Short answer
South Carolina law sets who can be a registered agent and requires an in-state street address[2]. Serving personally is open to any owner who lives in South Carolina and has a qualifying address. What South Carolina does not allow is the company listing itself. Replacing the agent is a $10 filing[2].
One option in South Carolina: Mainstay Filing, $149 a year as registered agent, renewing at the same price[1].
- Legal term
- Registered agent
- Registered Agent required
- Yes
- Company can be its own agent
- No
- Change fee
- $10
- Change form
- Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent
- Mainstay Filing
- $149 a year
Updated October 29, 2026. Rules from the statute and state forms; fees from official sources; prices from providers' own pages.
Who can serve as a South Carolina registered agent
South Carolina's rule is in S.C. Code § 33-44-108[2].
A South Carolina resident, a South Carolina corporation, another LLC, or a corporation or company from another state authorized to do business in South Carolina.
Serving personally is open to any owner who lives in South Carolina and has a qualifying address. What South Carolina does not allow is the company listing itself. Most companies choose between someone they know in South Carolina and a commercial agent service.
Address requirements
The statute and the state's forms set this out. The address has to be a street address in South Carolina for the agent, stated in the articles. P.O. boxes are not accepted.[2]
The agent's name and address is part of the public record for the company, so whatever is listed appears in the South Carolina Secretary of State's records.
Context: new businesses in South Carolina
A registered agent has to stay on record for as long as the company exists. By the Bureau of Labor Statistics' count, 55.9% of business locations that opened in South Carolina between April 2019 and March 2020 were still operating in March 2025.
BLS figures for South Carolina move more than most states' from one group of openings to the next, so single-year rates should be read with care.
How to switch agents
South Carolina charges $10 for this change[2]. The document is the Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent[3].
- Choose the new registered agent and get its consent; it has to qualify under S.C. Code § 33-44-108.
- Submit the Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent to the South Carolina Secretary of State.
- Pay the $10 state fee.
- Check the South Carolina Secretary of State business search to confirm the change shows on the record.
The 50-state median for this filing is $15. For South Carolina's $10, 15 states charge less and 27 charge more.
Mainstay Filing prepares and files the Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent for its South Carolina agent customers, passing the $10 state fee through at cost[1].
What a registered agent costs
Naming yourself or a colleague costs nothing beyond the state's filing fees. Mainstay Filing charges $149 a year, and the same at renewal[1]; that covers its South Carolina address on the public record, same-day scans of papers served, compliance reminders and the first three government mailings a year.
8 other providers published South Carolina prices on October 20, 2026. Year one cost $99 to $249 and renewal $125 to $249. 2 of the 8 charge more from the second year on.
Questions
Can I be my own registered agent in South Carolina?
Serving personally is open to any owner who lives in South Carolina and has a qualifying address. What South Carolina does not allow is the company listing itself.
Can a South Carolina registered agent use a P.O. box?
The address has to be a street address in South Carolina for the agent, stated in the articles. P.O. boxes are not accepted.[2]
Who offers registered agent service in South Carolina?
Mainstay Filing offers it for $149 a year, with no increase at renewal[1]. Other services' published South Carolina prices ran $99 to $249 for the first year on October 20, 2026.
How much does it cost to change the registered agent in South Carolina?
$10, paid to the South Carolina Secretary of State[2].
Sources
- Mainstay Filing pricing, registered agent and FAQ pages. Updated October 29, 2026.
- S.C. Code § 33-44-108 (designated office and agent for service of process). www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t33c044.php. Updated October 29, 2026.
- Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent. businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Home/DownloadForms?pdfCategoryId=8. Updated October 29, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, Establishment Age and Survival, Table 7 (data through March 2025). www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmage.htm. Updated October 29, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (state annual and monthly series). www.census.gov/econ/bfs/index.html. Updated October 29, 2026.