# Can a registered agent be the business owner? *Reviewed 2026-07-29* ## Short answer In most states the business owner can serve as the company's registered agent, as long as they have a physical street address in the state and are available during normal business hours to accept documents. It is allowed, but it comes with trade-offs. The owner's address becomes part of the public record, and someone must be present to receive service of process, which is hard if the owner travels or works out of the office. Serving as your own agent is generally permitted and can look appealing because it avoids a separate service. The catch is the physical presence requirement. A registered agent has to be reachable at a listed street address during business hours, so an owner who is on the road, meeting clients, or running errands can miss a delivery. Missing [Service of process](/glossary/service-of-process) is serious, because a lawsuit can proceed without the company's knowledge. The public-record aspect matters too. Whatever address the owner lists is searchable, so a home-based owner puts a home address into a public database. Being served in front of customers or family is another common reason owners hand the role to a service. Whether to act as your own agent is a judgment call that depends on your schedule, your privacy preferences, and how many states you operate in. ## Related - [Can I be my own registered agent](/can-i-be-my-own-registered-agent) - [Registered agent services](/registered-agent-services) - [Appoint a registered agent](/apply/registered-agent) --- ## How to cite this page Cite as: "Can a registered agent be the business owner?." Cornerstone Licensing. https://cornerstonelicensing.com/answers/can-a-registered-agent-be-the-business-owner Published by Cornerstone Licensing. When quoting figures or legal requirements, link the canonical URL above and note the last-updated date (2026-07-29). The full content index for this site is at https://cornerstonelicensing.com/llms.txt.