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

NDCC 10-32.1-92(1) sets the fee for filing Articles of Organization and issuing the certificate of organization at $135 - the highest formation fee among Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina too. A name reservation is an optional $10. A foreign LLC's certificate of authority is also $135.

How much is the North Dakota LLC annual report fee?

$50 per year under NDCC 10-32.1-92(25), due before November 16. File after November 15 and the statute adds a $50 late fee, bringing the total to $100. North Dakota has no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs, so $50 is the entire annual state cost if you file on time.

When is the North Dakota LLC annual report due?

Before November 16 - effectively November 15 - every year. Your first report 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. Farm/Ranch LLCs and ALF LLCs use April 15 instead.

What happens if I do not file my North Dakota annual report?

The Secretary of State notifies you that the certificate of organization is not in good standing. If the report and fees are still not filed within six months after the November 16 deadline, NDCC 10-32.1-90(1)(b) says the LLC ceases to exist and is involuntarily terminated by operation of law. Reinstatement costs $135.

LLC Costs · ND

How Much Does an LLC Cost in North Dakota?

By Edmond Hui · Fees verified July 29, 2026 against the North Dakota Secretary of State fee schedule

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.

Forming an LLC in North Dakota costs $135 to file the Articles of Organization with the state, the Annual Report costs $50 every year. That puts the first-year state cost at $185, before any registered-agent service.

Articles of Organization$135

Annual Report$50

First-year state cost$185

Five-year state cost$385

What you actually pay in North Dakota

North Dakota's $135 filing fee for Articles of Organization is the highest of these five states, and the same $135 applies to a foreign LLC certificate of authority and to reinstatement (NDCC 10-32.1-92). The annual report is $50, due before November 16 each year, and NDCC 10-32.1-92(25)(a) adds a separate $50 late fee - so a late report costs $100. A certificate of good standing is $15 plus a $5 records-search charge ($20 total) and a name reservation is $10. There is no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs, so $50 a year is the full ongoing state cost of a compliant North Dakota LLC.

North Dakota LLC fee breakdown

Cost	Amount	How often	Charged by
Articles of Organization	$135	One time	North Dakota Secretary of State
Annual Report	$50	Every year	North Dakota Secretary of State
Required state cost, first year	$185	—	—
Registered agent service (optional)	$50–$300	Every year	Commercial provider
Name reservation (optional)	$10	One time	North Dakota Secretary of State
Certificate of good standing (optional)	$20	Per copy	North Dakota Secretary of State

NDCC 10-32.1-92(1) sets $135 for filing articles of organization and issuing the certificate of organization, with no online/paper split.

: NDCC chapter 10-32.1 imposes only Secretary of State filing fees on LLCs; there is no franchise, privilege, or minimum entity tax. A default-classified LLC is a pass-through and its income is taxed to the members.

The North Dakota Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (NDCC ch. 10-32.1) contains no newspaper publication requirement for LLC formation.

Registered agent is listed separately because it is a commercial service, not a state charge. Commercial registered-agent services, not a state charge. Range and $125 midpoint match the assumption used by /tools/llc-true-cost. Most states let you serve as your own registered agent at no cost if you have a physical in-state address. Run your own numbers in the true-cost calculator.

North Dakota LLC cost over five years

State charges only in the first column; the second adds a registered-agent service at the $125/yr market midpoint.

Period	State cost only	With registered agent
Year 1 (formation + first filing)	$185	$310
Each year after	$50	$175
Five-year total	$385	$1,010

First filing timing: NDCC 10-32.1-89(3): the first annual report must be delivered before November 16 of the year following the calendar year of the effective date stated in the articles of organization, so an LLC formed in 2026 files its first report by November 15, 2027.

Is North Dakota expensive compared with other states?

North Dakota ranks 26th cheapest of 50 states on first-year cost — $49.53 below the $234.53 national average. On ongoing annual cost it ranks 28th.

Cheaper state	First-year cost	You would save
Montana	$35	$150
Arizona	$50	$135
Missouri	$50	$135

A cheaper filing fee elsewhere rarely saves money if you live and operate in North Dakota. Doing business here with an out-of-state LLC generally means registering it as a foreign LLC in North Dakota anyway — paying both states. See foreign qualification in North Dakota before forming elsewhere to save on fees.

North Dakota filing deadline and late penalties

Annual Report

Frequency	every year
Due	Before November sixteenth of each year (i.e. on or before November 15)
Fee	$50
Late penalty	$50

NDCC 10-32.1-92(25)(a)(1) adds a $50 late fee for an annual report filed after November 15, making a late report $100 total; once the LLC has been terminated the reinstatement fee is $135.

NDCC 10-32.1-90(1)(b): an LLC that fails to file its annual report together with the fees within six months after the November 16 deadline "ceases to exist and is considered involuntarily terminated by operation of law" - roughly mid-May of the following year - and the Secretary of State's decision is final. The SOS site describes the practical window as involuntary termination if the past-due report is not filed within 6 to 12 months of being placed in Not Good Standing.

Full North Dakota annual report filing guide · Deadline calculator

Cost traps specific to North Dakota

The annual report deadline is November 15, not the spring date most states use

NDCC 10-32.1-89(3) requires the report before November 16. Note also that Farm/Ranch LLCs and ALF LLCs have an April 15 deadline instead, so the correct date depends on which LLC type you registered.

The $50 late fee doubles the report cost

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, not by a hearing

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 ceases to exist automatically, and the Secretary of State's determination is final. Reinstatement then costs $135.

Frequently Asked Questions

: NDCC 10-32.1-92(1) sets the fee for filing Articles of Organization and issuing the certificate of organization at $135 - the highest formation fee among Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina too. A name reservation is an optional $10. A foreign LLC's certificate of authority is also $135.
: $50 per year under NDCC 10-32.1-92(25), due before November 16. File after November 15 and the statute adds a $50 late fee, bringing the total to $100. North Dakota has no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs, so $50 is the entire annual state cost if you file on time.
: Before November 16 - effectively November 15 - every year. Your first report 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. Farm/Ranch LLCs and ALF LLCs use April 15 instead.
: The Secretary of State notifies you that the certificate of organization is not in good standing. If the report and fees are still not filed within six months after the November 16 deadline, NDCC 10-32.1-90(1)(b) says the LLC ceases to exist and is involuntarily terminated by operation of law. Reinstatement costs $135.

Where these numbers come from

Every fee above was checked against North Dakota's own published sources on July 29, 2026 — the North Dakota Secretary of State fee schedule, the governing statute, and where a state-level tax applies, the state tax authority. Commercial formation-service pages were not used.

The first-year total is the Articles of Organization fee plus the first year of any recurring state charge. Where a state's first report is not due until the following year, that is noted above. The five-year total is the filing fee plus five years of recurring charges, which avoids the timing question entirely. Registered-agent service is excluded from all state figures.

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