How to Register an LLC in North Dakota (2026): Fee and Steps

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The articles of organization prepared and filed for you, the state fee shown on its own line before you pay, and the approved copy emailed.

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at america-llc-filing.com, or start on Standard Filings

What registering an LLC in North Dakota means

North Dakota keeps the register of companies formed under its law. Your LLC is on it the moment the North Dakota Secretary of State files Articles of Organization. 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota the act is one document, Articles of Organization, and one fee, $135. The step-by-step for everything around it, from the operating agreement to the bank account, is in how to start an LLC in North Dakota; this page is about the registration itself.

Registration document

North Dakota: Articles of Organization

Filed with

North Dakota: The North Dakota Secretary of State (firststop.sos.nd.gov)

State fee

North Dakota: $135

Registered agent

North Dakota: Required; North Dakota street address

Published processing time

North Dakota: Not published by the state

State expedite

North Dakota: None offered

Recurring state report

North Dakota: $50/year, due november 15

North Dakota LLC registration at a glance
Item	North Dakota
Registration document	Articles of Organization
Filed with	The North Dakota Secretary of State (firststop.sos.nd.gov)
State fee	$135
Registered agent	Required; North Dakota street address
Published processing time	Not published by the state
State expedite	None offered
Recurring state report	$50/year, due november 15

What it costs to register an LLC in North Dakota

The filing fee is set by North Dakota and is the same whether you file it yourself or a service files it for you. North Dakota charges $135 for the Articles of Organization.

Articles of Organization filing fee

Amount: $135
Notes: Paid once, to the state

Expedited review

Amount: None offered

Recurring annual report

Amount: $50/year
Notes: Due november 15

Late penalty on the report

Amount: $50, added by the state to a late report.

North Dakota LLC registration fees, 2026
Fee	Amount	Notes
Articles of Organization filing fee	$135	Paid once, to the state
Expedited review	None offered
Recurring annual report	$50/year	Due november 15
Late penalty on the report	$50, added by the state to a late report.

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices. Yearly costs, the five-year total and how North Dakota compares are in North Dakota LLC cost.

Step 1: Confirm North Dakota is the state to register in

Register where the company will actually operate. An LLC that does business in North Dakota but registers elsewhere has to register in North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota

North Dakota requires a name distinguishable from every company on its records, with an LLC designator. Search the state's business records at firststop.sos.nd.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 North Dakota registered agent

North Dakota requires a registered agent with a North Dakota street address, available in business hours. On the filing: No separate signature: N.D.C.C. 10-01.1 - appointment 'is an affirmation by the represented entity that the agent has consented to serve'. Agent named without consent can have itself removed.

Who may serve, whether the agent signs, and what becomes public: North Dakota registered agent requirements.

Step 4: Prepare Articles of Organization

The North Dakota form asks for the company name with its LLC designator, the registered agent and its North Dakota street address, the principal or mailing address, and the organizer who signs. 'One or more individuals of the age of eighteen years or more or other persons may act as organizers' - an entity (filing service) may be organizer. Everything on it becomes a public record; what North Dakota 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 and pay the $135 fee

Filed with the North Dakota Secretary of State (firststop.sos.nd.gov). The state fee is $135, paid once. North Dakota does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file.

North Dakota takes the filing from the public at firststop.sos.nd.gov. Ready to file? The Articles of Organization prepared and filed for you, with the state fee on its own line: form your North Dakota LLC at america-llc-filing.com.

Step 6: Complete the North Dakota registrations that follow

One registration follows in North Dakota: (1) Annual report. 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 North Dakota

Everything on Articles of Organization is a public record once North Dakota files it; anyone can pull it from the state's business search. On the North Dakota filing: Name and address of each organizer; principal executive office address. No members/managers required.

'One or more individuals of the age of eighteen years or more or other persons may act as organizers' - an entity (filing service) may be organizer. The operating agreement, the ownership split and the tax election are not filed with North Dakota and stay private. Do you need an operating agreement?

How long North Dakota takes to register an LLC

North Dakota does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file. North Dakota offers no paid expedite for this filing. 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.

Ready to register your North Dakota LLC?

Name checked, Articles of Organization prepared and filed with North Dakota, the $135 state fee on its own line, approved copy emailed.

File your North Dakota LLC →

After registration in North Dakota

The state registration is the first of several. These are the ones North Dakota owners run into, in the order they usually come up.

Annual report. Due november 15, starting the calendar year after the year of registration. Cost: $50 (late fee applies).
Federal tax number (EIN). Issued by the IRS after the state registration, at no charge; the bank asks for it. How to get one: North Dakota EIN number.
Operating agreement. Not filed with North Dakota, 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 North Dakota report at america-llc-filing.com, or the North Dakota LLC annual report page has the due date, fee, late penalty and portal.

Sources

The North Dakota 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 North Dakota's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.

North Dakota LLC registration FAQ

How much does it cost to register an LLC in North Dakota?+

North Dakota charges $135 to file the Articles of Organization, paid once to the state and the same whether you file yourself or use a service. After that, the recurring requirement is $50/year, due November 15. State fees verified October 2026; the full picture is in North Dakota LLC cost.

Where do I register an LLC in North Dakota?+

With the North Dakota Secretary of State (firststop.sos.nd.gov). 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 North Dakota take to register an LLC?+

Do I need a North Dakota registered agent?+

Yes. North Dakota requires a registered agent with a North Dakota street address, available in business hours. On the filing: No separate signature: N.D.C.C. 10-01.1 - appointment 'is an affirmation by the represented entity that the agent has consented to serve'. Agent named without consent can have itself removed. Who may serve and what becomes public is in North Dakota registered agent requirements.

Can I register a North Dakota LLC from out of state?+

Yes. North Dakota takes filings from anyone, but the registered agent must have a North Dakota street address, so an out-of-state owner names a North Dakota 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 North Dakota every year?+

North Dakota's recurring requirement: $50/year, due November 15. Late: $50, added by the state to a late report.