How to Form an LLC in Arizona

How to form an LLC in Arizona: settle the filing route

Use the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to create a new Arizona domestic limited liability company. An existing LLC formed outside Arizona uses a different registration route when its activities require Arizona registration. The owner’s overseas address does not, by itself, turn a newly formed Arizona LLC into a foreign LLC; the formation jurisdiction is the relevant distinction. The ACC’s foreign-entity guidance explains this boundary.

Choose the legal name before collecting signatures. The current Articles of Organization form requires the exact entity name and an LLC designation, and distinguishes an ordinary LLC from a professional LLC. For a regulated profession, confirm the permitted entity form with the professional licensing body before using the ordinary LLC route. A name reservation is optional, according to the ACC’s formation instructions .

For help coordinating a US entity setup, review HSJGlobal’s US company registration and LLC formation services . First record the intended activity, operating address, owners and management choice so that formation instructions match the proposed business.

Choose managers, members and a statutory agent

Decide who will run the LLC before completing the public filing. Arizona requires different disclosures for member-managed and manager-managed LLCs . Under A.R.S. § 29-3201 , member management requires every member’s name and address. Manager management requires every manager’s name and address, plus each member holding at least 20% of the capital or profits.

For paper articles, select only one management structure. Form L010 directs a manager-managed applicant to attach L040, the Manager Structure Attachment, or a member-managed applicant to attach L041, the Member Structure Attachment. Do not attach both merely because owners and managers overlap. The ACC’s LLC forms directory provides the current attachments and acceptance form. Reconcile the people listed against actual ownership and management before signing.

Appoint a statutory agent with a genuine Arizona street address and an Arizona mailing address. Under Arizona’s statutory-agent law , an individual must reside in Arizona; an entity agent must be a domestic corporation or LLC, or a foreign corporation or LLC authorized to transact business in Arizona, with a place of business or residence in the state. The ACC FAQ also requires an individual agent to be at least 18. The LLC cannot appoint itself, although an eligible member or manager can serve individually.

Agent consent is a separate completion item. The ACC’s current agent guidance allows acceptance through the agent’s Arizona Business Center dashboard for an online formation; paper filings use the signed Statutory Agent Acceptance (M002). Do not treat naming an agent as acceptance. Separately choose the principal address, which may be outside Arizona. These filing addresses are public; use accurate details rather than expecting an address choice to guarantee privacy.

Submit the articles and confirm legal effectiveness

Prepare the filing as one consistent set. The articles identify the entity, statutory agent, principal address and management structure; the organizer signs the articles. The organizer need not be an owner or manager. For paper submission, follow the ACC’s cover-sheet requirement and include the management attachment, agent acceptance and payment. Use the current official filing documents rather than an old downloaded packet.

As checked on October 19, 2026, the ACC’s March 2026 LLC fee schedule lists a one-time government charge of USD 50 for regular Articles of Organization processing or USD 85 for expedited processing. The difference is USD 35: USD 50 + USD 35 = USD 85. The ACC FAQ advertises online LLC formation at USD 85, so confirm the selected route and processing service in Arizona Business Center before payment. These are stated filing charges, not an all-inclusive setup price.

Government filing fees are nonrefundable. Agent services, newspaper publication where required, professional assistance, operating permits and taxes are separate budget items. No HSJGlobal service fee is included in the government amounts above. Optional faster review does not guarantee acceptance or an opening date; preparation, corrections and later permissions remain separate tasks.

A payment receipt does not establish that the LLC has been formed. Retain the accepted articles and ACC approval letter, then reconcile the recorded name, agent, principal address and management details with the approved instructions. Under A.R.S. § 29-3207 , a compliant filed record generally takes effect at delivery, subject to the statute’s conditions; a specified later effective date may be no more than 90 days after delivery. The LLC forms when its articles become effective. Use the accepted record to establish the date rather than assuming the examiner’s approval date is always the legal start.

Close the county publication requirement

After approval, complete the correct publication route using the statutory agent’s street-address county. This is not determined by the founder’s home, the principal address or the location of a customer. The ACC’s publication instructions say not to publish before the articles are approved and distinguish Maricopa and Pima counties from other counties.

