# Form a limited liability company in California

File Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) with the California Secretary of State. The filing fee is $70.00; a Statement of Information is due within 90 days; and the Franchise Tax Board may charge a minimum annual tax.

## At a glance

| Detail | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Kind | Filing |
| Authority | [California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division](https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities) |
| Where it applies | us, us-ca |
| Fees | Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) filing fee: $70; Certified copy (optional): $5; Special handling fee for an in-person submission: $15; Minimum annual tax to the Franchise Tax Board (paid separately, not with this filing): $800 |
| How it is filed | File online (bizfile Online); File by mail; File in person, with a $15 special handling fee |
| Last verified against its sources | 2026-10-04 |
| Version | 1 |

## Where this sits

**Level 2.** [Business formation](/a/vertical-business-formation) › LLC formation › **Form a limited liability company in California**

**Can lead to:** [File a California LLC’s Statement of Information](/a/california-llc-statement-of-information), [Pay a California LLC’s annual tax](/a/california-llc-annual-tax), [Get an employer identification number (EIN)](/a/ein-application)

**Related:** [File a California LLC’s Statement of Information](/a/california-llc-statement-of-information), [Pay a California LLC’s annual tax](/a/california-llc-annual-tax), [Get an employer identification number (EIN)](/a/ein-application)

Everything below is drawn from one JSON object. Each rule, fee and deadline carries the exact words of the Secretary of State’s page, the form itself or the statute, with the hash of the text that was read; the form’s fields are listed with the reusable fact each one maps to, so a person’s answers fill this form and every other form that asks the same thing.

## Rules

**Requirement:** Name an agent for service of process: either an individual (items 3a and 3b) or a corporation (item 3c). *(checked as: whether the agent for service of process is an individual or a corporation is one of individual, corporation)*

[[widget:llc1-item3]]

**Requirement:** An individual agent is named with a California street address, not a P.O. Box. *(checked as: (whether the agent for service of process is an individual or a corporation = corporation or Registered agent address: state = CA))*

**Requirement:** The name must contain an LLC identifier such as LLC or L.L.C.; “LLC” is added if it is not included.

[[widget:llc1-item1-2]]

**Requirement:** The purpose statement is printed on the form and must not be altered.

[[widget:llc1-item4-5]]

## Fees

| Fee | Amount | When |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) filing fee | $70 | always |
| Certified copy (optional) | $5 | optional |
| Special handling fee for an in-person submission | $15 | how the filing is sent (online, by mail, or in person) = in_person |
| Minimum annual tax to the Franchise Tax Board (paid separately, not with this filing) | $800 | The form says an LLC “may have to pay” it each year. For a first taxable year beginning in 2027 through 2029 the amount is $400 (Revenue and Taxation Code 17941(g)(2)); see the annual tax. |

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## Deadlines

**File the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12):** Due within 90 days of initial registration and every two years thereafter.

[[widget:sos-soi-due]]

## Form: Articles of Organization, Limited Liability Company (LLC-1)

Version: REV 11/2023. Source: [https://bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov/llc/forms/llc-1.pdf](https://bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov/llc/forms/llc-1.pdf). Kept copy: sha256:beca1ceae4817db7…

| Field | Maps to | Type | Required | Limits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. Limited Liability Company Name | `business.legal_name` | string | always |  |
| 2a. Initial Street Address of Principal Office | `business.principal_office.address.line1` | string | always | pattern ^(?![\s\S]*\b[Pp]\.?\s*[Oo]\.?\s*[Bb][Oo][Xx]\b)[\s\S]+$ |
| 2a. City (no abbreviations) | `business.principal_office.address.city` | string | always |  |
| 2a. State | `business.principal_office.address.state` | string | always |  |
| 2a. Zip Code | `business.principal_office.address.postal_code` | string | always |  |
| 2b. Initial Mailing Address of LLC, if different than item 2a | `business.mailing.address.line1` | string | optional |  |
| 2b. City (no abbreviations) | `business.mailing.address.city` | string | optional |  |
| 2b. State | `business.mailing.address.state` | string | optional |  |
| 2b. Zip Code | `business.mailing.address.postal_code` | string | optional |  |
| 3. Service of Process: an individual (3a and 3b) or a corporation (3c) | `business.registered_agent.kind` | enum | always | one of: individual, corporation |
| 3a. California Agent's First Name (if agent is not a corporation) | `business.registered_agent.name.first` | string | if whether the agent for service of process is an individual or a corporation = individual |  |
| 3a. Middle Name | `business.registered_agent.name.middle` | string | optional |  |
| 3a. Last Name | `business.registered_agent.name.last` | string | if whether the agent for service of process is an individual or a corporation = individual |  |
| 3a. Suffix | `business.registered_agent.name.suffix` | string | optional |  |
| 3b. Street Address (if agent is not a corporation) | `business.registered_agent.address.line1` | string | if whether the agent for service of process is an individual or a corporation = individual | pattern ^(?![\s\S]*\b[Pp]\.?\s*[Oo]\.?\s*[Bb][Oo][Xx]\b)[\s\S]+$ |
| 3b. City (no abbreviations) | `business.registered_agent.address.city` | string | if whether the agent for service of process is an individual or a corporation = individual |  |
| 3b. State | `business.registered_agent.address.state` | string | if whether the agent for service of process is an individual or a corporation = individual | one of: CA |
| 3b. Zip Code | `business.registered_agent.address.postal_code` | string | if whether the agent for service of process is an individual or a corporation = individual |  |
| 3c. California Registered Corporate Agent’s Name (if agent is a corporation) | `business.registered_agent.corporate_name` | string | if whether the agent for service of process is an individual or a corporation = corporation |  |
| 4. Management (Select only one box) | `business.management_structure` | enum | always | one of: One Manager, More than One Manager, All LLC Member(s) |
| 6. Organizer sign here | `business.organizer.signature` | signature | always |  |
| 6. Print your name here | `business.organizer.name` | string | always |  |

- Item 5, the purpose statement, is printed on the form and is not altered.
- A paper submission includes the Business Entities Submission Cover Sheet, which is not made part of the filed document.
- Checks and money orders are payable to the Secretary of State.

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[[widget:llc1-item6]]
## How it is filed

- **File online (bizfile Online)**: [https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/](https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/)
- **File by mail**: California Secretary of State, Limited Liability Company Filings, P.O. Box 944260, Sacramento, CA 94244-2600
- **File in person, with a $15 special handling fee**: 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814; Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding state holidays

[[widget:sos-file-online]]
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**What an agent may do:** not stated by any source yet (UNKNOWN); nothing is submitted without the person’s authorization.

## What this page does not know

- Whether someone other than the organizer may submit through bizfile Online is not stated by the pages read.
- Processing times, and the fees for special handling, preclearance and expedited filing, are on other Secretary of State pages that have not been read.
- Checking whether a name is available, and reserving it, are not modeled yet.