In addition to its many other advantages, a limited liability corporation (LLC) provides small enterprises with protection from legal responsibility and favorable tax treatment. Follow these easy steps for getting your Arizona limited liability company up and going after you’ve decided that a Limited company is the most suitable form of business for your requirements.

Note that you have the option of forming the limited liability company (LLC) yourself, or you may choose a professional company firm to do all of the legwork on your behalf.

1. Naming of Your Arizona LLC

When choosing a name for a limited liability company (LLC) inside the state of Arizona, there are some key rules that must be followed:

• The name of the limited liability company (LLC) must be distinguishable from those of already existing businesses that are registered with the Arizona Corporations Commission.
• The phrase “Limited Liability Company” or one of the acronyms “LLC”, “L.C. “, “LC”, or “L.L.C.” must be included in the name of the limited liability company (LLC).
• In Arizona, the names of professional limited liability companies (LLCs) are required to contain the words “professional limited liability company” or one of the following abbreviations: “PLC”, “P.L.C. “, “PLLC”, or “P.L.L.C.”

LLC name reservation with the Arizona Corporations Commission

Check the availability of the name you’ve chosen for your limited liability company (LLC) online by utilizing the business name database maintained by the Arizona Corporations Commission.  

In the event that the name is not taken, you may submit an Application to Reserve your LLC Name to the Arizona Corporations Commission in order to place a reservation on it for a period of up to one hundred and twenty days.

You have the option of submitting the application either online or in the mail. The charge to file paperwork in the mail is just $10, whereas the fee to file paperwork online is $45.

Using a company moniker in one’s professional endeavors

Arizona LLCs may conduct business using a trade name or “DBA” name rather than their official name in the LLC Articles of Organization.

In Arizona, doing business while using a trade name is not required to be registered with the state; nevertheless, the Arizona Secretary of State’s office does provide the possibility of registering a trade name digitally for a filing cost of ten dollars.

2. Choose a Statutory Agent to represent you

In order for legal documents to be served within the state of Arizona, each limited liability company (LLC) is required to have a Statutory Representative, which is also referred to as a Registered Agent. If the limited liability company (LLC) is taken to court, this refers to a person or company that has agreed to accept service of process on its behalf.

An Arizona citizen or a legal business organization that is permitted to conduct operations in the state may serve as the Registered Agent. It is required that the Registered Agent have a real, live street address in the state of Arizona.

What exactly is the role of a Registered Agent?

A Registered Agent is an individual or corporate body that is accountable for receiving essential tax forms, official papers, notice of civil suits, and official correspondence from the government on behalf of your company. This can include tax documents, legal papers, notice of court cases, and official communications. Consider the role of your registered agent as that of the point of contact for your company with the state.

Who qualifies to act as a Statutory Agent?

A Statutory Agent is required to be either a person who lives in Arizona on a permanent basis or a company that is registered to do business within the state of Arizona. 

An example of the latter would be a Registered Agent service. You have the option of selecting anybody who works for the organization, including yourself.

3. Publish your company’s articles of incorporation

Your limited liability company (LLC) will be formally recognized after you have a document called the Articles of Organization that lays forth fundamental information about your business. Because this form serves as the legal registration for your company with the state, it is essential that all of the details be accurate.

What should be included in a company’s Articles of Organization?

When completing the Articles of Organization for your Arizona LLC, you are required to give the following information:

• LLC’s name
• LLC’s duration—perpetual or limited
• The location of the main office of the limited liability company.
• The name and location of the registered agent for the limited liability company
• Location where the State Secretary should send notifications to the limited liability company (LLC) through mail.
• How the Limited Liability Company (LLC) will be run: by its members or by its managers
• Whether or whether the limited liability company will provide business services
• Names and addresses of all of the organizers of the limited liability company, as well as
• The contact information of a member or manager who has firsthand experience with the LLC’s daily activities.

Submission of Your Organization’s Articles of Incorporation

You will need to submit the following paperwork to the Arizona Corporation Commission in order to register your Arizona limited liability company (LLC):

• The Articles of Organization on Form L010
• Arizona Corporate Commission Cover Sheet
• Acceptance of the Statutory Agent
• Attachment to the Structure as a Member or Manager

You have the option of applying in person, online, or via the mail.

Foreign LLCs

LLCs that have been founded in another state but want to do business in Arizona are needed to file with Arizona’s Corporations Commission in order to do so.

You will be required to submit an Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company by mail, together with a payment of the filing fee in the amount of $150 and a certificate of existence from the state in which the LLC was first formed.

4. Obtain a Certificate from the State

After the formation paperwork of the LLC has been submitted and authorized, the state will issue you a certificate that proves the LLC officially exists. If you ask for a copy and pay appropriate mail costs, the state will send out the certificate to you.

With this certificate, the limited liability company will be able to get a Tax Identification Number (EIN), as well as business permits and a corporate bank account like Novo or Bluevine.

5. Draft an Operating Agreement for Your Company

Even while establishing a detailed LLC operating agreement is not a legally required step for founding a limited liability company in Ari