Tennessee Registered Agent for Your LLC
Every Tennessee LLC must have a registered agent with a physical address in the state. Learn what a registered agent does, who can serve, and how to appoint one.
Bizee Editorial Staff
Editorial Team
Tennessee registered agent requirements at a glance
Filing fee: $300 (online) / $300 (paper)
Processing time: 3–5 business days (online); 5–7 business days (paper)
State agency: Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services
Annual report due: April 1 each year
State tax rate: No state income tax on wages; 6.5% franchise and excise tax on net earnings for most LLCs
What a registered agent does for your Tennessee LLC
A registered agent is the official point of contact between your Tennessee LLC and the state. Their core job is to receive service of process — lawsuits, summons, subpoenas — and forward those documents to you so your business can respond. They also receive compliance notices and annual report reminders from the Tennessee Secretary of State.
The registered agent must be physically present at a Tennessee street address during normal business hours — Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. That availability is the whole point: courts and process servers need a reliable place to deliver documents, and your LLC needs someone who will actually receive them and get them to you fast.
Most business owners don't think about their registered agent until something goes wrong — and by then, a missed document can mean a default judgment.
Who can serve as a registered agent in Tennessee
Tennessee law allows 3 options for who can serve as your LLC's registered agent: you personally, another individual, or a registered agent service. Each option has real trade-offs worth understanding before you appoint one.
An individual person
Any individual can serve as your registered agent as long as they are at least 18 years old, a Tennessee resident, and have a physical street address in the state. A P.O. box doesn't qualify. They must be available at that address during normal business hours.
A business entity
A business entity can serve as your registered agent if it is authorized to do business in Tennessee and maintains a physical office address in the state. Professional registered agent services fall into this category. They handle document receipt and forwarding on your behalf.
Risks of being your own registered agent
You can legally serve as your own registered agent in Tennessee, but there are real downsides that catch people off guard. The biggest one is availability: you must be at your registered address during all normal business hours, every business day. If you're traveling, in a client meeting, or working remotely, you can miss a time-sensitive legal document.
Privacy is the other issue. Your registered agent's address becomes public record with the Tennessee Secretary of State. If you use your home address, it's visible to anyone who searches the state's business database.
Missing a document delivered to your registered address can mean your LLC falls out of good standing or you lose the right to respond in a lawsuit — and that's a hard situation to recover from.
How to appoint or change a registered agent
You appoint your registered agent when you file your Articles of Organization with the Tennessee Secretary of State. The agent's name and registered office address go directly on that form. Tennessee requires you to maintain a registered agent at all times — there's no grace period if yours resigns or becomes unavailable.
If you need to change your registered agent after formation, you file a Statement of Change of Registered Agent with the Tennessee Secretary of State. The state charges a fee for this filing. Your new agent must meet the same eligibility requirements — Tennessee resident or authorized business entity, physical street address, available during business hours.
- Appoint your registered agent on your Articles of Organization at the time of formation
- To change agents after formation, file a Statement of Change of Registered Agent with the Tennessee Secretary of State
- Your LLC must have a registered agent on file at all times — a gap in coverage puts your good standing at risk
- The new agent must have a physical Tennessee street address; P.O. boxes are not accepted
How to search for a registered agent in Tennessee
If you need to find the registered agent on file for another Tennessee LLC, the Tennessee Secretary of State's online business search tool shows the registered agent name and address for any active entity. This is public information. Search at the Tennessee Secretary of State's Business Services portal using the business name or entity ID.
This lookup is useful if you're doing due diligence on a vendor, verifying a business is in good standing, or confirming your own registered agent information is current and accurate in the state's records.
FAQ about Tennessee registered agents
Yes. Every LLC formed in Tennessee is required by state law to maintain a registered agent at all times. You must appoint one when you file your Articles of Organization, and your LLC must keep a registered agent on file continuously — there's no period where you can operate without one.
Yes, but it comes with trade-offs. You must be at least 18, a Tennessee resident, and available at a physical Tennessee street address during all normal business hours. If you travel, work remotely, or use your home address, you're exposing yourself to missed documents and a public record of your home address. Most business owners find a registered agent service worth the cost.
You appoint your registered agent when you file your Articles of Organization with the Tennessee Secretary of State. The agent's name and registered office address are required fields on that form. You can't complete formation without naming one.
File a Statement of Change of Registered Agent with the Tennessee Secretary of State. The filing updates the public record with your new agent's name and address. Your new agent must meet Tennessee's eligibility requirements: a physical street address in the state and availability during normal business hours.
Yes. Tennessee law requires the registered agent to have a physical street address in the state — this is called the registered office. A P.O. box doesn't qualify. If the agent is a business entity rather than an individual, it must also be authorized to do business in Tennessee.
Registered agent services in Tennessee typically run $100–$300 per year depending on the provider. Bizee includes the first year of registered agent service at no charge when you form your LLC through the platform. After the first year, the service is $119 per year.
If your LLC loses its registered agent and doesn't replace one, the Tennessee Secretary of State can administratively dissolve your LLC. Beyond that, if a lawsuit is filed against your business while you have no registered agent on file, you may not receive the summons — and a court can enter a default judgment against you without your knowledge.
No. A registered agent is not a member or owner of your LLC. They're a designated point of contact for legal and official documents. Their name and address appear on your Articles of Organization as the registered agent, not as a member. Membership is a separate designation tied to ownership.
