How to Start an LLC in Arizona

How do you file an LLC in Arizona yourself?

You do not need a lawyer or a paid service to form an Arizona LLC. The Arizona Corporation Commission (often called the ACC) accepts filings online through its eCorp system at ecorp.azcc.gov. The rules for what goes into the filing are in Arizona Revised Statutes section 29-3201 ^[2].

1. Choose a name. The name must meet Arizona's LLC naming rules, which section 29-3201 points to, and it has to be one the Commission will accept. Search existing names on eCorp before you settle on yours.
2. Pick a statutory agent. Arizona calls the registered agent a statutory agent. Your articles must list the agent's name and both a street address and a mailing address in Arizona ^[2].
3. File the Articles of Organization. By law the articles include the company name, a principal address (which can be the same as the statutory agent's mailing address), the statutory agent's details and whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed. A member-managed LLC lists the name and address of each member. A manager-managed LLC lists each manager and each member with a 20% or larger interest in capital or profits ^[2].
4. Pay the state fee. As of November 2026, the fee for initial Articles of Organization is $50, and the statute calls it nonrefundable. Expedited service costs extra, in an amount the commissioners set ^[1].
5. Handle publication. Within 60 days after the Commission files your articles, a notice of the filing must be published, or the Commission enters it in its database, depending on your county. The next sections explain which applies to you.
6. Get an EIN and write an operating agreement. The EIN is free from the IRS and you can apply online ^[3]. The operating agreement is not filed with the state, but it sets out who owns what and how decisions get made.

Your LLC exists once the articles become effective. Under the statute, the Commission's filing of the articles is conclusive proof that the organizers met the conditions to form the company ^[2].

How much does an LLC cost in Arizona?

The main cost is the $50 state fee for the Articles of Organization, as of November 2026 ^[1]. Arizona sets its LLC fees in the statute itself, so the amount does not depend on how you file.

Item	Amount as of November 2026	Notes
Articles of Organization	$50	Nonrefundable, set in A.R.S. 29-3213(A)
Amendment to the articles	$25	Only if you change something later
Expedited, same day or next day service	Extra, set by the commissioners	Optional; check eCorp for the current amount
Newspaper publication	Set by the newspaper	Only in counties of 800,000 people or fewer
Annual report	No fee listed in the LLC fee statute	Check eCorp for any ongoing filing
EIN from the IRS	Free	Apply online

The first three rows come from the fee statute ^[1]. The statute also requires the Commission to post its current processing wait times publicly, so check eCorp for a realistic timeline before you plan a launch date.

The LLC fee list in A.R.S. 29-3213(A) includes no annual report fee for limited liability companies. We could not open the Commission's own pages to confirm whether any other ongoing filing applies, so check eCorp after you form.

Publication is the cost people forget. If your statutory agent's street address is in a county of 800,000 people or fewer, a newspaper notice runs three consecutive times, and the newspaper sets its own price. In larger counties, the Commission enters the information in its database instead ^[2].

Arizona sits at the low end among the states we cover. As of November 2026, California charges $70 ^[5], Georgia $100 online ^[6], Florida $125 ^[7], North Carolina $125 ^[8] and Texas $300 ^[9]. Our LLC fees by state table lists every state.

On federal taxes, the IRS treats a single-member LLC as a disregarded entity and a multi-member LLC as a partnership by default, unless the LLC elects to be taxed as a corporation on Form 8832 ^[4]. State taxes depend on what you sell and whether you hire, which comes after filing.

Do you need a registered agent in Arizona?

Yes. Arizona's word for a registered agent is statutory agent, and every Arizona LLC names one in its Articles of Organization. The articles must give the agent's name and a street address and mailing address in Arizona ^[2].

The agent's address matters for one more reason: it decides how publication works. It is the agent's county, not your own home county, that sets the 800,000 population test.

Before you list someone, check three things:

• They have an Arizona street address where papers can be delivered.
• They are reliably available to receive those papers.
• They will forward anything they receive to you right away, because legal papers can carry response deadlines.

The statute asks for the agent's name and Arizona addresses; it does not require a commercial agent. Some owners pay a commercial statutory agent instead, often for privacy or because they travel. That is a yearly cost in addition to the state fee.

How does the Arizona publication requirement work?

Arizona ties LLC formation to a public notice. Within 60 days after the Commission files your articles, one of two things must happen ^[2]:

• Smaller counties. If the statutory agent's street address is in a county of 800,000 people or fewer, a notice with the information from your articles runs in a newspaper of general circulation in that county for three consecutive publications. An affidavit of publication may then be filed with the Commission.
• Larger counties. If the agent's street address is in a county of more than 800,000 people, the Commission enters the approval information in its database, and no newspaper notice is needed.

Put the 60 day deadline on your calendar the day your articles are filed, because nobody runs the notice for you. Ask the newspaper for its price before you choose it, since the statute sets no fee for the notice itself.

What comes after filing?

The Articles of Organization create your LLC, but taxes and licenses come next. Here is what usually follows.

• EIN and bank account. Get your free EIN from the IRS and open a business bank account in the LLC's name, so business money stays separate from personal money.
• Operating agreement. Sign it with every member, even if you are the only one.
• State tax registration. Arizona's sales-type tax is called the transaction privilege tax (TPT), and the Arizona Department of Revenue issues TPT licenses through AZTaxes.gov. We could not open the department's license page to confirm current fees, so check there before your first sale. If you will hire, ask about employer withholding and unemployment insurance at the same time.
• Local licenses. Cities and counties issue their own business licenses and permits. Call your city or county office before you open, especially for food, child care or trade work. Our guide to starting a cleaning business shows how local rules fit into a launch.
• Publication. Finish it within 60 days, as explained above.

If you are still choosing what kind of business to run, our guide to starting a business and the startup cost calculator help you budget the rest of the launch.

Should you file yourself or use a formation service?

You can file directly with the state yourself: the eCorp form asks only for the details listed above, and Arizona's fee is low. An online formation service fills out the same state form for you. Whatever a service charges is in addition to the state fee, which you still pay to Arizona.

	File yourself	Online formation service
State fee (as of November 2026)	$50	$50, passed through
Service fee	None	Extra, on top of the state fee
Speed	The Commission's posted wait time	Same Commission processing
Statutory agent	You or someone you choose in Arizona	Often offered as a yearly add-on
Publication	You arrange it if your county requires it	Sometimes offered for an added charge
What you still do yourself	Everything	EIN, bank account, TPT license, local licenses

A service can make sense if you want a commercial statutory agent anyway or simply do not want to handle the form. It does not make approval faster unless you pay the Commission's own expedite fee. Before you pay anyone, ask in writing whether the price covers the statutory agent, the newspaper notice and the affidavit of publication, since those are the parts of an Arizona filing that differ from other states. Compare Arizona with other states in our Texas LLC guide and California LLC guide if you are deciding where to form.