Start your California LLC
Our service fee and the California filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Start your California LLCWhat's included
- Name availability check before we file
- Articles of Organization prepared and filed with California
- Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
- Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
- California's after-formation deadlines in writing
- A real person by email
What registering an LLC in California means
California keeps the register of companies formed under its law. Your LLC is on it the moment the California Secretary of State files Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1). From that day the company can open a bank account, sign contracts and be sued in its own name rather than yours. The registration does not include a federal tax number, a California tax account or a local business license; those come after and are separate registrations with other offices.
People use "register", "form" and "file" for the same act. In California the act is one document, Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1), and one fee, $70. The step-by-step for everything around it, from the operating agreement to the bank account, is in how to start an LLC in California; this page is about the registration itself.
- California
- Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1)
- California
- The California Secretary of State, online through bizfile Online
- California
- $70
- California
- Required; California street address
- California
- Varies; California posts current processing dates at sos.ca.gov.
- California
- 24-hour $350 or same-day $750 (online or drop-off); 4-hour $500 at the Sacramento counter only.
- California
- $800/year franchise tax + $20 report every 2 years, due statement of Information: anniversary month (biennial); $800 tax: 15th day of the 4th month
What it costs to register an LLC in California
The filing fee is set by California and is the same whether you file it yourself or a service files it for you. California charges $70 for the Articles of Organization.
- Amount
- $70
- Notes
- Paid once, to the state
- Amount
- 24-hour $350 or same-day $750 (online or drop-off); 4-hour $500 at the Sacramento counter only.
- Notes
- Optional, set by the state
- Amount
- $800/year franchise tax + $20 report every 2 years
- Notes
- Due statement of Information: anniversary month (biennial); $800 tax: 15th day of the 4th month
- Amount
- No flat late fee published; a missed report still risks loss of good standing.
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices. Yearly costs, the five-year total and how California compares are in California LLC cost.
Step 1: Confirm California is the state to register in
Register where the company will actually operate. An LLC that does business in California but registers elsewhere has to register in California anyway, as a foreign LLC, and pay two states.
Wyoming, Delaware and Nevada come up because of privacy, case law or taxes. They make sense for a holding company or a business with no fixed location. A company that operates in California and registers somewhere else ends up registered in both. The comparison is in cheapest states to form an LLC.
Step 2: Clear the name with California
California requires a name distinguishable from every company on its records, with an LLC designator. Search the state's business records at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov before you file.
Rules on designators, restricted words and the distinguishability test are in LLC name rules. A rejection for a name conflict costs days and, in some states, a second fee.
Step 3: Name a California registered agent
California requires a registered agent with a California street address, available in business hours. On the filing: No signature on LLC-1. A 1505 corporate agent's advance approval is required (Secretary of State FAQ). Serving yourself: An individual CA resident (e.g. A member) can serve. The entity itself cannot.
Who may serve, whether the agent signs, and what becomes public: California registered agent requirements.
Step 4: Prepare Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1)
The California form asks for the company name with its LLC designator, the registered agent and its California street address, the principal or mailing address, and the organizer who signs. LLC-1 is signed by an organizer 'authorized by California law to sign'. A filing service can act as organizer. Everything on it becomes a public record; what California shows is listed below.
The document itself, and what every state's version asks for, is explained in articles of organization.
Step 5: File Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) and pay the $70 fee
Filed with the California Secretary of State, online through bizfile Online. The state fee is $70, paid once. California publishes this guidance on processing: Varies; California posts current processing dates at sos.ca.gov.
Faster review: 24-hour $350 or same-day $750 (online or drop-off); 4-hour $500 at the Sacramento counter only.
California takes the filing from the public at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov. Ready to file? The Articles of Organization prepared and filed for you, with the state fee on its own line: form your California LLC at america-llc-filing.com, or start on Standard Filings.
Step 6: Complete the California registrations that follow
3 registrations follow in California: (1) Statement of Information (Form LLC-12); (2) Franchise Tax Board annual LLC tax; (3) City business license. Then the federal tax number and the operating agreement.
