners, this is an unsettling prospect.
When you hire us, we’ll give you our business address to use on your formation documents. If it helps you sleep a little better at night, we’d say it’s well worth the $49 a year for registered agent service.
If I move, will I need to change my California business address?
It depends. If you’ve listed your home address as your business address on your California articles of organization or incorporation, then yes. You’ll need to file a Statement of Information updating the CA Secretary of State on your new business address.
However, if you hire us and use our CA business address, you can move as many times as you’d like without changing your business address.
Can I use your business address on my business cards and website?
No. We’re not a mail-forwarding service. Those usually cost a lot more. What we’re offering is a solution for businesses that need an address to list on their formation documents. We only accept legal mail (service of process) on behalf of our clients. Things like bank statements, utility bills, and invoices shouldn’t be sent to our address.