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Wyoming was the first state to enact a law allowing the formation of limited liability companies.

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For more information on the limited liability laws and filing requirements of a particular state, please click on the appropriate link below.




How to form a

California Limited Liability Company


This website is provided by David K. Staub, an Illinois business attorney and frequent writer and speaker on limited liability companies. The site is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information which is presented here is intended to make limited liability companies easier to understand, but weighing the tax, liability and operations issues requires a thorough understanding of the applicable law and cases. Anyone contemplating forming a limited liability company is urged to obtain proper legal advice.

Organizing a California LLC

A California limited liability company is formed by filing Articles of Organization with the California Secretary of State and paying a fee of $70.

California Secretary of State

Physical Address:
Secretary of State
Document Filing Support Unit
1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor
Sacramento, CA

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 944228
Sacramento, CA 94244-2280

Telephone: 916-657-5448

Website: www.ss.ca.gov/business/business.htm

Check name availability: http://kepler.ss.ca.gov/list.html

California LLC Statute: Cal. Corp. Code § 17000 et seq.

Fee for filing Articles of Organization for a California LLC: $70

Limited Liability Companies (LLC)
FEES ADDED/REVISED
FORMATION/REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS:
1. Articles of Organization (LLC-1) (Domestic LLC) $  70.00 04/2007  (Fill-in)
2. Application for Registration as a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC-5) ( Foreign LLC) $  70.00 04/2007  (Fill-in)
AMENDMENT DOCUMENTS:
3. Certificate of Amendment (Articles of Organization) (LLC-2) (Domestic LLC)

$  30.00

03/2005  (Fill-in)
4. Restated Articles of Organization (LLC-10) (Domestic LLC)
$  30.00
03/2005  (Fill-in)
5. Certificate of Correction (LLC-11) (Domestic or Foreign LLC)
$  30.00
10/2006  (Fill-in)
6. Certificate of Amendment to the Application for Registration (LLC-6) (Foreign LLC)
$  30.00
03/2005  (Fill-in)
INITIAL/BIENNIAL STATEMENTS:
7. Statement of Information - Limited Liability Company (LLC-12) (Domestic or Foreign) - complete
$  20.00
03/2007  (Fill-in)
8. Statement of Information - Limited Liability Company (LLC-12R) (Domestic or Foreign) - no change
$  20.00
03/2007  (Fill-in)
9. Amended statements - submission of a statement (LLC-12 or LLC-12R) between the applicable filing period to report a change of information
- NO FEE-
-
TERMINATION DOCUMENTS:
10. Certificate of Dissolution (LLC-3) (Domestic LLC)
- NO FEE-
09/2006  (Fill-in)
11. Certificate of Cancellation (LLC-4/7) (Domestic or Foreign LLC)
- NO FEE-
09/2006  (Fill-in)
12. Short Form Certificate of Cancellation (LLC-4/8) (Domestic LLC)
- NO FEE-
09/2006  (Fill-in)
13. Certificate of Continuation (LLC-8) (Domestic LLC)
$  30.00
03/2005
MERGER DOCUMENTS:
14. Limited Liability Company Mergers (OBE MERGER-1) - merger between limited liability companies ONLY
$  70.00
09/2006  (Fill-in)
15. Interspecies Mergers (OBE MERGER-1) - merger between limited liability companies and other business entities
$150.00
09/2006  (Fill-in)
CONVERSION DOCUMENTS:
16.

Articles of Organization - Conversion (LLC-1A) - conversion to a domestic limited liability company from a domestic stock corporation

$150.00

04/2007  (Fill-in)
17. Articles of Organization - Conversion (LLC-1A) - conversion to a domestic limited liability company from a domestic limited partnership, domestic general partnership, foreign limited liability company or foreign other business entity)
$  70.00
04/2007  (Fill-in)
18. Articles of Incorporation with Statement of Conversion - conversion from a domestic limited liability company to a domestic stock corporation
$150.00
06/2005
19. Articles of Incorporation with Statement of Conversion - conversion from a foreign limited liability company to a domestic stock corporation
$150.00
06/2005
20. Certificate of Limited Partnership - Conversion (LP-1A) - conversion from a domestic or foreign limited liablity company to a domestic limited partnership
$  70.00
06/2005  (Fill-in)
21. Statement of Partnership Authority - Conversion (GP-1A) - conversion from a domestic or foreign limited liability company to a registered domestic general partnership
$  70.00
06/2005  (Fill-in)
22. Certificate of Conversion (CONV-1A) - conversion from a domestic limited liability company to a domestic general partnership or foreign entity (not registering)
$  30.00
06/2005  (Fill-in)
23. Certificate of Conversion (CONV-1A) - conversion from a registered foreign limited liability company to a domestic general partnership (not registering)
$  30.00
06/2005  (Fill-in)
OTHER DOCUMENTS:
24. Resignation of Agent For Service of Process (RA-100) (Domestic or Foreign LLC)
- NO FEE-
10/2006  (Fill-in)
25. Substituted Service of Process on a Limited Liability Company (for each LLC named)
$  50.00
-
RESERVATION OF LLC NAME:
26.

Name Reservation Request Form (Domestic or Foreign LLC)

$  10.00
07/2005  (Fill-in)
Name Availability (general information)
RECORDS REQUESTS (for copies of filed documents, status information and/or certificates):
27.

Business Entities Records Order Form ***Please refer to the form for ordering information and fees.

***
07/2006   (Fill-in)
SPECIAL HANDLING FEES (for over-the-counter processing):
28.

Filing an LLC document (other than Form LLC-12 or LLC-12R)

$  15.00
-

Reserving an LLC name (per name reserved)

$  10.00
-

Request for copies of filed documents and/or certificates (per entity)

$  10.00
-
Special Handling (general information)
PRECLEARANCE AND EXPEDITED FILING SERVICES (for over-the-counter processing of eligible documents within a guaranteed time frame):
29.

Preclearance and Expedited Filing Services (detailed information regarding these services)

ONLINE SERVICE:

30.

California Business Search - Allows you to view an LLC's complete name, file (LLC) number, date filed (i.e., the date organized, registered or converted), status, jurisdiction, address, and agent for service of process.