How to change your statutory agent in Arizona
Arizona calls the role statutory agent. An LLC files a Statement of Change and supplies the replacement agent's signed acceptance; naming a new agent without the required acceptance does not complete the appointment.
Checked against primary sources ·
Arizona- Jurisdiction terminology
- statutory agent
- Change filing
- LLC Statement of Change of Principal Address or Statutory Agent (L020), with Statutory Agent Acceptance (M002)
- Filing office
- Arizona Corporation Commission, Corporations Division
Choose the right Arizona filing
Arizona uses the legal term statutory agent. For a domestic or registered foreign LLC, the transaction has two connected parts: filing the information that should replace the existing record and delivering the successor agent's signed acceptance when the successor has not signed the change statement. Section 29-3116 makes that acceptance an effectiveness issue, not merely an internal onboarding preference. The statutes were directly reviewed for this guide; the Commission's linked L020 and M002 instruction PDFs could not be retrieved during this review, so their current signature presentation and submission details must be checked at the official forms source.
- Procedure scope
- Statutory agent changes for Arizona domestic LLCs and registered foreign LLCs under A.R.S. § 29-3116.
Which route fits your statutory agent change?
- Replace the LLC's statutory agent
Section 29-3116 permits a domestic or registered foreign LLC to deliver a statement naming the company and stating the information to be effective after filing. The Commission lists the LLC Statement of Change as L020. Prepare the successor's acceptance as part of the same project, not as an optional follow-up. Source 2.
- Keep the agent but change an address
The same statute allows changes to the principal address, statutory-agent address, and addresses of members or managers. Distinguish those categories before choosing the Commission's current document. An agent-address update is not necessarily a replacement appointment, and a principal-address change alone does not name a new agent. Source 2.
- Use an amendment only deliberately
As an alternative, a domestic LLC may amend its articles of organization, while a registered foreign LLC may amend its foreign registration statement under the cited foreign-registration provision. That is a statutory alternative, not a reason to file new articles or a new foreign registration for an existing company. Source 2.
Prepare for the change in Arizona
- Check that the proposed statutory agent qualifies
Section 29-3115 requires a place of business or residence in Arizona. Eligible agents include an Arizona-resident individual, a domestic corporation or LLC, or a foreign corporation or LLC authorized to transact business in Arizona. Do not import another state's rule that excludes LLC agents. Source 3.
- Prepare an exact company identity and replacement details
Assemble the company name and the information that should be in effect after the change. These are the statement's express statutory elements. Keep a copy of the current Commission record beside the proposed new information so principal, member/manager and statutory-agent address changes do not become mixed together. Source 2.
- Arrange delivery of signed acceptance
If the successor will not sign the statement of change itself, obtain a record signed by the successor accepting the change or appointment. Section 29-3116 permits the agent, the domestic LLC or the registered foreign LLC to deliver that signed record to the Commission. A privately held consent alone does not satisfy delivery. Source 2.
- Distinguish statutory approval from internal coordination
Section 29-3116 says members or managers are not required to approve delivery of this statement, or a similar filing changing the agent or principal address in another jurisdiction. Do not describe a member resolution as a statutory prerequisite to this filing. Internally, identify who is responsible for accurate submission and the handoff. Source 2.
- Give the agent a dependable forwarding address
The agent's statutory duties include forwarding process, notice or demand to the company's address most recently supplied to the agent. Arrange that forwarding contact before the transition. The public statement and a company's private instructions to its agent solve different problems. Source 3.
Consent and acceptance
A.R.S. § 29-3116(C) makes acceptance essential: unless the successor agent signed the change statement, a record signed by that agent accepting the appointment must be delivered to the Commission. Keep a copy, but retaining it privately is not enough.
Entity-type differences
Section 29-3116 expressly covers domestic and registered foreign LLCs. Corporations use the Commission's corporation Statement of Change rather than LLC Form L020; select the corporation filing from the official forms list.
Complete the Arizona change filing
Confirm the replacement statutory agent qualifies under A.R.S. § 29-3115 and has an Arizona place of business or residence.
Use the Commission's LLC Statement of Change, L020, and enter the company's name and the agent information that should replace the current record.
Have the successor statutory agent complete and sign Statutory Agent Acceptance M002, using the same agent name as the change statement.
Submit the change statement and acceptance together with the Commission's cover sheet and required payment, following the current form instructions for delivery to the Corporations Division.
Retain the Commission's filed documents and check that both the change and the agent's acceptance have been recorded.
Open the official filing instructions or transaction. Read the primary sources below alongside these steps.
Form fields and statement requirements
- Company name and entity-specific document
Use the LLC's actual name on the statement. Section 29-3116 expressly covers both domestic LLCs and registered foreign LLCs. The linked L020 instructions are the place to confirm the Commission's current form-specific identity fields; this guide does not claim to reproduce an inaccessible current form or authenticated portal screen. Source 2.
