Domestic LLC Formation Filing Requirements in Florida
At a glance
| Governing law and filing record | Florida Revised LLC Act; Department of State Articles of Organization (Fla. Stat. §§ 605.0201, .0203) |
|---|---|
| Organizer and signature | One or more persons act as authorized representatives; at least one signs. Agent/attorney may sign if authorized and capacity stated (§§ 605.0201(1), .0203) |
| Required entity and purpose terms | Compliant LLC name/designator required; no ordinary-LLC purpose or duration term in statutory minimum (§§ 605.0112, .0201(2)) |
| Addresses and service fields | Principal-office street + mailing addresses; initial agent name, Florida street address, and written acceptance (§§ 605.0201(2)(b)-(c), .0203(1)(b)) |
| Management and owner disclosure | Optional at formation: manager-managed declaration and one or more managers or members with addresses; no required owner/manager list in articles (§ 605.0201(3)) |
| Optional and restricted provisions | May add management, manager/member, authority-limit, and other relevant statements, but cannot vary § 605.0105(3)'s nonwaivable rules (§ 605.0201(3)) |
| Filing method, fee, and attachments | Online credit-card filing or signed PDF by mail; $100 articles + required $25 agent fee = $125. Agent acceptance included/attached; paper instructions request cover letter (Sunbiz, as of July 29, 2026) |
| Formation and effective date | Formed when articles become effective and ≥1 member exists; default acceptance time, prior date ≤5 business days, or delayed date/time ≤90 days (§§ 605.0201(4), .0207) |
| Publication and initial follow-up | No statewide publication or immediate filing; first annual report is due Jan. 1-May 1 of calendar year after articles become effective (§ 605.0212(3)) |
Requirements one by one
Governing law and filing record
Florida uses Articles of Organization under the Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act. One or more persons acting as authorized representatives sign and deliver the articles to the Department of State.
The current Division of Corporations page offers an online filing and links the official paper Form CR2E047.
Organizer and signature
Florida calls the formation signer an authorized representative. Section 605.0203 requires at least one authorized representative to sign the initial articles and permits a duly appointed agent, legal representative, or attorney- in-fact to sign if the record states that authority.
The signer does not have to be listed as a manager or member merely because the signer delivers the articles.
Required entity and purpose terms
The required entity term is the compliant LLC name. Section 605.0112 requires “limited liability company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC,” distinguishability on the Department's records, and a name that does not imply an unauthorized purpose or government connection.
The minimum list in § 605.0201 contains no purpose or duration statement for an ordinary LLC. Specialized entities can face separate rules.
Addresses and service fields
The articles state both the street and mailing addresses of the principal office. They also state the initial registered agent's name and Florida street address and include the agent's written acceptance.
Section 605.0203 permits the signed acceptance to appear in the articles or in an attached statement. Agent eligibility and office-hour duties are covered in the registered-agent survey.
Management and owner disclosure
Manager and member names are optional in the formation filing. Section 605.0201(3) permits a manager-managed declaration and the names and addresses of one or more managers or members, but does not make them part of the minimum articles.
Form CR2E047 labels this management information optional at formation. A later annual report has a different disclosure rule.
Optional and restricted provisions
The articles may add a management declaration, names and addresses, a person's authority or an authority limitation, and other relevant matters. Section 605.0201(3) bars those additions from varying the nonwaivable provisions named in § 605.0105(3).
An optional clause therefore belongs in the articles only if Florida law permits the public record to carry it; the filing is not a substitute for the operating agreement.
Filing method, fee, and attachments
The current total is $125: a $100 articles fee under § 605.0213(2) plus the required $25 registered-agent designation fee. A certified copy costs an optional $30 and a certificate of status an optional $5.
The Division currently accepts an online credit-card filing or a signed PDF by mail. The paper form asks for a cover letter with return contact information.
Formation and effective date
The LLC is formed only when the articles become effective and at least one person is a member. By signing, the authorized representative affirms that the company has or will have that member at the effective time.
Florida's effective-date range has a formation-specific feature discussed below.
Publication and initial follow-up
Florida's formation statute, current form, and current LLC filing page state no statewide newspaper-publication or proof-of-publication duty for an ordinary LLC.
There is also no immediate annual report. Section 605.0212(3) places the first report between January 1 and May 1 of the calendar year after the articles become effective. Later cycles belong to the periodic-report survey.
What trips people up
A filed record alone is not enough if no member exists. Section 605.0201(4) makes formation depend on both the articles becoming effective and at least one person becoming a member at that time. The formation signer affirms that this condition is or will be met.
Florida allows a short retroactive formation date. Initial articles may state a date up to five business days before filing. A future effective date may extend no later than the 90th day after filing. Section 605.0207 supplies the statutory time rules; an agency processing estimate does not.
Optional management names become public if supplied. They are not required in the articles, but Form CR2E047 warns that filing information appears on the public Sunbiz record. The next year's annual report separately requires at least one person with authority to manage the LLC.
Common questions
Does filing the LLC name establish ownership of it? Not by itself. Section 605.0112(5) says the name filing is for public notice and creates no ownership presumption beyond common law.
What are the optional $30 and $5 charges? They buy a certified copy and a certificate of status. Neither is part of the required $125 formation total.
Can the paper form be completed by hand? Yes. The current Division page allows the PDF to be printed, completed in blue or black ink, signed, and mailed with payment.
Statutes and sources
- Fla. Stat. §§ 605.0112, 605.0201 — name rules, authorized representative, required and optional article fields, member-at-effectiveness condition, and signer affirmation. https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0201.html (accessed 2026-07-29)
- Fla. Stat. § 605.0203 — authorized-representative signature, agent acceptance, and agent or attorney-in-fact signing. https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0203.html (accessed 2026-07-29)
- Fla. Stat. § 605.0207 — acceptance-time, prior-date, delayed-date, and effective-time rules. https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0207.html (accessed 2026-07-29)
- Fla. Stat. §§ 605.0212 to 605.0213 — first annual-report window and the $100 articles plus $25 agent-designation fees. https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0213.html (accessed 2026-07-29)
- Florida Department of State Form CR2E047 and LLC filing pages — optional management fields, effective-date range, optional copies, cover letter, online/paper routes, and current $125 total. https://form.sunbiz.org/pdf/cr2e047.pdf (accessed 2026-07-29)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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