How to File California's Articles of Organization
What goes on California's Articles of Organization, what is filed with it and what it costs, read from California government sources.
The short answer. To form an LLC in California, you file the Articles of Organization with the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division. The state filing fee is $70. Of the 15 items this page tracks, the form requires 5, asks for 3 only in some cases and leaves out 2, and 5 are not checked yet.
The California Articles of Organization at a Glance
| What California calls it | Articles of Organization |
| State filing fee | $70 Plus $20 for the Initial Statement of Information and $800 for the First-year annual LLC tax payment to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522) |
| Processing time | Live queue - no fixed turnaround |
| Where to file | California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division |
| File online | Yes, online, open the filing portal |
| Blank form | Not linked here |
| Law that sets its contents | Cal. Corp. Code 17702.01 |
| Filed with it or right after | 2 filings, listed below |
Read from a California government source, last checked September 23, 2026. The filing fee and processing time come from our California cost record. See the sources.
What Goes on California's Articles of Organization
Each row is one of the 15 items this page tracks, with what California's Articles of Organization asks for. "Not on the form" means we checked and found no place for it on the Articles of Organization. "Not checked" means we have not confirmed it either way.
| Item | On the form |
|---|---|
| LLC name | Required |
| Registered agent's name | Required |
| Registered office address | Only when the agent for service of process is an individual. A registered corporate agent is listed by name only. |
| Principal office address | Required |
| Mailing address | Only when the LLC's mailing address is different from its principal office street address. |
| Organizer's name | Required |
| Members' names | Not checked |
| Managers' names | Not checked |
| Member-managed or manager-managed | Only in some cases. A statement is required when the LLC will be managed by one or more managers, including whether it has only one manager. |
| Business purpose | Required |
| Duration | Not on the form |
| Effective date | Not on the form |
| County | Not checked |
| Email address | Not checked |
| Registered agent's consent | Not checked |
These entries are confirmed public record: LLC name, registered agent's name, registered office address, principal office address, mailing address, organizer's name, member-managed or manager-managed and business purpose.
The registered agent rows are covered in more depth in California's registered agent requirements, and the steps before and after this filing are in how to start an LLC in California.
What the LLC's Name Must Include
The LLC's name must include one of these: "Limited Liability Company", "Ltd. Liability Company", "Limited Liability Co.", "Ltd. Liability Co.", "L.L.C." or "LLC".
Rule: Cal. Corp. Code 17701.08(a).
File These With It or Right After
California has 2 more filings that go with it or follow it.
| Filing | Required? | When |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Statement of Information | Required | Due within 90 days after the Articles of Organization are filed, then every two years |
| First-year annual LLC tax payment to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522) | Required | Due by the 15th day of the 4th month after the Articles of Organization are filed |
Draft Your Articles of Organization
The generator below starts with California selected and drafts the document from what you enter. Use the draft to prepare your answers for the online filing.
MyStateLLC.com is not a law firm, not an attorney, and not a document preparation service. This is a self-service tool: it formats information you enter into a state template, and no one at MyStateLLC reviews, corrects, or files it for you. This tool and the document it generates are informational and are not legal, financial, or tax advice, and are not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney. MyStateLLC cannot give legal advice, does not prepare or file documents itself, and communications with MyStateLLC are not privileged. Using this tool does not create an attorney-client relationship. LLC laws vary by state and this document is not reviewed by anyone before you file it. Consult a licensed attorney or CPA in your state before you sign or file it.
Where are you forming your LLC?
After It Is Approved
| Certified copy of the filed Articles of Organization | $5 |
| Changing it later (Certificate of Amendment) | $30 |
Where these fees come from: the sources.
Professional LLCs in California
In California, an LLC cannot be formed to provide the professional services that state law reserves for professional corporations.
Worth Knowing in California
California does not allow an LLC to provide the licensed professional services that state law reserves for professional corporations. The purpose statement California's articles must contain is fixed wording set by statute (that the LLC may engage in any lawful act or activity), not a description of the business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CORP§ionNum=17702.01Cal. Corp. Code 17702.01, Articles of organization (also read 17701.04, 17701.08, 17701.13, 17702.02, 17702.05, 17702.09)
- sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/forms/limited-liability-companies-california-domesticLimited Liability Companies, California (Domestic): forms, samples and fees
- sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/filing-tipsCalifornia SOS Filing Tips
- ftb.ca.gov/file/business/types/limited-liability-company/index.htmlFranchise Tax Board, Limited liability company
- bizfileonline.sos.ca.govbizfile Online
The rows and fees on this page were read from the California government sources above, not from a formation service, and anything we could not confirm there is marked Not checked. See our editorial policy for how these are verified and corrected.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's filing office publishes about the document that forms an LLC, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own filing needs: fees and forms change between our reviews, several occupations cannot use an ordinary LLC at all and must use a professional entity or a separate professional form, and your city or county may require a registration of its own. Confirm the current fee and form with the filing office named on this page before you send anything.
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.