Frequently Asked Questions About Forming a Louisiana LLC
Get answers to the most common questions about forming and maintaining an LLC in Louisiana — filing fees, registered agents, name searches, annual reports, and more.
Bizee Editorial Staff
Editorial Team
Introduction
Forming an LLC in Louisiana means filing Articles of Organization (Form 365) and an Initial Report (Form 973) together with the Louisiana Secretary of State, paying a $100 state fee, and appointing a registered agent. This FAQ covers the most common questions about formation, naming, fees, registered agents, and ongoing compliance requirements.
What you need to know about forming a Louisiana LLC
Louisiana has a few formation requirements that catch people off guard — most notably, the state won't accept your Articles of Organization without a completed Initial Report filed at the same time. Beyond that, the process follows a familiar path: choose a unique business name, appoint a registered agent with a physical Louisiana address, file your formation documents with the Secretary of State, and plan for an annual report each year on your LLC's anniversary date.
The questions below cover each of those steps in detail, along with answers to common questions about business names, entity types, registered agents, and what happens after your LLC is formed.
FAQ
It depends on your situation. Louisiana for-profit businesses can be formed as LLCs, S Corporations, or C Corporations. For most entrepreneurs starting out, an LLC offers a practical balance of personal liability protection and straightforward administration — without the formality that corporations require.
If you're weighing an S Corp or C Corp, a tax professional can help you figure out which structure fits your income goals and ownership plans.
To form an LLC in Louisiana, you need a unique business name, a completed Articles of Organization (Form 365), a completed Initial Report (Form 973), a registered agent with a physical Louisiana address, and the $100 state filing fee. Louisiana won't accept Form 365 without Form 973 filed at the same time — both documents are required together.
Before you file, it's worth writing an operating agreement and researching your business license requirements. After formation, set up a separate business bank account and get an accountant familiar with Louisiana tax rules.
To register an LLC in Louisiana, file Articles of Organization (Form 365) and the Initial Report (Form 973) together with the Louisiana Secretary of State and pay the $100 filing fee. You can file online through the geauxBIZ portal or by mailing the completed, notarized forms to the Secretary of State's Commercial Division at P.O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125.
If you file on paper — by mail, fax, or in person — the organizer's signature on Form 365 and the registered agent's signature on Form 973 must both be notarized. Online filings through geauxBIZ don't require notarization.
The geauxBIZ portal is the Louisiana Secretary of State's online filing system for business entities. Through it, you can form a new LLC, file your annual report, change your registered agent, file Articles of Amendment to update your business name, and search existing business filings. It's the fastest way to handle most Louisiana LLC filings without mailing paper forms.
Forming an LLC in Louisiana costs $100 in state filing fees, paid to the Louisiana Secretary of State. That covers both the Articles of Organization (Form 365) and the required Initial Report (Form 973). If you want to reserve your business name before filing, that costs an additional $25 and holds the name for 120 days.
After formation, plan for a $30 annual report fee each year to keep your LLC in good standing with the state.
Standard processing by the Louisiana Secretary of State generally takes up to a week after your Articles of Organization and Initial Report are received. If you need your LLC formed faster, expedited filing options are available for an additional fee — processing times vary depending on the option you choose.
You can't avoid the Louisiana state filing fee of $100 — that goes directly to the Secretary of State. But you can avoid paying extra for someone to prepare and file your documents. We file your Articles of Organization and Initial Report on your behalf at no charge, so you pay only the $100 state fee. Nothing more.
To check whether a business name is available in Louisiana, search the Secretary of State's Commercial Database at coraweb.sos.la.gov. Select "Search by Entity Name," enter your proposed LLC name, and review the results for identical or similar names already on file. Your LLC name needs to be distinct from existing registered entities in Louisiana.
To register a new LLC name in Louisiana, include it in your Articles of Organization when you file. To change your LLC's legal name after formation, file Articles of Amendment through the geauxBIZ portal with the Secretary of State — the filing fee is $100. To operate under a different name without changing your legal name, file an Application to Register Trade Name with the Secretary of State.
If you want to protect your business name across the U.S., trademark registration is a separate process handled at the federal level through the USPTO.
Yes. Louisiana requires every new LLC to file an Initial Report (Form 973) at the same time as the Articles of Organization. The Secretary of State won't accept Form 365 without Form 973 — they're filed together as a package. The Initial Report must list your registered agent and include that agent's signed affidavit confirming their appointment.
No. Louisiana has not passed legislation authorizing series LLCs. A series LLC is a structure where one parent LLC contains multiple individual series, each treated as a separate legal entity. Because Louisiana doesn't recognize this structure, you'd need to form separate LLCs if you want distinct legal entities for different business activities.
Yes. Every LLC registered in Louisiana must have a registered agent at all times. The registered agent must be an individual at least 18 years old with a physical street address in Louisiana — a P.O. box alone doesn't meet the requirement. The agent must be available at that address during normal business hours to receive legal documents and official state communications on behalf of your LLC.
To change your registered agent in Louisiana, file a Notice of Change with the Secretary of State through the geauxBIZ portal or by submitting the paper form. The change takes effect once the Secretary of State processes the filing. Your new agent must meet Louisiana's requirements: a physical street address in the state and availability during business hours.
Louisiana requires all LLCs to file an annual report each year to stay in good standing. The annual report is due on or before your LLC's anniversary date — the date the state approved your Articles of Organization. The filing fee is $30, and you can file online through the geauxBIZ system or by mailing a paper form to the Secretary of State.
Missing your anniversary date doesn't trigger immediate dissolution, but staying current keeps your LLC active and avoids complications with banks, contracts, or future filings.
In Louisiana, the formation document for an LLC is called Articles of Organization (Form 365). Some other states use the term "Articles of Incorporation" for the same type of document, but in Louisiana that term applies specifically to corporations. If you're forming an LLC, you file Articles of Organization — not Articles of Incorporation.
To start an S Corp in Louisiana, you first form a corporation by filing Articles of Incorporation with the Louisiana Secretary of State, then elect S Corporation tax status with the IRS by filing Form 2553. Alternatively, an existing LLC can elect S Corp tax treatment with the IRS without changing its state-level structure. A tax professional can help you figure out whether S Corp status makes sense for your income level and business goals.
