If you’re stumped on what business address to list on your California articles of organization or incorporation, you’re not alone. It’s tempting to just list your home address and check off another requirement on the way to forming your company with the California Secretary of State.
Here’s the thing: when you list your home address on your business formation documents, that becomes part of the public record. That means you can expect a lot of junk mail and the potential for customers or clients to contact you directly. That’s why most business owners prefer their own address be left off the state public record.
When you hire us, we list our California business address on your formation documents to help protect your privacy and preserve your business image.
The building we own and work out of in Midtown, Sacramento. Hire us and our address is yours!
On top of a free usable business address, our $49 California Registered Agent service includes free virtual mail for up to 3 scans of your non-registered agent mail per year. Virtual mail is our digital mail forwarding solution: you get same-day scanning of your documents that you can access through your secure online account. That means you’ll basically be able to access your business mail wherever you are.
We offer additional options for business owners who expect to receive more mail, including an option to set up a California Virtual Office that comes with unlimited mail scans, a local number for your business line, a unique suite number, and even a month-to-month Sacramento office lease.
10 more mail scans
Open-and-Scan Mail Service
Click-to-Request Physical Forwards
Sacramento Business Address
Phone Number in Chosen State
Unlimited Calls and Texts
Type to Text
Personal Voice Mail
Sacramento Office Lease
Option to Rent Conference Rooms
25 more mail scans
Unlimited mail scans
Basically, when you hire us to form a California LLC or incorporate in California, we’ll give you our California business address to list on your public filings. This fulfills the California business address requirement and helps you keep your home address off the public record.
But if you want to keep your public and private address completely separate, take a look at our virtual office services. All our paid virtual mail forwarding and virtual office services come with a unique suite number in our Midtown Sacramento office building (pictured at the top of this webpage). It’s not a residential property or a home—it’s a nice commercial building. This is an address you can use for all of your business needs.
The California business address requirements are pretty straightforward. Your business address must be:
That’s it! It doesn’t have to be a commercial building or even the place where you actually work. If you hire us to form your business or to serve as your California registered agent, we’ll provide you with a business address at no additional cost.
You can use your home address as your California business address. Probably. First, check your local zoning regulations and HOA rules to make sure there aren’t any rules that keep you from running a business out of your home.
But we all know that just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
All of the information listed on your articles of organization or formation will become part of the public record. The moment the California Secretary of State processes your filing and officially forms your business, all of that information will be posted on their website. That will include your home address, if you’ve listed it.
Sacrificing a bit of privacy might seem like an acceptable trade-off to save money, especially when you’re just starting out. But once something is on the internet, it’s hard to take it back. Besides the unsettling prospect of unwelcome guests, you’ll also have to contend with mountains of junk mail—probably for years, even if you dissolve your business or move.
With that in mind, we think $49 a year is a pretty good deal for keeping your home address private.
Keeping your home address private is a major upside to using our CA business address. But there’s also your company’s record to think about. If you need to move, you’ll have to update the California Secretary of State on your new address. That means if someone—a potential client, customer, or investor—looks up your business on the CA Secretary of State’s website, they’ll see a history of different addresses. For some people, that can be a red flag.
If you hire us, it doesn’t matter if you move. Your business address will remain constant, which can help you build a reputation as a business people can depend on.
To change your California business address, you’ll need to file a Statement of Information with the California Secretary of State. If you hire us, you’ll only have to file the Statement of Information during your regular filing time, even if you move.
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