Domestic LLC Formation Filing Requirements in Colorado

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Governing law and filing record

Colorado uses Articles of Organization under the Colorado Limited Liability Company Act. C.R.S. § 7-80-203 says one or more persons form the company by delivering the articles to the Secretary of State under Title 7, article 90's filing rules.

Organizer and signature

An organizer may be an individual who is at least 18 or a business entity. The organizer does not have to become a member. Section 7-80-204 requires the true name and mailing address of each organizer in the public filing.

Colorado separates the organizer from the individual who submits the filing. Section 7-90-301 requires at least one delivery individual's name and mailing address, while § 7-90-301.5 makes the act of delivery an affirmation under penalty of perjury. Section 7-90-301(2) expressly says a signature or execution is not required as a filing condition.

Required entity and purpose terms

The name must be distinguishable in the Secretary of State's records and use one of § 7-90-601's LLC designators. Section 7-80-204's required-content list does not include a purpose or duration statement. The substantive scope comes from § 7-80-103: an LLC may be formed for any lawful business, subject to laws regulating that business.

Addresses and service fields

The articles state the initial principal-office address and the initial registered agent's name and address. The current online instructions require a physical principal-office street address, not a P.O. box, and allow a different mailing address.

The agent's street address must be a physical Colorado address; a different Colorado mailing address is optional. C.R.S. § 7-90-701(3) requires the filing to state that the agent consented, which the online form handles through a required checkbox rather than a separate acceptance attachment.

Management and owner disclosure

The filing must choose whether management is vested in managers or members and must affirm that the LLC has at least one member. Section 7-80-204 does not ask for the names of members, managers, or owners merely because of those roles. Organizer names are public, but organizer status does not establish ownership.

Optional and restricted provisions

Section 7-80-204(h) permits other matters relating to the LLC or its articles. The online filing also offers the general § 7-90-304 delayed-effective-date choice. Additional lawful information may be uploaded as a text or PDF attachment, but ordinary formation does not require that optional attachment.

Filing method, fee, and attachments

The current filing is online only and costs $50. The fee schedule lists no paper option. The online form uses a required consent affirmation for the agent; it does not require a separately signed agent-acceptance document.

If there is more than one organizer, the filer uploads an attachment with every additional organizer's name and mailing address. The filing is not complete until payment is made. Current § 7-90-303(5) adds that if payment is not successfully processed or is reversed, the document was not successfully filed despite its initial timestamp. The Secretary of State may mark it void and adjust entity status or remove it from the online system.

Formation and effective date

Under § 7-80-207, the LLC forms when its successfully filed articles become effective. With no delay, § 7-90-304 makes the filing effective at the Secretary of State's filing time. A stated later date or time is permitted, but the delay is capped at 90 days. A date without a time takes effect at 11:59 p.m., not at the start of that day.

Publication and initial follow-up

Colorado's articles statute and current filing package impose no newspaper or database publication, proof-of-publication filing, or separate initial report. The first Periodic Report is not immediate: § 7-90-501(4)(c)(I) places it after the first anniversary, no later than the last day of the second following calendar month.

What trips people up

The filer and organizer are separate statutory roles. The articles disclose every organizer, but the general filing law separately asks for at least one individual who causes delivery. The online act of delivery supplies the statutory affirmation; Colorado does not require a standalone signature page.

A date-only delay means the end of the day. Entering only a future date makes the filing effective at 11:59 p.m. on that date, and a date beyond day 90 is pulled back to 11:59 p.m. on day 90.

A timestamp cannot rescue failed payment. Section 7-90-303(5), effective August 12, 2026, treats a filing as unsuccessful if payment is not processed or is reversed. The Secretary of State may void or remove the document and adjust the entity's resulting status.

Common questions

Can delayed articles be stopped before they take effect? Yes. Section 7-90-304(3) permits a statement of correction revoking the filed document if it is filed by the earlier of the stated effective date or day 90.

What does filing put the public on notice of? C.R.S. § 7-80-208 treats filed articles as notice that the company is an LLC and of the facts § 7-80-204 requires the articles to state.

Does the new artist-company law change an ordinary Colorado LLC filing? No. Chapter 297 creates a separate election for qualifying artist companies effective August 12, 2026, and new § 7-80-1223 says that part does not affect an LLC that is not an artist company.

Statutes and sources

• C.R.S. §§ 7-80-103, 7-80-203, 7-80-204, and 7-80-207 — lawful business, organizers, required and optional article contents, and the formation event. https://olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-07.pdf (accessed 2026-08-17)
• C.R.S. §§ 7-90-301, 7-90-301.5, and 7-90-304 — filing requirements, delivery affirmation, no-signature rule, and effective dates. https://olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-07.pdf (accessed 2026-08-17)
• C.R.S. §§ 7-90-501, 7-90-601, and 7-90-701 — first Periodic Report timing, name rules, and registered-agent consent. https://olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-07.pdf (accessed 2026-08-17)
• Colorado Secretary of State — current Articles of Organization instructions, public fields, attachments, delayed date, and payment completion. https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/business/helpFiles/ARTORG_LLC_HELP.html (accessed 2026-08-17)
• Colorado Secretary of State — current Business Organizations Fee Schedule, $50 online filing and no paper fee. https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/info_center/fees/business.html (accessed 2026-08-17)
• C.R.S. § 7-90-303(5), enacted by 2026 Colorado chapter 226 — unsuccessful or reversed payment means the document was not successfully filed, with voiding, status-adjustment, and removal remedies. https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb26-1088 (accessed 2026-08-17)
• Colorado General Assembly — SB 26-133 official enacted summary, status, and August 12, 2026 effective date for the separate artist-company act. https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb26-133 (accessed 2026-08-17)