Vermont Agent for Service of Process, Under the 2025 Rewrite

Vermont's Secretary of State pages say registered agent. The statutes, as rewritten by Act 10 of 2025 effective July 1, 2025, say agent for service of process, in 11 V.S.A. sections 4007 and 1655. Both describe the same role.

The Business Services Division, at 128 State Street in Montpelier, keeps the record. Articles of Organization under 11 V.S.A. section 4023 carry the address of the initial designated office, the name and street address of the initial agent, and each organizer's name and address. Filing costs $155, with no extra fee for online filing.

Under section 1656(a) the agent is an agent for service of any process, notice or demand required or permitted by law to be served on the LLC. The Secretary of State adds that appointment as a registered agent does not confer authority to sign documents or liability for the business's activities. This page covers LLCs, and the same service is open to corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits.

The Secretary of State sums it up: the only qualification to be a registered agent is that the agent has a street and mailing address located in Vermont. Section 1655(a) adds that the state keeps name, email and address information on file.

An individual serving as agent has to be a Vermont resident. A business agent must have a place of business in Vermont, be authorized to conduct business here, and be registered and active, other than the represented business itself.

That last phrase means the LLC cannot be its own agent. Designating an agent attests that the agent consents, under section 1655(b).

A Vermont resident with a street address, who is usually around and does not mind a public address, can list their own name, email and street address in the Articles. From then on you accept whatever is served and keep the record current when you move.

The state keeps the agent's name, email and address information on file. Vermont does not set office hours for agents, but papers keep coming during vacations and job-site days.

For a solo operator at a fixed Vermont location who values saving the fee, self-service is defensible. Anyone who travels or wants a home address private will find more friction than savings.

The Secretary of State says a registered agent may be an individual person, or a business or nonprofit entity, not an assumed business name, other than the represented business itself, that is registered and active with the office. Vermont's statute has no separate commercial agent category, so a company that offers agent service for a fee serves under the business route.

An owner without a Vermont address therefore needs a business agent or a Vermont-resident individual.

A business acting as agent must be registered and active in Vermont and have a place of business here.

The filing is a Statement of Change, $35 on the Secretary of State's fee schedule, filed online through the Online Business Service Center. Under section 1655(c) a statement of change is how an LLC changes its agent, or the agent's email or address information. The Secretary of State says the change updates the registered agent, the physical address of the agent, the mailing address and the email address.

The Business Services Division says online filings normally take less than one business day and mailed filings take 7 to 10 business days. Double-check the street address for typos, because the address is where legal documents get delivered.

When you move to Mainstay we prepare and submit the Statement of Change, and the $35 is charged at cost.

A Vermont agent can resign for free. It submits a statement of resignation to the Secretary of State and delivers a copy to the affected business. Under 11 V.S.A. section 1655(e) the agency ends on the earlier of 30 days after the Secretary of State files the statement or the date a statement of change designating a new agent takes effect. The Secretary of State's page describes it as the 31st day after the resignation is received. The fee schedule lists the resignation at $0.00.

If no new agent is named in that time, the Secretary of State says the business loses good standing and goes to Terminated status until a new agent is appointed. So line up the new agent and file the $35 change before the 30 days run.

If an LLC fails to appoint or maintain an agent, or the agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at its address, section 1656 makes the Secretary of State an agent of the LLC. Duplicate copies are left with the Secretary of State, who sends one by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the company at its principal office or last known address. Service is effective at the earliest of receipt, the return receipt date, or five days after deposit.

Section 4023, amended by Act 10 of 2025 effective July 1, 2025, requires the name, the address of the initial designated office, the name and street address of the initial agent for service of process, and the name and address of each organizer. It also asks for a statement if the LLC has no members and whether it is an L3C.

Optional items include operating agreement provisions and the name, email and address of owners or principals. The state keeps each LLC's fiscal year end on record, which is what drives the annual report deadline.

A Vermont agent through Mainstay costs $149 a year, renewing at $149, with compliance reminders. The annual report stays with you under this service. It floats with your fiscal year, costs $45 at the state, and is due within three months after the fiscal year ends, March 31 for a calendar-year LLC. It lists the agent's name, email and address, and not filing it terminates the articles. A new Vermont company can use the $199 formation package, which files the report, covers the agent, and adds the Articles of Organization and your EIN application.

Mainstay's Vermont address would be on your record. When service of process arrives, the scan is uploaded the same business day with no fee. The first three government mailings a year are scanned free, then per-piece scan or shipping fees apply. No tier includes free physical forwarding.