Serving a Registered Agent or Corporation in North Dakota (Fargo & Bismarck Hubs)

North Dakota enacted the Model Registered Agents Act under North Dakota Century Code Chapter 10-01.1, which standardizes registered agent designations for domestic and foreign corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships (LPs), and limited liability partnerships (LLPs). Under N.D.R.Civ.P. Rule 4(d)(2)(D), service of process upon a domestic or foreign corporation, partnership, or unincorporated association must be made by delivering a copy of the summons to an officer, director, superintendent, managing or general agent, partner, or associate, or to an agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service of process.

Before dispatching service on any commercial entity—especially Bakken oilfield operators, out-of-state drilling contractors, construction firms, or national lenders—always look up the entity's current standing on the North Dakota Secretary of State FirstStop portal. The FirstStop filing identifies the exact legal name of the entity and whether it utilizes a commercial registered agent in Bismarck or Fargo or a noncommercial registered agent at a local North Dakota office.

Over 80% of commercial registered agent deliveries in North Dakota take place at four major intake offices split between Bismarck (Burleigh County) and Fargo (Cass County). Process Server North Dakota runs daily courier dispatches to all four hubs:

1. C T Corporation System (CT Corp) / National Registered Agents, Inc. (NRAI): Located at 120 West Sweet Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58504. This Burleigh County facility serves as the primary statutory registered agent for thousands of Fortune 500 companies, national financial institutions, and major energy operators in North Dakota.

2. Corporation Service Company (CSC): Located at 418 North 2nd Street (and 1709 North 19th Street, Suite 3), Bismarck, ND 58501. CSC accepts legal process, subpoenas duces tecum, and wage/bank garnishment writs for thousands of domestic and foreign corporate entities.

3. Northwest Registered Agent, LLC: Located at 3003 32nd Avenue South, Suite 240, Fargo, ND 58103. Northwest Registered Agent is a major commercial registered agent hub in Cass County.

4. Registered Agents Inc. (RAI): Also located at 3003 32nd Avenue South, Suite 240, Fargo, ND 58103. Critical Compliance Note: Northwest Registered Agent, LLC and Registered Agents Inc. (RAI) are two completely separate and independent commercial registered agent companies that operate out of Suite 240 in Fargo. Never combine or conflate the two names on your Summons caption or Return of Service—always specify the exact registered agent entity listed on the target company's ND Secretary of State FirstStop filing.

What happens when a North Dakota LLC or foreign corporation has had its charter revoked, failed to appoint a registered agent, or its registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the registered office? Under N.D.C.C. § 10-01.1-13 and N.D.R.Civ.P. Rule 4(d)(2)(D), the entity may be served via statutory service on the North Dakota Secretary of State (Business Division, State Capitol, 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 108, 1st Floor, Bismarck, ND 58505), or by serving an officer/managing agent via certified mail or personal delivery.

For foreign insurance companies licensed in North Dakota, statutory service of process is delivered to the North Dakota Insurance Commissioner on the 5th Floor of the State Capitol (600 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58505) under N.D.C.C. § 26.1-01-04. Finally, when suing the State of North Dakota or any state board, agency, or officer in an official capacity, N.D.R.Civ.P. Rule 4(d)(2)(F) requires delivering a copy of the summons to the managing head of the agency AND to the North Dakota Attorney General or an assistant attorney general at the State Capitol (600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 125, Bismarck, ND 58505).