Service of Process · Updated October 2026

Serving Legal Documents on a California Registered Agent

Most lawsuits against a business start with its registered agent. How to find the right one, who else can accept for a corporation or LLC, and what to do when the agent can’t be found.

Direct Legal Blog

Service of Process

First published 2015 · Updated October 2026

The complaint names a corporation or an LLC, and the next step sounds simple: serve its agent. Most of the time it is. The trouble comes from an agent record that changed last year, a trade name that isn’t the entity you sued, or a summons that doesn’t say who is being served and in what capacity. A few minutes of checking before the papers go out avoids all three.

Start here

Start With the Right Entity

Begin with the exact legal name and the type of entity. The name on a storefront or a website is often a trade name, and the company behind it may be a corporation or LLC with a different name and its own agent. Similar names are common, so match the entity number and state of formation, not just the name, and note the status the Secretary of State shows (active, suspended, dissolved, or canceled) so the attorney can decide what it means for the case.

Different entities are served under different rules. A corporation is served under CCP § 416.10, a partnership or other unincorporated association under § 416.40, and a sole proprietor as an individual. Getting the entity right first tells the server who can accept the papers.

bizfile Online

Find the Current Agent on bizfile Online

The California Secretary of State’s business search is now part of bizfile Online. Search by name or entity number and the record shows the agent for service of process and the agent’s address. Run the search when you send the papers out, not from a printout in the file, and keep a dated copy with the assignment. If the agent changed, tell the server so the old address doesn’t cause a wasted trip.

A few things to know about the record:

An agent is either an individual who lives in California or a corporation registered as a corporate agent under Corporations Code § 1505 (Corp. Code § 1502(b); § 17701.13 for LLCs).
When the agent is a corporate agent, its section 1505 certificate lists the California offices where it accepts service and the employees authorized to receive it. The two agents our servers see most often are CT Corporation in Glendale and CSC in Sacramento.
The business search covers corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships. Limited liability partnerships and general partnerships aren’t in it, and their records have to be ordered from the Secretary of State.

Corporations and LLCs

Who Can Accept Service for a Corporation or LLC

The agent isn’t the only option for a corporation. Under CCP § 416.10, the summons can also be delivered to the president, chief executive officer, or other head of the corporation, a vice president, a secretary or assistant secretary, a treasurer or assistant treasurer, a controller or chief financial officer, a general manager, or a person the corporation has authorized to receive service. That list doesn’t include the receptionist or whoever happens to come to the front desk.

For an LLC, Corporations Code § 17701.16(b) allows personal delivery to the individual agent or, when the agent is a corporation, to any person named in the corporate agent’s latest section 1505 certificate, at that agent’s office. The general service statutes in the Code of Civil Procedure also apply (§ 17701.16(a)), so if the plan is to serve someone other than the agent, have the attorney confirm the basis first.

Whoever is served, the copy of the summons has to say that the person is served on behalf of the business. On form SUM-100, that’s the “on behalf of” box in the notice to the person served. Without that notice, no default can be taken against the corporation or association (CCP § 412.30).

Substituted service

Leaving the Papers at the Office

If the agent or officer isn’t available, CCP § 415.20(a) lets the server leave the papers during usual office hours at that person’s office with the person who is apparently in charge, and then mail a copy to the person to be served at the same address. Service is complete on the 10th day after the mailing.

Unlike substituted service on an individual, this route has no requirement to try personal delivery first, and the three-attempt rule that starts on January 1, 2027 applies to individuals, not to businesses served under § 415.20(a). Two other 2027 changes do apply: the follow-up copy can go by first-class mail, Priority Mail with tracking, or Certified Mail with a return receipt, and the proof of service has to include a time-stamped photo of the office door or entrance (CCP § 417.10). Our article on the 2027 service changes has the details.

The proof should name both the officer or agent the papers were meant for and the person they were left with, with that person’s title or a description.

Mail

Mail Service Works Only if They Sign

Some guides say a corporation can be served by certified mail. Within California, that’s not how it works. Service by mail under CCP § 415.30 goes by first-class mail with two copies of the Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt (form POS-015) and a postage-paid return envelope, and it’s complete only when someone signs the acknowledgment and sends it back. If it isn’t returned within 20 days, the business can be made to pay the reasonable cost of serving it another way, but the case still needs that other service. Mail with a return receipt is a method for parties outside California (CCP § 415.40).

When the agent is gone

When the Agent Has Resigned or Moved

If the server finds a closed office, a missing suite, or an agent who resigned, collect the facts and check the latest filings. Sometimes there’s a new agent or an officer who can be served. When there isn’t, the court can order service on the business by delivering the papers to the Secretary of State:

Domestic corporations: Corporations Code § 1702.
Foreign corporations (formed outside California): Corporations Code § 2111.
LLCs, domestic or registered foreign: Corporations Code § 17701.16(c).

Each one requires a declaration showing that the agent and the officers couldn’t be served with reasonable diligence, and a court order. A failed visit to the agent’s address isn’t enough by itself, so keep the search and every attempt documented for the application. Once the order is signed, the papers, the order, and the $50 statutory fee (Gov. Code § 12197) have to be hand delivered to the Secretary of State in Sacramento; the office doesn’t accept them by mail or at its Los Angeles office. Service is complete on the 10th day after delivery.

Before the papers go out

Before the Papers Go Out

The defendant’s exact name, entity type, and entity number.
A dated copy of the current bizfile record, with the agent’s full address and suite.
For a corporate agent, the office from its section 1505 certificate where it accepts service.
The “on behalf of” box on the summons completed with the business’s name and the statute.
Who the server should serve and in what capacity, plus any officer you know of.
The filed summons, complaint, and any other papers your court requires to go with them.
Your deadline, and any attempts already made.

Direct Legal serves registered agents every day, including CT Corporation in Glendale and CSC in Sacramento, and our process servers can hand deliver court-ordered service to the Secretary of State. Every process serving order in California includes up to 4 to 6 attempts at a single address, made at different times of day, and a signed proof of service when service is complete.

Please note

About This Article

This article is general information about California law and court procedure as of October 2026. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Direct Legal Support is a registered process serving and litigation support company, not a law firm. Statutes, court rules, and forms change, so check the current versions and your court’s local rules, and talk with an attorney about your specific matter.