How to File North Carolina's Articles of Organization
What goes on North Carolina's Articles of Organization, what is filed with it and what it costs, read from North Carolina government sources.
The short answer. To form an LLC in North Carolina, you file the Articles of Organization with the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division. The state filing fee is $125. Of the 15 items this page tracks, the form requires 5, asks for 3 only in some cases, makes 4 optional and leaves out 3.
The North Carolina Articles of Organization at a Glance
| What North Carolina calls it | Articles of Organization (Form L-01) |
| State filing fee | $125 |
| Processing time | 15-20 business days |
| Where to file | North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division |
| File online | Yes, online, open the filing portal |
| Blank form | Download it from the state |
| Law that sets its contents | N.C.G.S. 57D-2-21 |
| Filed with it or right after | 1 filing, listed below |
Read from a North Carolina government source, last checked September 23, 2026. The filing fee and processing time come from our North Carolina cost record. See the sources.
What Goes on North Carolina's Articles of Organization
Each row is one of the 15 items this page tracks, with what North Carolina'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 | Required |
| Principal office address | Only when the LLC has a principal office, which is listed with its street address, county and telephone number. An LLC with none checks a box saying so. |
| Mailing address | Only when mail is not delivered to the street address given for the registered office or principal office. |
| Organizer's name | Required |
| Members' names | Optional |
| Managers' names | Optional |
| Member-managed or manager-managed | Not on the form |
| Business purpose | Only in some cases. Required only for a professional LLC, which states the professional services it will render. Any other LLC may add a purpose statement if it chooses. |
| Duration | Not on the form |
| Effective date | Optional |
| County | Required |
| Email address | Optional |
| Registered agent's consent | Not on the form |
These are collected but not made public: email address.
The registered agent rows are covered in more depth in North Carolina's registered agent requirements, and the steps before and after this filing are in how to start an LLC in North Carolina.
What the LLC's Name Must Include
The LLC's name must include one of these: "Limited Liability Company", "L.L.C.", "LLC", "Ltd. Liability Co.", "Limited Liability Co." or "Ltd. Liability Company".
A professional LLC's name must also include "Professional", "P.L.L.C." or "PLLC".
Rule: N.C.G.S. 55D-20(a)(2).
File These With It or Right After
North Carolina has one more filing that goes with it or follows it.
| Filing | Required? | When |
|---|---|---|
| Certification from the professional licensing board | Only for a professional LLC. | Must accompany the Articles of Organization. |
Draft Your Articles of Organization
The generator below starts with North Carolina selected and drafts the document from what you enter. Compare the draft with the state's current form before you file.
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 | See note below |
| Changing it later (Amendment of Articles of Organization) | $50 |
Where these fees come from: the sources.
Professional LLCs in North Carolina
In North Carolina, a professional LLC is formed with the same Articles of Organization. Also required: The articles must state the professional services the LLC will render, and a certification from the professional licensing board goes with them. A professional LLC's name must also include "Professional", "P.L.L.C." or "PLLC". Your profession's licensing board may have requirements of its own, so check with it before you file.
Worth Knowing in North Carolina
A certified copy costs $1 a page plus $15 for a paper certificate, or $10 for an electronic certificate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_57D/GS_57D-2-21.htmlN.C.G.S. 57D-2-21, Articles of organization
- ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_57D/GS_57D-2-20.htmlN.C.G.S. 57D-2-20, Formation
- ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_57D/GS_57D-2-02.htmlN.C.G.S. 57D-2-02, Professional limited liability companies
- ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_55B/GS_55B-4.htmlN.C.G.S. 55B-4, Formation of corporation
- ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_55D/GS_55D-20.htmlN.C.G.S. 55D-20, Name requirements
- ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_57D/GS_57D-1-22.htmlN.C.G.S. 57D-1-22, Filing, service, and copying fees
- ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_57D/GS_57D-2-24.htmlN.C.G.S. 57D-2-24, Annual report
- sosnc.gov/webfiles/documents/forms/Business_Registration/limited_liability_companies/articles_of_organization.pdfForm L-01, Limited Liability Company Articles of Organization (Revised August 2017)
- sosnc.gov/webfiles/documents/forms/Business_Registration/limited_liability_companies/amendment_of_articles_of_organization.pdfForm L-17, Amendment of Articles of Organization
- sosnc.gov/fees/by_title/_Business_Registration_limited_liability_companiesNC SOS fees: Limited Liability Companies
- sosnc.gov/divisions/business_registrationNC SOS Business Registration Division
The rows and fees on this page were read from the North Carolina 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.