To form an LLC in Arizona, file Articles of Organization with the Arizona Corporation Commission for a $50 fee, appoint a statutory agent who has a physical Arizona address, and — unless your agent is located in Maricopa or Pima County — publish a notice of the formation in a county newspaper within 60 days of approval. Arizona does not require annual reports or recurring state fees, so once the entity is set up correctly, maintenance is light.
Choose and Clear a Name
Your LLC’s name must contain “Limited Liability Company,” “Limited Company,” or an abbreviation such as LLC, L.L.C., LC, or L.C. It cannot include “corporation,” “incorporated,” or their abbreviations, since those signal a different entity type.1Arizona Corporation Commission. Instructions L001i – Application to Reserve Limited Liability Company Name The name also has to be distinguishable from every active corporation, LLC, partnership, and reserved name already on file with the ACC or Secretary of State.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 29-3112 – Permitted Names A trivial variation — swapping “and” for “&,” for instance — generally won’t clear.
Search the ACC’s online database first. If the name is open and you aren’t ready to file right away, you can reserve it for 120 days by submitting an Application to Reserve LLC Name. Reservation is optional, but it locks the name while you finish the rest of the paperwork.
Appoint a Statutory Agent
Every Arizona LLC must have a statutory agent who accepts legal documents on the company’s behalf, including lawsuit papers and government notices. The agent needs a physical Arizona street address — a residence or place of business inside the state.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 29-3115 – Statutory Agent A P.O. Box by itself doesn’t work, because the law assumes a location where someone can take delivery in person.
The agent has to accept the role formally. If the agent didn’t personally sign the Articles of Organization, the ACC requires a separate Statutory Agent Acceptance form (Form M002) signed by the agent and delivered to the commission.4Arizona Corporation Commission. Instructions M002i – Statutory Agent Acceptance You can serve as your own agent, name a trusted individual, or hire a commercial service.
File the Articles of Organization
Articles of Organization is the document that actually creates the LLC. Arizona uses Form L010, which asks for:5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 29-3201 – Formation of Limited Liability Company; Articles of Organization
- The LLC’s name, meeting the rules above.
- A principal address where the company’s records will be kept. This can match the statutory agent’s address.
- The statutory agent’s name and Arizona street address.
- The management structure: member-managed or manager-managed.
- The names and addresses of all members (for member-managed LLCs) or all managers plus any member owning 20% or more (for manager-managed LLCs).
The management choice controls day-to-day authority. In a member-managed LLC, every owner can make decisions and sign contracts. In a manager-managed LLC, only the designated managers hold that authority, and the other members function more like passive investors.6Arizona Corporation Commission. Articles of Organization Instructions Small businesses with active owners usually pick member-managed. If you have silent investors or want to separate ownership from control, manager-managed fits better.
At least one organizer must sign the form. The organizer handles the filing and doesn’t need to be a member.
Fees and Processing Times
Standard filing costs $50. Expedited processing is $85 total — the $50 base fee plus a $35 surcharge. The ACC also offers next-day, same-day, and two-hour service at higher add-on prices.7Arizona Corporation Commission. Schedule of Fees – LLCs All filing fees are nonrefundable, even if the ACC rejects your paperwork.
Filings go through the Arizona Business Center, the ACC’s online portal that replaced the former eCorp system in January 2026.8Arizona Corporation Commission. Arizona Business Center – ACC’s New Online Business Filing Portal to Debut January 12, 2026 Paper submissions by mail are also accepted but take longer. Standard processing typically runs a few weeks; expedited filings are usually handled within about five business days. Once the filing is approved, the ACC issues a Notice of Approval confirming the LLC is legally recognized.
Publish the Formation Notice Within 60 Days
This is the step that trips up new Arizona LLC owners. Within 60 days of the ACC approving your Articles of Organization, you have to publish a notice of the formation in a newspaper of general circulation. The notice must run three consecutive times in the county where your statutory agent’s street address is located, and it has to contain the same information shown in your Articles.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 29-3201 – Formation of Limited Liability Company; Articles of Organization
There’s a big exception. If your statutory agent’s address is in a county with more than 800,000 residents, the ACC handles publication by posting the information in its own public database. As of 2026, that’s only Maricopa County and Pima County, so LLCs with agents in those two counties skip the newspaper step entirely.
