How to start an LLC in Arizona

Forming an LLC in Arizona: the Arizona Corporation Commission's forms, fees and deadlines, each checked against the official source.

The state filings of an Arizona LLC: once to form it, then on a schedule.
  1. To form it Articles of Organization, $50
  2. Also at the start Publish a notice of formation, if your agent is outside Maricopa or Pima County
  3. Every year Arizona LLCs do not file an annual report; only corporations do.

Arizona charges $50 to file the Articles of Organization, the document that creates an LLC there, with the Arizona Corporation Commission. Add newspaper charges if you must publish. After that there is no yearly state filing fee.

File with the Arizona Corporation Commission

Before you file in Arizona

Arizona businesses register with the Arizona Corporation Commission, not the Secretary of State (which only handles trade names). Arizona is one of the cheapest states to keep an LLC in: there is no annual report and no state filing fee after formation.

Forming the LLC, step by step

  1. Check that the name is free

    Start from our Arizona business lookup or go straight to the official Arizona search. Search the Arizona Corporation Commission's business records for the name; a new name must be distinguishable from names already on file, and entity endings such as LLC or Inc. and most punctuation are ignored when comparing.

    Add an ending such as "LLC" or "Limited Liability Company". What counts as too close to an existing name is in the name availability guide.

  2. Reserve the name, if you want to hold it

    Optional. If you are not ready to file, a reservation costs $10 and holds the name for 120 days, not renewable. Source, checked 2026-10-26

  3. Appoint a statutory agent

    Arizona calls it the Statutory Agent.

    Every Arizona LLC names one in its filing: a person or company with a street address in Arizona who accepts legal papers for it. You can be your own agent, but your address then goes on the public record. More in what a registered agent does.

    An individual statutory agent must be a full-time Arizona resident with an Arizona street address, and must accept the appointment in writing (Form M002). The LLC cannot be its own agent, but a member can serve personally. Source, checked 2026-10-26

  4. File the Articles of Organization

    File the Articles of Organization (Form L010) with the Arizona Corporation Commission. The state fee is $50. Source, checked 2026-10-26

  5. Get an EIN from the IRS, free

    The IRS issues the EIN free, online, the moment it approves the application. You need it for a business bank account, payroll and most tax filings; how to get an EIN has the details.

  6. Write an operating agreement

    Arizona law does not require an operating agreement, and the Commission says not to file one with it. Without one, the state LLC statutes decide how votes and decisions work: each member gets one vote regardless of ownership, so two equal members must agree on everything. Source, checked 2026-10-26

  7. Publish a notice of formation, if your agent is outside Maricopa or Pima County

    After the Commission approves your articles, a notice of the filing must be published. If your statutory agent's street address is in Maricopa or Pima County, the Commission publishes it on its own website at no charge. Anywhere else, you publish it in a newspaper, and the approval letter explains how. Do not publish before approval. Source, checked 2026-10-26

  8. Keep it in good standing

    Arizona LLCs do not file an annual report; only corporations do. Source, checked 2026-10-26

    File an update whenever the statutory agent or the LLC's address changes, so the state's notices reach you.

What an Arizona LLC costs

To form $50 plus newspaper charges if you must publish, not in the total
  • Articles of Organization Source, checked 2026-10-26 $50
Every year to keep it $0

Arizona LLCs do not file an annual report; only corporations do. Source, checked 2026-10-26

State fees only, as each state publishes them, checked on the date beside each line. Not legal or tax advice.

Only state fees are counted here, not a registered agent service or a city or county license.

After filing, the LLC shows up in the Arizona business lookup with its status and agent. The bank account and local licenses come next; how to start an LLC covers them.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Facts checked 2026-10-26 against the official sources linked above; confirm with the state or the IRS before you file. How we check our facts · Report an error