Domestic LLC Formation Filing Requirements in Georgia

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Governing law and filing record

Georgia forms an ordinary domestic LLC through Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State under O.C.G.A. §§ 14-11-203–14-11-204. The articles are the constitutive record, but Georgia separates their minimum text from additional information supplied with the formation submission.

Organizer and signature

Under § 14-11-203(a), one or more persons may organize the LLC, and an organizer need not become a member. Current Secretary of State instructions permit an organizer, a member, a manager when management is vested in managers, or an attorney-in-fact to sign the articles.

O.C.G.A. § 14-11-205 requires the signer's name and capacity beside the signature and permits an attorney-in-fact without filing the power of attorney. The Secretary's filing procedure says the signature does not need notarization.

Required entity and purpose terms

The articles themselves must state the LLC's name. Under § 14-11-207(a), the name uses an allowed limited-liability-company or limited-company term or abbreviation, is distinguishable on the Secretary's records, and stays within 80 characters.

O.C.G.A. § 14-11-204 requires no purpose or duration term. Section 14-11-201 instead supplies the default purpose of any lawful activity unless a narrower purpose appears in the articles or a written operating agreement.

Addresses and service fields

The name-only minimum for the articles is not the whole filing package. O.C.G.A. § 14-11-203(a) separately requires the filer to supply every organizer's name and address, the initial registered office's street address and county, the initial registered agent's name, and the principal place of business's mailing address.

The current Georgia.gov checklist also collects the filer's name and address and a valid email address. Agent eligibility and later changes belong in the registered-agent survey.

Management and owner disclosure

Section 14-11-204(b) allows, but does not require, the articles to state that management is vested in one or more managers. The formation provisions do not require the articles or supplemental submission to name a manager, member, or owner or disclose an ownership percentage merely because of that role.

Optional and restricted provisions

Under § 14-11-204(b), the articles may state manager-management and any other provision not inconsistent with law. A narrower purpose may also be placed in the articles under § 14-11-201(b).

Filing method, fee, and attachments

Georgia accepts online, mailed, and in-person filings. O.C.G.A. § 14-11-1101(a) sets a $100 articles fee. The Georgia.gov page last updated in June 2026 lists $100 online and $110 by mail or in person, reflecting the $10 paper service charge.

For paper filing, submit the articles or Form CD 030 with the mandatory Transmittal Information Form CD 231. Section 14-11-206(a) calls for a signed original and one exact or conformed copy; an electronically transmitted filing may use the electronic version of the signer's name.

Formation and effective date

The LLC forms when its articles become effective under § 14-11-203(c). O.C.G.A. § 14-11-206(e)-(f) makes an accepted filing effective at its endorsed filing date and time unless the articles specify another time that day or a later date and time. A delayed date cannot be later than the 90th day after filing; if the date is stated without a time, effectiveness occurs at close of business on that date.

If the Secretary identifies a filing defect, bringing the filing into conformance within 30 days after notice preserves the original delivery time, subject to the delayed-date rules.

Publication and initial follow-up

Georgia's formation statutes and current filing procedure impose no newspaper or database publication or proof-of-publication filing on an ordinary LLC. No immediate initial report follows formation.

The first Annual Registration comes in the next calendar year. Under O.C.G.A. § 14-11-1103(a), (c), it is delivered between January 1 and April 1 of the year after formation; later registrations use the same annual window.

What trips people up

The articles and the formation submission have different minimums. Section 14-11-204 makes the articles themselves a name-only record, while § 14-11-203 requires organizer, registered-office, agent, and principal-office information to be supplied to the Secretary as part of forming the LLC.

Paper filing needs a transmittal form. Mailing only signed Form CD 030 omits CD 231 and the paper service charge. The current official filing page lists the paper total as $110.

A timely correction can preserve the delivery date. Section 14-11-206(d) provides a 30-day correction route after notice of nonconformance. The rule does not turn an incomplete filing into an approved LLC; it determines the filing time once the Secretary finds the corrected document conforms.

Common questions

Must the articles list every organizer? The articles' statutory minimum is the LLC name, but § 14-11-203(a) requires every organizer's name and address to be supplied with the formation submission.

What happens if I choose a delayed date but omit the time? Under § 14-11-206(f), the articles take effect at close of business on the stated date, which must fall within the 90-day limit.

Is the first Annual Registration due immediately? No. Section 14-11-1103(c) places the first filing in the January 1–April 1 window of the calendar year after formation.

Statutes and sources

• O.C.G.A. §§ 14-11-201 and 14-11-203–14-11-204 — lawful-purpose default, organizers, supplemental formation information, formation event, and article contents. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unicourt/cic-code-ga/master/transforms/ga/ocga/r86/gov.ga.ocga.title.14.html (accessed 2026-07-29)
• O.C.G.A. §§ 14-11-205–14-11-207 — signer identity and capacity, attorney-in-fact, filing and correction mechanics, 90-day delayed date, and LLC name rules. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unicourt/cic-code-ga/master/transforms/ga/ocga/r86/gov.ga.ocga.title.14.html (accessed 2026-07-29)
• O.C.G.A. §§ 14-11-1101 and 14-11-1103 — statutory articles fee and first Annual Registration window. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unicourt/cic-code-ga/master/transforms/ga/ocga/r86/gov.ga.ocga.title.14.html (accessed 2026-07-29)
• Georgia Secretary of State, Filing Procedures for Forming a Georgia LLC — signer choices, capacity, no notarization, paper transmittal, and effective date. https://sos.ga.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/corp-filing_procedure-limited_liability_company.pdf (accessed 2026-07-29)
• Georgia.gov, Register an LLC with Georgia Secretary of State — current submission checklist, online/mail/in-person routes, fees, and annual filing. https://georgia.gov/register-llc (accessed 2026-07-29)