The order and the deadlines are in what to do after forming an LLC. The recurring state report is the one owners forget.
What becomes public when you register in California
Everything on Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) is a public record once California files it; anyone can pull it from the state's business search. On the California filing: Organizer name and signature only. Managers and members first appear on the Statement of Information.
LLC-1 is signed by an organizer 'authorized by California law to sign'. A filing service can act as organizer. The operating agreement, the ownership split and the tax election are not filed with California and stay private. Do you need an operating agreement?
How long California takes to register an LLC
California publishes this guidance on processing: Varies; California posts current processing dates at sos.ca.gov. Paid faster review is offered: 24-hour $350 or same-day $750 (online or drop-off); 4-hour $500 at the Sacramento counter only. The figures are the state's own and move with its workload; a rejection for a name conflict or a missing agent consent restarts the clock. Every state's published time is in how long it takes to form an LLC.
Register your California LLC, filed for you
Our service fee and the California filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay. Name checked, Articles of Organization prepared and submitted, approved copy emailed.
After registration in California
The state registration is the first of several. These are the ones California owners run into, in the order they usually come up.
- Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) Due within 90 days of registration, then every two years. $20. This is where the members or managers are listed; the articles do not ask for them.
- Franchise Tax Board annual LLC tax. $800 a year, first payment due by the 15th day of the fourth month after registration. It applies whether or not the company has income.
- City business license. Nearly every California city requires a business license or tax certificate for a company operating there.
- Federal tax number (EIN). Issued by the IRS after the state registration, at no charge; the bank asks for it. How to get one: California EIN number.
- Operating agreement. Not filed with California, but the document that says who owns the company and who can sign for it.
The recurring report is where most companies lose good standing. When it is due, file the California report at america-llc-filing.com, or the California LLC annual report page has the due date, fee, late penalty and portal.
Before you file in California
From California's published forms and filing instructions:
- A corporate registered agent in California must hold a 1505 certificate and approve the appointment in advance. Listing one without that approval is a rejection.
- A corporate agent must be a registered 1505 agent, given by name only.
Sources
The California facts on this page come from the state's own forms, fee schedules and statutes, read for the October 2026 fee audit. Fees change; the state's page is the final word.
Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from California's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.
California LLC registration FAQ
How much does it cost to register an LLC in California?+
California charges $70, paid once. If you have us file it, our service fee and the California filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay. Full breakdown: California LLC cost.
Where do I register an LLC in California?+
With the California Secretary of State, online through bizfile Online. That is the only office that creates the company. Tax accounts, the registrations listed above and local licenses are registered separately afterwards.
How long does California take to register an LLC?+
California publishes this guidance on processing: Varies; California posts current processing dates at sos.ca.gov. Paid faster review is offered: 24-hour $350 or same-day $750 (online or drop-off); 4-hour $500 at the Sacramento counter only. We submit standard orders within three business days, or the same day with same-day submission.
Do I need a California registered agent?+
Yes. California requires a registered agent with a California street address, available in business hours. On the filing: No signature on LLC-1. A 1505 corporate agent's advance approval is required (Secretary of State FAQ). Serving yourself: An individual CA resident (e.g. A member) can serve. The entity itself cannot. Who may serve and what becomes public is in California registered agent requirements.
Can I register a California LLC from out of state?+
Yes. California takes filings from anyone, but the registered agent must have a California street address, so an out-of-state owner names a California resident or a registered agent company. If the company does business where you live, it registers there too, as a foreign LLC.
What do I file in California every year?+
California's recurring requirement: $800/year franchise tax + $20 report every 2 years, due Statement of Information: anniversary month (biennial); $800 tax: 15th day of the 4th month. Late: No flat late fee published; a missed report still risks loss of good standing. Also recurring: Statement of Information; Franchise Tax Board annual LLC tax; Form 568 return each year, plus the LLC fee once California income reaches $250,000 (estimated on Form FTB 3536).
More on California
Register in a nearby state