How to File Arizona LLC Articles of Organization Online

Arizona LLC Law

How to File Arizona LLC Articles of Organization Online with the Arizona Corporation Commission

By Arizona LLC attorney Richard Keyt, who has formed 10,000+ Arizona limited liability companies since 1979.

Arizona does not have a paper-only filing system anymore. If you want to form an Arizona limited liability company, a professional limited liability company (PLLC), or a corporation, you do it online through the Arizona Corporation Commission's Arizona Business Center portal at arizonabusinesscenter.azcc.gov. This article walks you through every screen, in order, so you know exactly what the Commission is going to ask you and what to type in each field.

You must have an ACC account to form an LLC, a PLLC or a corporation. If you don't have one yet, create one before you start.

1. Enter the email address for your ACC account.
2. Enter the password for your ACC account.
3. The ACC sends an email to that address containing a six digit number.
4. Enter that number on the ACC's two factor authentication page.

You are now logged in to your ACC account.

1. Click on Filings in the left column.
2. Click on Business Formation.
3. Select Domestic for the Business Type and click Next.
4. Click on Domestic limited liability company.
5. Select Domestic LLC or Domestic PLLC, depending on the type of entity you want to form. Click Next.

The next screen asks whether you reserved the LLC name. Check Yes or No, whichever is appropriate.

If you selected No, type the name you want for your LLC and add an appropriate identifier after the name. The acceptable identifiers are listed above the name field. Then click Check Availability.

• If you get the message "The name you have entered is not available. Please choose another name and search again," enter a different name and click Check Availability again.
• If you get the message "Based on the initial search, it appears the name is available," click Next.

Enter the LLC's business address. The business email address is where correspondence from the ACC may be sent.

When you get the message "Acknowledgment. By providing a business email address, the business consents to receiving official notices from the ACC to that email address," click I agree.

Period of Duration

Leave the Period of Duration set to perpetual unless you want the LLC to die on a stated date that you enter.

Character of Business

In the Character of Business field, enter 999999 any legal purpose. If you want to limit what the LLC can do, then enter the type of business in this field instead.

Click Next.

Enter the LLC or PLLC's principal address. The principal address is the primary location where the company will operate or manage its affairs. Although Arizona LLCs can have a principal address anywhere, the general understanding is that this is the principal place of business.

You have an option here to name a member or manager of the entity.

There is also a check box if you want to enter a different mailing address than your principal address (physical address). If you check the box, enter the additional mailing address.

Click Next.

Select the management structure, which is either member managed or manager managed. Then click Add Principal.

Principal information refers to the principals of your business. For LLCs, these are the members (owners) and/or the managers of your LLC.

The Principal Information page

On the Principal Information page, enter the Title and the Principal Type.

• If the Principal Type is Individual, enter the first and last name of the person. Middle name and suffix are optional.
• If the Principal Type is Business, enter the business name. You have the option to enter the name of a person associated with the business.
• You must enter the address of the person or the business. You can check Same as Business Address to use the business's address for that person or entity.

Click Save Principal.

You will get a blank screen. Enter the information for any additional members or managers. When all members and managers have been entered, click the Next icon.

If you selected manager managed

If you selected Manager Managed in answer to the Management Structure question, click Add Principal. In the Title field, select Member, Manager or Member & Manager for each principal.

The rest is the same: if the Principal Type is Individual, enter the first and last name of the person (middle name and suffix optional). If the Principal Type is Business, enter the business name, optionally the name of a person associated with the business, and the address of the person or the business. You can check Same as Business Address. Click Save Principal.

Click Next.

You are now on the statutory agent page. Select one of two options:

• I (the submitter) will be the Statutory Agent for this business, or
• Another person or business will be the Statutory Agent for this business.

If you select the second option, you are asked to search for that name. Click the Search button. You will get two choices:

1. Select from Existing List — if the name is already in the ACC's statutory agent list, or
2. Create New.

Select the appropriate choice and enter the statutory agent information.

On the Upload Documents page, select either:

• I would prefer the office to generate the necessary filing documents, or
• I would like to provide my own documents for the filing.

We recommend you use the ACC's generated Articles of Organization.

Click Next.

Click Add Organizer. The person who submits the online information to form the entity is the organizer.