- Information to be effective after filing
Identify exactly what is changing and supply the intended replacement information. The statute calls for the information that will be in effect, not simply a narrative that an agent contract has been signed. When changing only the agent, avoid accidentally changing the company's principal address to the agent's service address. Source 2.
- Statutory-agent identity and Arizona location
Use the qualifying individual or legal entity's name and Arizona place-of-business or residence information. For a foreign entity agent, verify Arizona authorization; a provider's out-of-state registration alone is not the qualification described in section 29-3115. Source 3.
- Acceptance signature versus company execution
The critical statutory signature is the successor's signature on the change statement or on a separately delivered acceptance record. Match the successor's name across the documents. Check current L020 and M002 instructions for their execution blocks rather than assuming a company representative's signature also means the successor accepted. Source 2.
Submit the change to Arizona Corporation Commission, Corporations Division
- Obtain the current Commission packet
The official filing entry is the Arizona Corporation Commission's forms page, with linked L020 and M002 instructions in this record's sources. Because those PDFs were connection-blocked at review, confirm the current delivery channel, cover-sheet requirements, payment instructions and signature mechanics directly before submission. No portal button sequence or mailing address is inferred here. Source 1.
- Deliver the statement and required acceptance
Section 29-3116 directs delivery of the statement to the Commission for filing. Where the successor did not sign that statement, ensure its signed acceptance record is also delivered by one of the permitted parties. Merely sending the acceptance to the outgoing agent does not complete the statutory Commission-delivery requirement. Source 2.
When the change takes effect
The successor appointment is not effective until the signed acceptance required by A.R.S. § 29-3116(C) has been delivered, unless the successor agent signed the change statement itself.
Before you submit
Do not treat the LLC's signature as the statutory agent's acceptance. Match names between the two documents and follow the selected filing route's acceptance instructions.
Verify the change and finish the transition
- Verify acceptance delivery as well as the change
The successor appointment is not effective until the signed acceptance is delivered unless the successor signed the statement itself. Preserve both documents and evidence of delivery or filing. A statement showing the new name is not enough to disregard an undelivered acceptance. Source 2.
- Compare the public record with the approved appointment
Practical guidance. Review the Commission result for the intended statutory-agent name and address, and inspect any separately recorded acceptance. Save a single transaction file with the old record, submitted packet and returned evidence. If the result differs, investigate the discrepancy rather than assuming a service agreement controls the public record.
- Finish the forwarding handoff
Practical guidance. Ask the outgoing agent about material already received, confirm the new agent's forwarding contact, and make a separate list of bank, licensing and tax correspondence changes. Do not treat an Arizona filing as proof that an agent was changed in every other jurisdiction where the company is registered.
Avoid these Arizona filing mistakes
- Using the generic role without checking eligibility
Arizona's statutory agent can be an eligible LLC or corporation as well as a resident individual. Check section 29-3115 rather than applying another state's agent-type restrictions, and use the statutory-agent terminology when matching Commission forms. Source 3.
- Keeping acceptance only in a private file
Unless the successor signed the change statement, a signed acceptance record must reach the Commission. A signed provider order in your own files does not establish delivery, and the company's signature alone does not make the successor appointment effective. Source 2.
- Assuming a members' vote is a filing prerequisite
The statute expressly removes a member/manager approval requirement for delivery of the statement. Keep practical internal authorization separate from the legal filing rule, and focus the packet review on accurate replacement information and successor acceptance. Source 2.
Questions about changing your statutory agent in Arizona
Does the Arizona LLC rule cover a registered foreign LLC?
Yes. Sections 29-3115 and 29-3116 expressly cover registered foreign LLCs as well as domestic LLCs. Use the existing Arizona registration and LLC route, not a corporation statement merely because the company was formed elsewhere. Source 2.
Can another LLC be my Arizona statutory agent?
Section 29-3115 includes eligible LLCs. The agent needs the required Arizona place of business or residence, and a foreign LLC agent must be authorized to transact business in Arizona. Source 3.
Who may deliver the successor's signed acceptance?
The successor statutory agent, the domestic LLC or the registered foreign LLC may deliver the signed record to the Commission. The signature must be the successor's; the identity of the permitted deliverer does not replace that acceptance. Source 2.
Can I rely on the form links as a current portal walkthrough?
No. The statutes were read, but the linked Commission instruction PDFs and live forms source were not retrievable during this review. Use the official links to confirm current execution and submission instructions; this guide deliberately does not invent screen labels or an unverified delivery address. Source 1.
Which primary sources support this procedure?
Checked . The filing office’s current instructions govern the submission.
- Arizona Corporation Commission — official forms entry, connection unavailable at review
- Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 29-3116, Statement of change
- Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 29-3115, Statutory agent
- Arizona Corporation Commission — L020 instructions
- Arizona Corporation Commission — M002 acceptance instructions
Procedural guidance, not legal advice. Confirm the correct filing for your entity and its current record.
Need help with your Arizona change?
Tell us the entity name, its jurisdiction and what needs to change. State fees are confirmed with you before anything is filed.