Limited Liability Company (LLC) Articles of Organization

The U.S. state index below provides immediate access to state-compliant LLC articles of organization or certificate of formation forms for all states. These are the formation documents that one may file with the state, commonly the Secretary of State's office, along with a payment of the state's required fee, to establish an LLC. The document sets forth the name of the proposed company, the registered agent for service of process, and the address of the place of business, among other information. All states have specific filing requirements, and most will accept any properly completed form meeting those standards. However, some states require the filing of a particular prescribed form, while other states permit the filing to occur electronically.

Did you know? Forty of the fifty U.S. states require the filing of an articles of organization document to establish an LLC, while ten states—DE, ID, IA, MA, MS, NE, NH, PA, TX & WA—require a certificate of formation. The documents fulfill the same basic function. After the state accepts and processes the filing, which can typically be expedited by the state for an additional cost, the filer will receive back a stamped copy of the document indicating the successful processing and creation of the company. This document is ordinarily required by financial institutions when establishing an account for the LLC, along with a copy of the LLC's operating agreement—a separate document specifying the terms of how one or multiple members or managers will manage the LLC and signed by all parties.