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Module 2 · Colorado

How to Get a Registered Agent in Colorado (2026): 6 Steps and the 3 Best Agents

Here is the 2026 answer for a registered agent in Colorado: Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Colorado Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and CO Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), ranked in that order. The 6 steps after the picks start with the legal rule and end with keeping the agent current.

The Founder Classroom teaching team ·

Quick facts for this lesson

Registered agent required
YesAs listed on sos.state.co.us in October 2026
Agent price
$99 to $149 a yearFrom each company's own pricing
Periodic report
$25 a yearAs listed on coloradosos.gov in October 2026
Lesson steps
6Numbered below

You will learn

  • The legal requirement
  • The address and eligibility rules
  • How to name or change the agent
  • Our agent picks

Teacher's pick

Our picks for Colorado

How we graded: five criteria, with three-year cost and steps handled counting most.
Our pick

1. Mainstay Filing: best for founders planning to expand

$149 per year, same at renewal

Start with Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, renewing at $149, and the same plan works in every other state.

You pay $150 more over three years than with Colorado Registered Agent.co, for less paperwork on your side.

What you get

  • Street address for the office
  • Service of process scanned the same business day at no charge
  • Three government mailings a year scanned free
  • Covers LLCs, corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits

What we like

  • $149 yearly, no increase
  • Fifty-state coverage

Watch out for

  • Pricier by $50 a year
  • No report filing on this plan
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Colorado specialist

2. Colorado Registered Agent.co: best for Colorado-only LLCs

$99 per year, same at renewal

Second place goes to Colorado Registered Agent.co: $99 yearly with served papers scanned into an online account.

What you get

  • Colorado address for the registered office
  • Served documents posted online

What we like

  • $99 a year, no increase
  • Smaller yearly bill than Mainstay Filing

Watch out for

  • No help in other states
  • You file the periodic report
Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Colorado specialist

3. CO Registered Agent.org: best for a second local choice

$99 per year, same at renewal

Third place goes to CO Registered Agent.org: $99 yearly with served papers scanned into an online account.

On price it ties with Colorado Registered Agent.co.

What you get

  • Colorado address for the registered office
  • Served documents posted online

What we like

  • $99 a year, no increase
  • Smaller yearly bill than Mainstay Filing

Watch out for

  • No help in other states
  • You file the periodic report
Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our Colorado picks compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Colorado Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3CO Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Published prices, read November 12, 2026. Colorado bills the same either way.

Appointing a Colorado registered agent, step by step

  1. Step 1: Read Colorado's agent rule

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Official source: As listed on sos.state.co.us in October 2026

  2. Step 2: Find out who can do the job

    A person 18 or older whose home or usual place of business is in Colorado (since July 1, 2025 the person has to hold a Colorado driver's license or ID or otherwise verify residency), or a business entity in good standing with a usual place of business in Colorado. The agent has to consent. Set by C.R.S. § 7-90-701.

  3. Step 3: Meet the address rule

    The address has to be a physical address in Colorado, either a home or a usual place of business. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    TipA service address keeps your home address private.

  4. Step 4: Decide who takes the role

    Owners who meet the rules may serve themselves. A professional agent from our picks costs $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Step 5: Put the agent on record

    Name the agent in the Articles of Organization; for an existing LLC, the change is filed with the Colorado Secretary of State.

    Official source: As listed on coloradosos.gov in October 2026

  6. Step 6: Keep the agent current

    Keep the periodic report on time ($25, last day of the entity's anniversary month), and the agent record stays accurate.

    Official source: As listed on coloradosos.gov in October 2026

What the agent costs in Colorado

Cost itemPaid toCost
Hiring an agentYour service$99 to $149 a year
From year twoYour service$99 to $149 a year
Periodic reportState office$25 every year
State amounts come from Colorado's official schedules (see References). The three-year state line adds the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax.

Why Mainstay Filing comes first

The grade turned on lesson steps handled (35%), where Mainstay Filing came out ahead of Colorado Registered Agent.co.

Fifty-state coverage outscored Colorado Registered Agent.co on our rubric.

Quick answers

Do I need a registered agent in Colorado?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own registered agent?

You can, as long as you qualify under steps 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes. An existing LLC files the change with the Colorado Secretary of State, as step 5 explains.

What does a registered agent cost in Colorado?

$99 to $149 a year among our picks.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The periodic report, $25 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Mainstay Filing, Colorado Registered Agent.co and CO Registered Agent.org, ranked in that order.

Reading list: official sources

  1. Colorado Secretary of State: sos.state.co.us [August 2026]
  2. Colorado Secretary of State: sos.state.co.us [August 2026]
  3. Colorado yearly filing: Periodic report, official source: coloradosos.gov [October 2026]
  4. Colorado report due date: colorado.public.law [August 2026]
  5. Colo: sos.state.co.us [August 2026]
  6. Colorado formation fee: Filing fee, official source: coloradosos.gov [October 2026]
  7. Colorado service page of Mainstay Filing, read November 12, 2026
  8. Pricing page of Colorado Registered Agent.co, read November 12, 2026
  9. Pricing page of CO Registered Agent.org, read November 12, 2026