Everywhere else, contact a newspaper in the right county, request a publication of your formation notice, and keep the affidavit of publication after the three-run cycle finishes. Filing that affidavit with the ACC is optional — the commission will accept it for your public record, but it isn’t required.9Arizona Corporation Commission. Business Services FAQs Keep a copy either way. Publication costs vary by paper and county and typically run a few hundred dollars. The statute doesn’t spell out a specific penalty for missed publication, but staying in compliance avoids future challenges to the LLC’s standing.
Write an Operating Agreement
Arizona doesn’t require a written operating agreement, and you don’t file one with the ACC. Skipping it is still a common mistake. Without one, the LLC runs on the default rules in the Arizona Limited Liability Company Act, which may not match how you want to operate.10Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 29-3105 – Operating Agreement; Scope, Function and Limitations
An operating agreement sets profit-sharing percentages, voting rights, buyout terms when a member leaves, and dispute procedures. For a single-member LLC, it documents the separation between you and the business, which strengthens liability protection if a creditor ever argues the LLC is your alter ego. For a multi-member LLC, it heads off partnership disputes before they turn into litigation. The Articles of Organization create the entity publicly; the operating agreement governs how it actually runs.
Get an EIN and Open a Business Bank Account
After the ACC approves the LLC, apply for an Employer Identification Number from the IRS. You use the EIN to file taxes, open a business bank account, and hire employees. Multi-member LLCs must have one. Single-member LLCs can sometimes use the owner’s Social Security number, but an EIN keeps that number off business documents and is what most banks ask for.
The IRS issues EINs free. The online application at irs.gov takes about ten minutes and returns the number immediately; fax and mail applications take roughly four business days and four weeks, respectively.11IRS. Get an Employer Identification Number Third-party sites that charge for EIN applications aren’t necessary.
Open a dedicated business bank account next. Mixing personal and business funds can let a court “pierce the veil” and hold you personally liable for business debts. Banks typically ask for the EIN, the Articles of Organization, and the operating agreement to open the account.
Register for Transaction Privilege Tax if You Sell Taxable Goods or Services
If your LLC sells products, leases property, or provides certain taxable services in Arizona, you need a Transaction Privilege Tax license from the Arizona Department of Revenue before starting operations. TPT works like a sales tax but is technically levied on the seller’s privilege of doing business.
Register by submitting an Arizona Joint Tax Application (Form JT-1/UC-001).12Arizona Department of Revenue. TPT License The license is $12 per business location. Filing frequency depends on your estimated annual tax liability: annually under $2,000, quarterly between $2,000 and $8,000, and monthly above $8,000.13Arizona Department of Revenue. TPT Update Not every business needs TPT. If you only provide non-taxable services, you may be exempt; check ADOR’s industry guidance when in doubt.
Keeping the LLC in Good Standing
Arizona is unusually easy on this front. The ACC does not require annual reports or annual fees for LLCs, which puts long-term maintenance cost well below the $50 to $800 that many other states charge each year. Your main obligation is keeping ACC records current when your statutory agent, principal address, or member and manager information changes.
Failing to maintain a valid statutory agent is one of the most common triggers for administrative dissolution. The ACC will send a notice if it spots a deficiency and give you a window to fix it. If the LLC is dissolved administratively, you can apply for reinstatement within six years by curing the underlying problem and paying a $100 reinstatement fee, with an optional $35 surcharge for expedited handling.7Arizona Corporation Commission. Schedule of Fees – LLCs After six years without reinstatement, the LLC is permanently gone.
If Your LLC Was Formed in Another State
The steps above cover forming a new Arizona LLC. If your company was formed in another state and you want to do business in Arizona, you don’t form a new entity — you register the existing one as a foreign LLC by filing an Application for Registration with a certificate of good standing from the home state (dated within 60 days), a certified copy of your organizational documents, and a Statutory Agent Acceptance. The filing fee is $150, and the same statutory agent and publication rules apply.14Arizona Corporation Commission. Instructions L025i – Application for Registration