The Model Registered Agents Act is a legal framework that standardizes the regulation of registered agents, who are responsible for receiving legal documents on behalf of businesses, helping ensure compliance with state laws and regulations.
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Last Updated: February 16, 2026
What is the Model Registered Agents Act (MoRAA) is actually a very common question among business owners, and it’s very important to understand what the act says and why it was implemented in 2006. The act, as of this writing, is in effect in at least 13 jurisdictions: 12 states and the District of Columbia. This guide explains what this legislation is and its impact on small businesses.
Before covering the Model Registered Agents Act, it’s important to clarify what a registered agent is first. A registered agent is an individual or a business entity that has a physical address in the state where a business operates. This person or company is responsible for receiving important government document deliveries, then alerting the business owners about the delivery and forwarding the documents to them.
A crucial part of the registered agent’s role is being present at their listed office address (commonly referred to as the registered office) during all standard business hours, because the government needs to be able to contact an official representative of the business at any time.
For example, if someone files a lawsuit against a business, the service of process documents would be dropped with the company’s registered agent, who would quickly notify the owners of this legal action.
The Model Registered Agents Act was an effort led by the American Bar Association and the International Association of Commercial Administrators to standardize the rules and regulations surrounding the role of the registered agent for American businesses.
Because each state is allowed to set its own laws regarding registered agents, there is a considerable amount of variance from state to state in the way this role is defined.
The main aspect of the Model Registered Agents Act is the way it creates two different types of registered agents, which it refers to as commercial and noncommercial. A commercial registered agent is an entity that has filed an official registered agent listing statement with the jurisdiction it operates in ― there is usually a fee associated with this filing, and a commercial registered agent typically serves multiple businesses within the same jurisdiction.
There is no functional difference for the business between a commercial and noncommercial registered agent, as they both serve the exact same purpose. The only difference is that a noncommercial agent has not registered with the state, and is typically not listed in the Secretary of State’s list of registered agents.
Noncommercial registered agents are still allowed to handle multiple clients within the jurisdiction if they so choose.
Currently, the Model Registered Agents Act is in effect in 12 states, as well as the District of Columbia. Here are the states where MoRAA rules and regulations are actively in place:
The biggest benefit of MoRAA is the way this act streamlines rules and regulations for registered agents.
Especially for companies operating in multiple states, having consistent legalities regarding the role of the registered agent can be a tremendous help. Before the Model Registered Agents Act, businesses operating in multiple states needed to be fully aware of the differences in registered agent laws between jurisdictions, which can lead to considerable confusion.
An even bigger issue is how these different laws affect registered agent services themselves. Many registered agent services operate in all 50 states, which can generate a laundry list of hassles for a company trying to provide service in each American jurisdiction. The Model Registered Agents Act helps clear up some of those hassles, because it standardizes the regulations that these entities need to follow in a number of states.
The most significant negative of MoRAA in our opinion is the way it unnecessarily created new distinctions in the terminology used by registered agents. Specifically, the terms “commercial” and “noncommercial” for registered agents can be a source of confusion for business owners who don’t know which type of agent to designate for their companies.
Especially considering the fact that there is no difference in the way commercial and noncommercial registered agents provide their services to their clients, separating agents into these two distinctions feels unnecessary at best.
The only other drawback to the Model Registered Agents Act is the fact that it only applies to twelve states and the District of Columbia. If MoRAA were in effect in the majority of states, it would do a far better job of simplifying the role of the registered agent and business professionals’ understanding of it. As it stands, this list of 12 states isn’t very long, especially given that many of the states that follow the Act are small and have little business activity.
A good number of the states that follow the Model Registered Agents Act are among the 20 least-populated states, so it stands to reason that standardizing the role of the registered agent in states like Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota doesn’t help too much because those states don’t have many businesses operating in their jurisdiction to begin with.
A registered agent service is a company that specializes in being a registered agent for a wide variety of businesses across the country, bringing tons of expertise and a healthy dose of reliability to the role. In the context of the Model Registered Agents Act, one significant benefit of registered agent services is that if a business owner uses one, they won’t have to worry about MoRAA, or even think about it.
Most professional registered agent services operate on a national basis, meaning there are no restrictions on which states an entrepreneur can operate their business in. Furthermore, an entrepreneur wouldn’t need to concern themselves with details like which states use MoRAA vs. which don’t, or commercial vs. noncommercial registered agent designations.
There are quite a few of these companies out there, and most of them make it quite easy to enlist their services. On the other hand, it can be a bit tricky to figure out what exactly sets these companies apart from each other, because they provide very similar services. Entrepreneurs who want some help narrowing down their options may find the ZenBusiness guide to the best registered agent services a helpful resource.
Overall, ZenBusiness, LegalZoom Registered Agent Service, Northwest, and Bizee Registered Agent Service are services that come to mind for many entrepreneurs looking for a good registered agent service.
Plus, all of these services (and others) can form an LLC for an entrepreneur and act as the registered agent if they choose. Check out ZenBusiness customer reviews for more info.
While the Model Registered Agents Act (MoRAA) was enacted to standardize the role of the registered agent for American businesses, the reality is that by introducing a new distinction between commercial and noncommercial registered agents ― combined with the fact that the only states using it have small populations ― it’s quite possible that MoRAA is overly complex in ways that only make the situation more confusing.
With this in mind, it’s worth reiterating that it’s highly recommended for most business owners to use a registered agent service. These services don’t cost a tremendous amount of money (usually around $10-$20 per month or less), and they remove the hassles of MoRAA from a business.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. For specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
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