Arizona: Domestic LLC Formation Filing Requirements
The short answer
An ordinary Arizona LLC files organizer-signed Articles of Organization with the Corporation Commission for $50, together with statutory-agent acceptance and the matching management attachment. The public filing identifies the principal address, Arizona statutory-agent addresses, management structure, and either all members or all managers plus each member owning at least 20%. The LLC forms when the articles become effective, with a delay of up to 90 days available; within 60 days after filing, notice must be published by newspaper or through the Commission database under the statutory county-population rule.
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This is the general rule in Arizona. Ezel applies current Arizona law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law and filing record | Arizona Limited Liability Company Act; Articles of Organization filed with the Corporation Commission (A.R.S. § 29-3201) |
|---|---|
| Organizer and signature | One or more persons may organize; at least one organizer signs. Organizer need not be a member or manager; an authorized agent may sign (§§ 29-3201(A), 29-3203(A)(2), (B)-(C)) |
| Required entity and purpose terms | Compliant name with LLC/LC designator; no purpose or duration term required in ordinary articles (§§ 29-3112, 29-3201(B)) |
| Addresses and service fields | Principal address; statutory-agent name plus Arizona street and mailing addresses (§ 29-3201(B)(2)-(3)); paper form makes agent acceptance M002 mandatory |
| Management and owner disclosure | Choose manager- or member-managed. Manager-managed: every manager and each member owning at least 20%; member-managed: every member, with names/addresses (§ 29-3201(B)(4)) |
| Optional and restricted provisions | Other statements allowed, but articles cannot vary § 29-3105(C)-(D) protections inconsistently (§ 29-3201(C)) |
| Filing method, fee, and attachments | $50 base; ABC online or paper by fax, mail, or walk-in. Paper packet uses cover sheet, M002 agent acceptance, and L040 manager or L041 member attachment; optional faster service costs extra (ACC, July 29, 2026) |
| Formation and effective date | Formed when articles become effective: delivery time if compliant, stated later time, or delayed date/time up to 90 days; date-only means 12:01 a.m. MST. Timely 30-day cure can preserve delivery time (§§ 29-3201(D), 29-3207) |
| Publication and initial follow-up | Within 60 days after filing: three consecutive newspaper publications in agent-address county, or ACC database posting if county population exceeds 800,000. Publication affidavit is optional; no separate initial report listed (§ 29-3201(G)) |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law and filing record
Arizona forms an ordinary domestic LLC through Articles of Organization
delivered to the Arizona Corporation Commission under A.R.S. § 29-3201. The
Commission's filing of the articles conclusively proves that the organizers
satisfied the conditions precedent to formation.
Organizer and signature
One or more persons may act as organizers. Under § 29-3203(A)(2), at least one
organizer signs, and the organizer may—but need not—be a member or manager.
Section 29-3203(B)-(C) also permits an authorized agent to sign and treats that
signature as an affirmation of authority.
Required entity and purpose terms
The articles state a name complying with § 29-3112. It must include an LLC or LC
designator, be distinguishable in the Commission's records, and avoid the
listed corporation, association, banking, credit-union, and trust wording unless
the statutory conditions are met.
Section 29-3201(B)'s complete list does not require an ordinary LLC to state a
purpose or duration in the articles.
Addresses and service fields
Section 29-3201(B)(2)-(3) requires a principal address and the statutory agent's
name plus Arizona street and mailing addresses. The ACC's paper package also
requires the agent's signed acceptance on Form M002.
Management and owner disclosure
The filing must choose manager-management or member-management. A
manager-managed LLC lists every manager and every member who owns at least 20%
of the company's capital or profits. A member-managed LLC lists every member.
The name and address of each listed person become part of the public filing.
Optional and restricted provisions
Section 29-3201(C) permits other statements in the articles, but not provisions
that vary § 29-3105(C)-(D) inconsistently. Among the protected matters are the
statutory-agent rules and the requirements and procedures for records delivered
to the Commission.
Filing method, fee, and attachments
The current base fee is $50. Formation documents may be submitted online
through Arizona Business Center or on paper by fax, mail, or walk-in delivery.
The paper submission package consists of a cover sheet, the articles, payment,
Form M002, and exactly one management attachment: Form L040 for a
manager-managed LLC or Form L041 for a member-managed LLC.
The ACC currently lists optional $35 expedited, $100 next-day, $200 same-day,
and $400 two-hour service. Those charges buy examination speed, not approval,
and can change without amendment of § 29-3213.
Formation and effective date
The LLC is formed when the articles become effective. Under § 29-3207, that is
normally the date and time of delivery to the Commission. The articles may
instead state a later time or a delayed effective date and time no more than 90
days after delivery. A date without a time takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Mountain
Standard Time.
If the Commission cannot initially determine conformity, curing the identified
defect within 30 days after notice can preserve the original delivery time.
Publication and initial follow-up
Within 60 days after the Commission files the articles, § 29-3201(G)
requires one of two routes. The LLC publishes the required article information
in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of the statutory agent's
street address for three consecutive publications, or the Commission posts the
approval information in its database when that county has a population over
800,000.
An affidavit of newspaper publication may be filed; the statute does not
make that proof filing mandatory. Section 29-3201 and the current ACC formation
packet list no separate initial report for an ordinary Arizona LLC.
What trips people up
The management choice changes the mandatory attachment and public names. A
manager-managed filing uses L040 and still discloses every 20%-or-greater member.
A member-managed filing uses L041 and discloses every member. The ACC form says
the articles will be rejected if the selected structure attachment is missing.
Publication starts after filing approval. The 60-day clock runs after the
Commission files the articles. The governing route depends on the population of
the statutory agent's address county, not the organizer's or principal office's
location.
A delayed filing can be withdrawn before it takes effect. Under § 29-3208,
the withdrawal statement is signed by everyone who signed the original record
unless those signers agreed otherwise. Filing the withdrawal prevents the
original articles from taking effect.
Common questions
Does the organizer have to own the LLC? No. An organizer may be a member or
manager, but § 29-3203 does not require either status.
Can I skip the statutory-agent acceptance if the agent is named in the
articles? No. The current filing package separately requires signed Form M002;
naming the agent in the articles does not itself supply the acceptance.
Does Arizona require an annual report immediately after formation? No
separate initial report appears in the ordinary LLC formation statute or ACC
packet. The publication duty is the immediate post-filing requirement covered
here.
Statutes and sources
- A.R.S. §§ 29-3112, 29-3201, and 29-3203 — name rules, required article
fields, management and owner disclosure, organizer signature, formation, and
publication. https://www.azleg.gov/ars/29/03201.htm (accessed 2026-07-29) - A.R.S. §§ 29-3105(C), 29-3207, and 29-3208 — limits on optional clauses,
effective time, delayed dates, 30-day conformity cure, and pre-effective
withdrawal. https://www.azleg.gov/ars/29/03207.htm (accessed 2026-07-29) - A.R.S. § 29-3213 — $50 statutory filing fee and authorization for
accelerated services. https://www.azleg.gov/ars/29/03213.htm (accessed
2026-07-29) - Arizona Corporation Commission, Form L010 and Instructions L010i — current
paper fields, cover sheet, attachments, filing routes, regular fee, and
accelerated-service charges.
https://azcc.gov/docs/default-source/corps-files/instructions/l010i-instructions-articles-of-organization.pdf
(accessed 2026-07-29) - Arizona Corporation Commission, 10 Steps to Starting a Business — ABC
online formation and fax/mail alternatives.
http://azcc.gov/corporations/10-steps-to-starting-a-business-in-arizona
(accessed 2026-07-29)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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