How to Change Your Registered Agent in Alabama
Complete guide to updating your LLC's registered agent with the Alabama Secretary of State, including required forms, fees, and timeline.
Last updated: September 2026
Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Get registered agent service from NorthwestRegistered agent service is $125/yr. The included first year applies only when you form a new LLC with them ($39 plus your state's filing fee), so it does not apply to an LLC you already have. Registered agent customers are enrolled by default in Northwest's renewal service, which charges your saved payment method $100, plus any state fee or tax it pays for you, each time it handles a state filing for you, cancellable any time.Get registered agent service from ZenBusinessRegistered agent service is $199/yr, their standard rate. The $99 first-year price applies only when you form a new LLC with them, so it does not apply to an LLC you already have.Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →
How to File
- 1
Obtain consent from your new registered agent
Before filing any paperwork, confirm your new registered agent agrees to serve and has a physical Alabama address. If using a professional service, complete their registration process first.
- 2
Complete Form LLC-3 (Change of Registered Agent/Office)
Download Form LLC-3 from the Alabama Secretary of State website at https://www.sos.alabama.gov. Fill out your LLC name, current agent information, and new agent details.
- 3
Have your new registered agent sign the form
Form LLC-3 requires the signature of your new registered agent accepting their appointment. This signature must be notarized before submission.
- 4
Submit the form with filing fee
File Form LLC-3 with the Alabama Secretary of State along with the $35 filing fee. You can submit by mail to P.O. Box 5616, Montgomery, AL 36103-5616 or file online through the Alabama Business Portal.
- 5
Update your LLC records
Once approved, update your internal LLC records, operating agreement if applicable, and notify banks, vendors, and other parties of the registered agent change.
When Should You Change Your Registered Agent?
- Your current registered agent is moving out of Alabama or closing their business
- You're switching from a family member or friend to a professional registered agent service
- Your registered agent is no longer responsive or reliable in handling legal documents
- You want to maintain privacy by using a commercial service instead of your home address
Hiring a service is optional. You can name yourself or another individual with a street address in Alabama, and the FAQ below gives Alabama's own rule.
Registered agent services for Alabama LLCs, by renewal price
Affiliate disclosure: Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom pay us a commission if you sign up through our link, at no extra cost to you. We list only the registered agent services we have an affiliate relationship with, so this is not a survey of the whole market.
This table is not scored. The four are listed cheapest annual renewal first, and the rows below it say which one fits which situation. The scored ranking, and the formula behind it, is on the formation services review, which orders them on three-year cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score.
| Service | With formation, year 1 | Annual renewal | BBB | Trustpilot | Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agent | Included with $39 formation | $125/yr | A | 4.1/5 (297) | Says it does not sell your information; runs its own servers |
| Bizee | Free year one | $149/yr | C (unaccredited) | 4.8/5 (26,100+) | No data-sharing commitment |
| ZenBusiness | $99, not included in any plan | $199/yr | A | 4.8/5 (32,500+) | Partial |
| LegalZoom | Not included, $249 extra | $249/yr | A+ | 4.6/5 (32,900+) | Partial |
Note: Bizee holds a C rating from the BBB and is not accredited. BBB's profile carries a live alert describing a pattern of complaints about unexpected charges, difficulty canceling and filing delays, and Bizee has posted a response to it. We flag this so you can make an informed choice.
Prices are each provider's standard published rates; year-one pricing applies when you form your LLC through the same service. BBB and Trustpilot figures as recorded September 15, 2026, not re-checked since, and both sources update continuously. These are the dates the figures were last written to our dataset, which is the most we can show: they are not verification dates. See how we evaluate these companies in our full formation services review →
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state publishes about filing deadlines, fees, and the consequences of missing them, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own company owes: the date turns on when and where you formed, states change these rules between our reviews, and in several states an entity-level tax falls due in a year when no report does. Confirm your own dates with the filing office named on this page before you rely on one here, because the penalty for missing a deadline can be administrative dissolution of the company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Alabama sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.
- sos.alabama.gov/business-entities/llcsAlabama Secretary of State: business entity filings
- arc-sos.state.al.us/ucp/L1539719.AI1.pdfAlabama statute: annual report exemption
- sos.alabama.gov/business-entitiesAlabama agency guidance: annual report exemption
- law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-10a/chapter-5a/Alabama statutory text, unofficial mirror: annual report exemption
- revenue.alabama.gov/individual-corporate/alabama-business-privilege-tax-and-corporate-share-tax/Alabama agency guidance: Business Privilege Tax
- revenue.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26fbptin.pdfAlabama agency guidance: Business Privilege Tax
- revenue.alabama.gov/tax-types/business-privilege-tax/Alabama Department of Revenue: file the Business Privilege Tax
Formation Services Compared
Forming an LLC in Alabama?
See how Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom, the formation services we partner with, compare on 3-year cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score before you choose.
Need a Registered Agent in Alabama?
Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Get registered agent service from NorthwestRegistered agent service is $125/yr. The included first year applies only when you form a new LLC with them ($39 plus your state's filing fee), so it does not apply to an LLC you already have. Registered agent customers are enrolled by default in Northwest's renewal service, which charges your saved payment method $100, plus any state fee or tax it pays for you, each time it handles a state filing for you, cancellable any time.Get registered agent service from ZenBusinessRegistered agent service is $199/yr, their standard rate. The $99 first-year price applies only when you form a new LLC with them, so it does not apply to an LLC you already have.Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →