Domestic LLC Formation Filing Requirements in Indiana
At a glance
| Governing law and filing record | Indiana Business Flexibility Act plus Uniform Business Organizations Administrative Provisions Act; Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State (IC 23-18-2-4; 23-0.5-2) |
|---|---|
| Organizer and signature | At least one person organizes; organizer need not be a member before or after formation. Authorized signer states name/capacity; current form signs and verifies under perjury penalties (IC 23-18-2-4(a); 23-0.5-2-1(a)(4)-(5)) |
| Required entity and purpose terms | LLC name with required designator; perpetual duration or latest dissolution date. Any business, personal, nonprofit, or lawful purpose allowed; no purpose clause required unless narrowing it (IC 23-0.5-3-2(d); 23-18-2-1, -4(b)) |
| Addresses and service fields | Current form requires principal-office address or remote-business contact option with Form 9900382; commercial agent name only, or noncommercial agent name + Indiana street address; agent email optional (IC 23-18-2-4(b)(2); Form 49459) |
| Management and owner disclosure | State whether managers will manage; no manager, member, or owner names required. Optional single-member indicator on current form (IC 23-18-2-4(b)(4); Form 49459) |
| Optional and restricted provisions | Other matters members agree to include are allowed if consistent with the Act, including matters permitted in an operating agreement; articles may narrow purpose or set latest dissolution date (IC 23-18-2-1, -4(b)(3), (5)) |
| Filing method, fee, and attachments | $75 electronic through INBiz; $100 paper by mail/hand. Paper form permits attachments; remote-business contact option requires Form 9900382. No other ordinary-LLC attachment listed (IC 23-0.5-2-1; 23-0.5-9-19; Form 49459, July 29, 2026) |
| Formation and effective date | Effective on filing, later filing-day time, or delayed date/time up to 90 days; date-only takes effect 12:01 a.m. Pre-effective record may be withdrawn under all-signer/agreement rule (IC 23-0.5-2-3 to -4) |
| Publication and initial follow-up | No newspaper/database publication, proof filing, or separate initial report; later biennial reports are recurring maintenance filings |
Requirements one by one
Governing law and filing record
Indiana uses Articles of Organization under the Indiana Business Flexibility Act, with the common filing rules in IC 23-0.5. At least one organizer causes the articles to be executed and filed with the Secretary of State.
Organizer and signature
The organizer need not be a member at formation or afterward. IC 23-0.5-2-1 permits an authorized person to sign but requires the individual's name and capacity. Current Form 49459 adds a signature, printed name, title, date, and a verification under the penalties of perjury.
Required entity and purpose terms
The name must contain “limited liability company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC.” The articles state either perpetual duration or the latest dissolution date.
Indiana permits an LLC to organize for any business, personal, or nonprofit purpose and conduct any lawful business unless its articles state a narrower purpose. An ordinary filing therefore needs no general purpose clause.
Addresses and service fields
The current form adds the principal-office address to the statutory registered- office field. If all business is remote from a governing person's residence, the filer may use the contact-address option and attach State Form 9900382.
For a commercial registered agent, the articles list the agent name only. For a noncommercial agent, they list the name and Indiana street address. The agent's electronic-service email is optional, and the signatory represents that the agent consented.
Management and owner disclosure
The articles state whether the LLC will be managed by one or more managers. If the answer is no, the filing does not list the members. Manager names, member names, and beneficial-owner names are not required in ordinary articles.
State Form 49459 offers an optional single-member checkbox, but that does not turn the articles into an owner list.
Optional and restricted provisions
IC 23-18-2-4(b)(5) permits other matters the members agree to include if they are consistent with the Act, including provisions that could appear in an operating agreement. The articles may also narrow the purpose or choose a latest dissolution date.
Filing method, fee, and attachments
The statutory fee is $75 electronically through INBiz or $100 by paper. The current paper form is submitted by mail or hand delivery and permits letter-size attachments. Only the remote-business contact-address election requires Form 9900382 for an ordinary filing.
Formation and effective date
The filing normally takes effect on the date and time the Secretary files it. It may state a later time that same day or a delayed date and time no more than 90 days after filing. A date without a time takes effect at 12:01 a.m.
Before a delayed filing takes effect, it may be withdrawn. The withdrawal is signed by all original signers unless they agreed otherwise.
Publication and initial follow-up
Indiana's formation statute, common filing rules, and current Articles form require no newspaper or database publication, no proof filing, and no separate initial report for an ordinary LLC. The later biennial report is a recurring maintenance filing covered separately.
What trips people up
The statutory articles are minimal, but the current form adds a principal office. The registered office is the agent location; the principal office is the company's own address or the permitted remote-business contact address.
Commercial and noncommercial agents use different fields. A listed commercial agent is named without repeating an address. A noncommercial agent needs the Indiana street address and the consent representation.
Paper and electronic fees differ. The current paper form correctly prints $100, while IC 23-0.5-9-19 sets the INBiz electronic filing at $75.
Common questions
Must the organizer own the LLC? No. IC 23-18-2-4 expressly says the person need not be a member before or after formation.
Must Indiana articles name the managers? No. They state whether managers will manage, but do not require their names.
Can a home-based remote business keep the residence off the public principal- office line? The current form offers a contact-address option when all business is conducted remotely from a governing person's residence, but it requires State Form 9900382.
Statutes and sources
- IC 23-18-2-1 and IC 23-18-2-4 — purpose, organizer, required articles, duration, management statement, and optional provisions. https://iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_23/Article_18/Chapter_2.pdf (accessed 2026-07-29)
- IC 23-0.5-2-1, -3, and -4 — delivery, signature, effective time, delayed date, and pre-effective withdrawal. https://iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_23/Article_0.5/Chapter_2.pdf (accessed 2026-07-29)
- IC 23-0.5-3-2(d), IC 23-0.5-4-3(d), and IC 23-0.5-9-19 — LLC designator, agent consent, and electronic/paper fees. https://iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_23/Article_0.5/Chapter_9.pdf (accessed 2026-07-29)
- Indiana Secretary of State, State Form 49459 (R12/01-26) — current public fields, remote-business attachment, agent options, paper fee, and execution. https://forms.in.gov/Download.aspx?id=16989 (accessed 2026-07-29)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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