The legal rule in A.R.S. § 29-3201(G) requires action within 60 days after the Commission files the articles. For the newspaper route, the notice must contain the required article information and appear in three consecutive publications in a newspaper of general circulation in the agent’s county. The alternative is Commission database entry for an agent street address in a county exceeding the statutory population threshold; ACC instructions identify Maricopa and Pima for website posting.

Publication completion record

Use this control after the approval letter arrives. The evidence column is a practical recordkeeping recommendation; it helps distinguish an instruction to publish from proof that publication happened.

For example, a founder’s office in Tucson does not control this step if the appointed agent’s street address is in another county. Apply the county shown for the agent, follow the approval letter and check the notice text against the accepted articles. Request the newspaper’s affidavit after the required runs. The ACC’s affidavit guidance makes filing that affidavit with the Commission optional; keep it in the company’s records if it is not filed.

Set up the EIN and internal authority

Once the LLC is legally formed, move to federal identity and company governance. The IRS EIN guidance says to form the entity with the state before applying for an employer identification number. Apply directly to the IRS without an application fee, using the formed entity’s name. Keep the EIN confirmation with the accepted articles; it answers a different question from state formation.

An overseas responsible party should check eligibility for the online method rather than borrowing another person’s taxpayer number. The current Form SS-4 instructions require an individual responsible party in the ordinary nongovernment case and explain the online residence/business-location and taxpayer-ID conditions. Where that person has no SSN or ITIN and is ineligible to obtain one, enter “foreign” or “N/A” on line 7b as instructed.

For an applicant with its principal place of business outside the United States, the IRS lists an international telephone route and Form SS-4 by fax or mail. Select the method using the actual business facts and current IRS instructions; an Arizona agent address alone does not establish online eligibility. Submit one application method for the entity, then retain its assigned number and confirmation.

Put the members’ operating arrangements in writing: contributions, voting, manager authority, distributions, exits and who may sign commitments. The ACC’s operating-agreement explanation states that an agreement is not required by statute, but statutory defaults apply without one. Keep an adopted agreement internally rather than submitting it as an ACC formation attachment. Have an adviser confirm the LLC’s federal filing obligations, especially where an owner is outside the United States.

Maintain the LLC and clear activity permissions

Arizona LLCs do not file annual reports with the ACC . The Commission’s annual-report answer expressly distinguishes LLCs from corporations. That does not remove tax filings, license renewals or the duty to maintain accurate company information. Assign a person to monitor agent correspondence and changes in addresses, managers and members, using the appropriate change or amendment filing.

FinCEN’s current beneficial ownership notice , updated August 11, 2026, states that US companies are exempt from federal BOI reporting under its final rule, effective August 14, 2026. A new Arizona-created LLC falls on that domestic-company side even if its owners live abroad. Keep this separate from an overseas entity registering in Arizona, and from truthful owner information requested for tax or financial accounts.

ACC formation also leaves operating permissions to the relevant authorities. Its Arizona business-starting guide directs founders to the Department of Revenue for potential transaction privilege tax registration and to the city, or county for an unincorporated location, for applicable local requirements. The ACC does not issue business or occupational licenses. Confirm activity, professional and premises requirements with the responsible authority before opening; neither accepted articles nor an EIN establishes all permissions.

For a broader explanation of this boundary, use our guide to the operating permissions that remain after LLC formation . Maintain a separate list of issued permits, conditions, expiry dates and accountable people, instead of treating the ACC record as the business’s entire compliance file.

Decide whether your Arizona formation file is complete

To form an LLC in Arizona with a usable handover, close three questions separately: do the accepted articles establish legal existence on the intended date; has the correct publication route been completed and evidenced; and are the remaining tax, authority and operating tasks assigned? An approval letter can close the filing stage while a newspaper notice or operating permission remains outstanding.

Proceed with formation instructions when the legal name, management disclosures, agent consent and filing route agree. After acceptance, retain the articles and effective date, close the publication record and hand over the EIN and internal authority records. If the county, owner list or agent acceptance is unresolved, correct that specific item before representing the file as complete. Review operating readiness against the actual activity and address before taking commitments that depend on a permit.