Select Individual or Business, then enter the information for the organizer. Click Save Organizer, then click Next.

The organizer does not have to be a member or a manager of the LLC. The organizer is simply the person forming the company. When an Arizona LLC attorney forms the company for you, the attorney or the law firm is typically the organizer.

You are now on the review page. Read every screen of it. This is the last chance to catch a misspelled member name or a wrong address before the document becomes a permanent public record.

If everything is correct, scroll down to Signature & Affirmation. Enter all the information, then check the box for:

"I affirm, under penalty of perjury, that information provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge, and that I have authority to submit this filing."

You can select one or more authorized filers. Authorized Filers is an optional security feature that helps safeguard your business from unauthorized filings. Opting in allows you to designate specific individuals who are authorized to file on behalf of your business. Opting out means that any person will be able to submit filings for your business.

Select one, or none, of the two radio buttons:

Choice	What it means
Opt In	Only Authorized Filers can complete transactions for this business. By opting in, only your Arizona Business Center account will be able to make future online filings on behalf of the business. Once you have opted in, you can return to your dashboard to add, change or remove additional Authorized Filers.
Opt Out	Anyone can complete transactions for this business.

Select Add to Cart and pay the filing fee:

Service	Fee	Timing
Regular review	$50	Standard queue
Expedited review	$85	Can be same day if the statutory agent accepts the appointment

The $85 expedited figure is the total — the $50 Articles of Organization fee plus a $35 expedite charge. Same day approval depends on the statutory agent accepting the appointment through the Arizona Business Center dashboard, so if speed matters, tell your agent to watch for the email.

Once the Commission approves the filing, get a copy of the approved document and put it somewhere you will find it again.

1. Go to the dashboard on the left column of the ACC's page and click on Search.
2. Click on Business Search.
3. Enter the name of your entity and click Business Search.
4. Look for the name of your entity in blue underlined text and click on the link to your entity.
5. Scroll down to Filing History. You will see the date and time your Articles of Organization were filed.
6. On the far right there is a download icon under View Document. Click on the download icon.
7. Download the Articles of Organization and save it on your computer.

What still has to happen after the ACC approves your LLC

This is where most do-it-yourself filers stop, and it is why so many Arizona LLCs are not actually protecting anybody. Approval of your Articles of Organization creates the entity. It does not finish the job.

1. You still have no Operating Agreement

The Articles of Organization are a public, four page skeleton. They do not say who owns what percentage, how profits get distributed, what happens when a member dies, divorces, quits or goes bankrupt, how a member can be bought out, or who decides anything. That is all in the Operating Agreement — the single most important document your LLC will ever have, and the one the ACC does not give you.

A multi member LLC without a written Operating Agreement is a lawsuit waiting for a trigger. A single member LLC without one has handed a future creditor an easy argument that the company was never respected as a separate entity.

Read our article called 19 Reasons Your Arizona LLC Needs an Operating Agreement. To hire us to prepare a custom new or amended Operating Agreement submit our Operating Agreement Questionnaire.

2. You still need an EIN

You get the federal employer identification number from the IRS, not the ACC. You will need it to open the LLC's bank account. When we are hired to form a Silver or Gold LLC we get the EIN for the LLC or PLLC. See the contents and prices of our three LLC formation packages.

3. You may need to publish

If your statutory agent's address is outside Maricopa and Pima Counties, you have 60 days after approval to publish notice in an approved newspaper for three consecutive weeks.

4. Nothing is actually inside the LLC yet

The company owns nothing until you put something in it. Real estate has to be deeded in. Vehicles, equipment, accounts, intellectual property and existing contracts have to be assigned or retitled. An LLC that holds no assets protects no assets.

5. You have to keep it separate

Separate bank account. No paying personal bills out of the company account. Signing contracts in the company's name, in your capacity as member or manager. Records of the significant decisions. Charging order protection and the liability shield are earned by conduct, not by a filing receipt.

Frequently asked questions

This article is general information about Arizona law as of the date written. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Richard Keyt or KEYTLaw, LLC. Arizona Corporation Commission procedures, screens and fees change. Consult an Arizona attorney about your specific situation. Richard Keyt · KEYTLaw, LLC · 7373 E. Doubletree Ranch Road, Suite 135, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 · 480-664-7478 · rk@keytlaw.com