Every limited liability company operating in the United States needs to designate a registered agent (also known as a “statutory agent” in the state of Arizona). Even after you identify your initial statutory agent in your formation paperwork, there are several reasons for why you may need to change the statutory agent for your LLC in Arizona.
Your statutory agent could be moving out of state, or they could be a former co-owner or employee who no longer works for your organization. Maybe you want to switch from an individual statutory agent to a professional service that operates in all 50 states, or perhaps you’re simply unsatisfied with your current statutory agent’s service.
Whatever the reason may be, each state allows you to change your statutory agent at any time, and in most states the process is both simple and inexpensive. Let’s dive into the specifics of how to change your LLC’s statutory agent in Arizona.
NOTE: If you need help changing registered agents, the same services that are known for offering business formation services — like LegalZoom and Zen Business — can also take over registered agent duties and file the needed paperwork.
Who Can Be an Arizona Statutory Agent?
An Arizona statutory agent is a person or business entity that has a physical address in the state. You or one of your co-owners can serve as your own statutory agent, you can designate a friend or family member for this role, you can hire a lawyer or accountant as your agent, or you can hire an online business services company to provide statutory agent service.
No matter who you choose to be your statutory agent, they need to be physically present at the address provided to the state during all standard business hours. This person or entity does not need to have any prior experience being a statutory agent, but it’s wise to choose a statutory agent who is familiar with the serious responsibilities that come with this role.
There is no minimum age requirement on who can be a statutory agent in the state of Arizona. Chapter 7, Article 1, Section 29-3115 of the Arizona Revised Statutes outlines the specifics of who can be a statutory agent in Arizona. Specifically, it states the following:
A statutory agent must have a place of business or residence in this state. A statutory agent must be either an individual resident of this state, a domestic corporation, a limited liability company, a foreign corporation, or a foreign limited liability company authorized to transact business in this state.
In addition, the statutory agent must formally accept the role in writing by signing the Statutory Agent Acceptance form.
For more general information regarding the role of a statutory agent with an Arizona LLC, we encourage you to check out our full guide on the topic.
What Is the Procedure for Changing Your LLC Statutory Agent in Arizona?
While the role of the statutory agent is vitally important for any American business entity, this role can always be changed, and there are different rules for how to change your agent depending on which state your business operates in.
Limited liability companies in the state of Arizona can change their statutory agent by amending their articles of organization, or by filing an LLC Statement of Change form.
Option 1) Filing a Statement of Change Form
LLCs in Arizona can file an LLC Statement of Change of Known Place of Business Address or Statutory Agent form. This same document can be be used by both foreign and domestic LLCs, and there is a $5 filing fee. In addition, the new statutory agent must formally accept this position by signing the Statutory Agent Acceptance form. The forms can be submitted via mail or in person ― there is no option to file them online.
Processing Times
The standard processing time for filing a Statement of Change in Arizona is 15-17 business days. There is a $35 fee to expedite the process, which speeds up your processing time to just 2-4 business days.
Option 2) Filing an Amendment to the Articles of Organization
Arizona also allows you to change your LLC’s statutory agent by filing an Articles of Amendment form. There are two different forms for domestic and foreign LLCs. There is a $25 filing fee for both forms.
Processing Times
The standard processing time for amendment forms in Arizona is 16-18 business days, and the $35 expedited option speeds that up to 5-7 days.
Prefer to Have a Statutory Agent Service Handle Your Requirements?
A statutory agent service is a company that specializes in being a statutory agent for a wide variety of businesses across the country, bringing tons of expertise and a healthy dose of reliability to the role.
Most professional statutory agent services operate on a national basis, meaning there’s no restrictions on which states you can operate your business in. They also tend to charge affordable rates, as you can find several statutory agent services that charge around $10/month or even less for this service. In addition, most of these companies will also offer to handle the process of changing a statutory agent for you.
If you’re interested in this option, we highly recommend Northwest Registered Agent.
The Law for Changing Your LLC Statutory Agent in Arizona
It’s always important to be well-informed regarding the specific laws for changing your statutory agent. In Arizona, the laws regarding statutory agents are separated by entity. For LLCs, we’ll need to look at Section 29-605 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, which states that a limited liability company may change its statutory agent by delivering a statement to the commission that includes the following information:
- “The name of the limited liability company.
- If the current address of its known place of business is to be changed, the street address of the new place of business.
- If its statutory agent or the statutory agent’s street address is to be changed, the name and street address of its successor statutory agent or the statutory agent’s new street address.”
Conclusion
If you operate a limited liability company in the state of Arizona, you need to designate a statutory agent to receive important government document deliveries on your behalf. If you decide at any time that you would rather change your statutory agent to a different individual or business entity, it’s important to know what that process looks like.
In Arizona, limited liability companies can change their statutory agent by amending their articles of organization, or by filing an LLC Statement of Change form. The Statement of Change form is a simple document with a very low filing fee, but if you’d rather have a statutory agent service handle this task for you, you certainly have that option.
We hope this article helped you improve your understanding of changing a statutory agent in Arizona, and as always we thank you for choosing Registered Agent Ready!