How to Start an LLC
in Arizona

Step 1: Complete an Arizona LLC Search and Choose a Unique Business Name

You'll need a distinctive and original name for your LLC that’s not used by any other business in the state. If you’re having trouble coming up with a name, try using Bizee’s Business Name Generator to brainstorm ideas. You must follow a few naming rules, which you can read about in detail on our Arizona Business Names page.

Once you’ve chosen a name, you must make sure it’s available in Arizona. To find out whether another company is using your chosen business name, use our tool to do a business name search. You can also carry out a name search on the AZ eCorp website.

Step 2: Provide an Official Business Address for your LLC

Whether it’s an office building, a home (if the company is run from a residence) or any other physical location, every LLC in Arizona must have a designated street address. It can be outside the state, but it cannot be a P.O. Box.

To make it easier, consider using a virtual mailbox as your business address. Bizee can provide you with an Arizona virtual mailbox. We'll receive mail on your behalf and scan it for you to access online. This can be especially helpful if you run a home-based business and you want to prevent your home address from being published as part of your business public record.

Step 3: Assign a Registered Agent

A Registered Agent is an official position of someone who receives official legal and tax correspondence and has responsibility for filing reports with the ACC. In Arizona, this is called a Statutory Agent; we use the terms interchangeably. Every Arizona LLC is required to have a Registered Agent.

This position can be filled by you, another manager in your business or a dedicated Registered Agent service. If your Arizona Registered Agent is a person, they must have a physical street address in Arizona and must be present during business hours to receive important documents on behalf of your company. In Arizona, you appoint your Statutory Agent when you file your Articles of Organization and formally create your business.

All of Bizee’s packages include Registered Agent service. It’s free for the first year and just $119 per year after that. You can also log in to our dashboard and easily view any document your Registered Agent has received on your behalf.

Step 4: File Your Articles of Organization With the Arizona Corporation Commission

Once you've gathered all the information for your Arizona LLC, you’ll need to file a form with the Arizona Corporation Commission to create your Articles of Organization. Filing it officially creates your LLC.

You can file your Arizona Articles of Organization online through Arizona eCorp, mail a form to the Arizona Corporation Commission or have Bizee do it on your behalf.

You only need to file your Arizona Articles of Organization once, and the state doesn’t require you to file an annual report. The state does, however, require you to publish a notice of your LLC formation in an approved newspaper. Even if you opt for an Bizee package, you’ll need to do this step yourself.

What are the fees and requirements to form a business in Arizona?

*includes online processing fees

Annual Report

Step 5: Complete the Arizona LLC Publication Requirement

Arizona requires new LLCs to publish a Notice of LLC Formation in a newspaper. The notice must be published:

• for three consecutive weeks;
• within 60 days of formation;
• in a newspaper approved by the Arizona Corporations Commission; and
• in a newspaper circulated in the county where the LLC’s principal office will be located.

You must include the following information in your notice:

• your LLC's name
• the name and street address of your Statutory Agent in Arizona
• the address of the LLC's principal place of business (if different from that of the Statutory Agent)
• whether your LLC is member-managed or manager-managed
• the name(s) and address(es) of either the manager or each member of your LLC

You'll need to pay a fee to the newspaper for this service. Once this is complete, you’ll need to file an affidavit with the commission, proving publication.

Note: If you form your business in Maricopa or Pima county, you'll be exempt from this requirement. Instead, the Arizona Corporation Commission will publish your notice on their website.

Important: Bizee can file your LLC formation paperwork, but we do not fulfill the newspaper notice publication requirement. You'll need to manage that to comply with the law.

Step 6: Get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) From the Internal Revenue Service

You'll need an EIN to identify your business to the IRS. You use this number when filing and paying taxes or when submitting payroll information and payments for your employees. An EIN is also required to open a business bank account. You can obtain one directly from the IRS, or Bizee can get one for you as part of the Arizona LLC formation process.

Step 7: Create an Operating Agreement

A kind of "instruction manual" that explains how you'll run your business, an LLC Operating Agreement details how decisions will be made, how the business is divided among members and what will happen if a member leaves the company.

Some states require that a company have an Operating Agreement in place. It isn’t legally required in Arizona, but it’s a good idea to have one nonetheless.

Other Arizona LLC Types

Professional LLC

Some states, including Arizona, allow certain types of businesses to form Professional Limited Liability Companies (PLLCs). An Arizona Professional LLC will typically require members to be licensed, and impose other specialized requirements as well.

Aside from the capabilities an Arizona PLLC offers, a standard LLC may also be formed to provide professional services, such as the practice of medicine or law, if all the members are licensed.

Learn more about PLLC vs. LLC and which is right for your business.

Foreign LLC

If your business is already operating in another state and expanding to Arizona—or vice versa—you’ll need to form a Foreign LLC.

Learn more about Arizona Foreign LLC registration.

Helpful Resources from the State of Arizona

More Information in This Guide