When is my North Dakota LLC annual report due and what happens if I'm late?

Your North Dakota LLC annual report must be delivered to the Secretary of State before November 16 each year, so treat November 15 as the deadline, and it costs $50. The first one comes later than owners expect: it is due before November 16 of the year following the calendar year of the effective date in your articles, so an LLC formed in 2026 files first by November 15, 2027. File late and NDCC 10-32.1-92(25)(a)(1) adds a separate $50 late fee, taking the report to $100. The Secretary of State also notifies you that your certificate of organization is no longer in good standing. The serious consequence is automatic rather than discretionary. Under NDCC 10-32.1-90(1)(b), an LLC that has not filed the report and fees within six months after the November 16 deadline ceases to exist and is involuntarily terminated by operation of law, and the Secretary of State's determination is final. At that point liability protection is gone and reinstatement costs $135. Set a reminder for the start of November and file online through the Secretary of State's site at https://www.sos.nd.gov/business/business-services/business-structures/limited-liability-company-llc.

How do I file my North Dakota LLC annual report?

You file your North Dakota LLC annual report through the North Dakota Secretary of State's online portal at sos.nd.gov. Sign in with your LLC's file number and entity name, then complete the annual report, which asks for your registered agent's name and address, your principal office address, and current member or manager information. The fee is $50, and the report is due before November 16 each year. Filing after November 15 adds a statutory $50 late fee, so the report costs $100, and an LLC left unfiled for six months after the deadline is terminated by operation of law, which ends the entity's authority to carry on business other than winding up. Start from the limited liability company page at https://www.sos.nd.gov/business/business-services/business-structures/limited-liability-company-llc and follow the annual report link to your LLC's record.

What does it cost to start and maintain an LLC in North Dakota?

A North Dakota LLC costs $185 in its first year, which is among the more affordable in the country and about $47 below the national average. The North Dakota Secretary of State charges $135 to file the Articles of Organization under NDCC 10-32.1-92(1), the same whether you file online or on paper. After that the LLC owes a $50 annual report, due before November 16 each year, starting with the year after the calendar year your articles took effect. Later years cost only that $50, because North Dakota imposes no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs. Optional charges are $10 for a name reservation and $20 for a certificate of good standing, which is a $15 certificate fee plus a $5 records-search charge. A report filed after November 15 costs $100 because of the statutory $50 late fee. Your next step: prepare your Articles of Organization with your registered agent information and file them with the $135 fee through the Secretary of State at https://www.sos.nd.gov/business/business-services/business-structures/limited-liability-company-llc.

Do I need a registered agent for my North Dakota LLC?

Yes. North Dakota requires every LLC to maintain a registered agent with a physical address in the state to receive service of process and official correspondence. You can serve as your own registered agent if you have a North Dakota street address, not a PO box, and are available there during business hours, or you can hire a commercial registered agent service, commonly around $100 to $150 a year. Your agent's name and address go on the Articles of Organization filed with the North Dakota Secretary of State, and you must update them with the state whenever they change. The annual report is also where the state confirms your current agent information each year. If you have no North Dakota address or cannot be reliably available during business hours, appoint a commercial agent. You can review the requirements at https://www.sos.nd.gov/business/business-services/business-structures/limited-liability-company-llc.

Compliance · ND

North Dakota LLC Annual Compliance Requirements (2026)

Everything your North Dakota LLC must do to stay in good standing, annual report deadlines, registered agent rules, and state-specific obligations.

First-Year Total$185

Annual Ongoing$50/yr

vs National Avg- $47.03

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 22, 2026

North Dakota keeps LLC compliance cheap and simple, with one report a year and no entity-level tax. Articles of Organization cost $135 under NDCC 10-32.1-92(1), the same on paper or online, and after that the only recurring state charge is a $50 annual report. That puts first-year cost at $185, about $47 below the national average, and $50 a year after that. The deadline is the unusual part: the report must be delivered before November 16, so November 15 is the practical date, rather than the spring deadline most states use. Your first report is not due in your formation year. It is due before November 16 of the year following the calendar year of the effective date in your articles, so an LLC formed in 2026 files first by November 15, 2027. Miss the date and NDCC 10-32.1-92(25)(a)(1) adds a $50 late fee, doubling the report to $100, and an LLC still unfiled six months after the deadline is terminated by operation of law with reinstatement at $135. The state's economy runs on agriculture, energy production, and the technology built around them, and its filings are handled through the Secretary of State's online portal, so the administrative side of running a North Dakota LLC stays light as long as the November date is on the calendar.

Stat card for North Dakota LLC compliance costs: $185 unavoidable first-year total and $50 recurring each year after, −$47.03 against the $232.03 national first-year average. Its annual report costs $50. — First-year total bundles the state filing fee with any report or entity tax due in year one; the recurring figure is what North Dakota costs every year after that. Source: North Dakota's published filing requirements and fee schedule, verified July 2026; national average from MyStateLLC's 50-state compliance dataset.

Annual Report Requirements

Due: November 15

Fee: $50

Frequency: annual

How: Online through Secretary of State website

Full North Dakota Annual Report Guide →

Registered Agent Requirements

What North Dakota requires of an LLC registered agent, what the role costs, and how to keep the appointment current with the Secretary of State.

North Dakota Registered Agent Requirements →

Late Filing Penalties

Penalty: $50 late fee under NDCC 10-32.1-92(25)(a)(1) for an annual report filed after November 15, making a late report $100 total

North Dakota Late Fee Guide →

North Dakota-Specific Compliance Considerations

A November Deadline, Not a Spring One

NDCC 10-32.1-89(3) requires the annual report before November 16, so November 15 is the working deadline for business LLCs and PLLCs. Farm or Ranch LLCs and ALF LLCs use April 15 instead, so the correct date depends on which LLC type you registered. Your first report is due before November 16 of the year after the calendar year your articles took effect.

The $50 Late Fee Doubles the Report

NDCC 10-32.1-92(25)(a)(1) charges an additional $50 for an annual report filed after November 15, so the report goes from $50 to $100 the day after the deadline.

Termination Happens by Operation of Law

Under NDCC 10-32.1-90(1)(b), an LLC that has not filed its report and fees within six months after the November 16 deadline, roughly mid-May of the following year, ceases to exist and is involuntarily terminated automatically, and the Secretary of State's determination is final. Reinstatement then costs $135.

No Franchise or Privilege Tax

NDCC chapter 10-32.1 imposes only Secretary of State filing fees on LLCs. There is no franchise, privilege, or minimum entity tax, and a default-classified LLC is a pass-through whose income is taxed to its members. The $50 report is the full ongoing state cost of a compliant LLC.

Below-Average Total Compliance Costs

First-year cost is $185: $135 to file the Articles of Organization plus the $50 annual report. That is roughly $47 below the national average, and the $50 report is the only recurring charge. Optional items are a $10 name reservation and a $20 certificate of good standing, which is a $15 certificate fee plus a $5 records-search charge.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.