LLC Arizona forms must be filed in order to register a limited liability company (LLC) in this state. These documents include Articles of Organization and a cover letter. 

Starting an LLC in Arizona

Multiple requirements are in place for forming an LLC in Arizona. Fortunately, starting your LLC should be fairly simple and affordable. If you want to start an LLC, you will need to file the correct forms with the Arizona Corporate Commission, as well as correctly name your company and pay required fees.

Before you begin the process of forming your LLC, you should learn the purpose of this type of business structure and decide if it's the right fit for your company. The primary advantage of structuring your business as an LLC is that it can be organized to suit your specific needs. This business structure also protects its owners from personal liability and provides beneficial tax filings.

When starting an LLC, your company members can be:

  • Corporations
  • Individual people
  • Foreign entities
  • Another LLC

Your LLC can have an unlimited number of members.

Limited liability companies are often referred to as hybrid businesses because they combine the most beneficial characteristics of both limited liability partnerships and corporations. 

Arizona LLC Requirements

The initial requirement for forming your LLC in Arizona is submitting your Articles of Organization to the Arizona Corporate Commission. With your Articles, you should include:

  • A cover sheet
  • The management and member structure of your LLC
  • A Statutory Agent Acceptance form
  • Payment for required fees

Information that you must detail in your Articles of Organization includes:

  • The name you have selected for your LLC
  • The address and name of your registered agent and a form indicating they have accepted the position
  • Your business address
  • Whether your LLC will be manager-managed or member-managed
  • The name, signature, and address of your organizer

When submitting forms, be certain that you have included the necessary fee. When the Corporate Commission approves your registration, they will send your registered agent a letter including instructions for fulfilling the LLC formation publication requirement. The fee for submitting your Articles of Organization and other LLC Arizona forms is $50. Because these fees often change, you should check with the Corporate Commission to make sure you are paying the correct amount.

Unlike other states, Arizona does not offer same-day or next-day processing for LLC registration documents. Typical processing times are between six and nine business days. For a fee, you can request expedited services, which will reduce processing time to three to five business days.

It's common for people to be confused by the naming requirements for LLCs. Basically, the easiest way to be certain that the Corporate Commission will approve your LLC's name is by choosing a name that is entirely original and is easy to distinguish from the names of other companies. You will also need to include the designators (abbreviations) required of limited liability companies.

Many business owners choose to research the availability of their LLC name before submitting their registration documents.

If you've decided to include multiple members when forming your LLC, it is recommended that your members draft an operating agreement. Your LLCs operating agreement will dictate the roles and responsibilities of company members, a process for adding or removing members, steps for dissolving your limited liability company, and rules for making changes to the operating agreement. An operating agreement is an internal company document and will not need to be included when submitting your formation documents.

If your company offers professional services, you will need to be licensed through the proper state licensing board. 

Select the Name of the Arizona LLC

Naming your company is the most important LLC formation step. As with any decision, choosing the right name for your LLC requires a good amount of research. In particular, you should be certain that your future customers and clients will easily be able to identify your company and that the name you have chosen matches your business. Often, selecting a company name is the most difficult part of forming an LLC in Arizona.

Whatever final name you choose, you must include “limited liability company” or an abbreviated form of this phrase such as:

  • LC
  • L.C.
  • LLC
  • L.L.C.

If you have decided to form a professional LLC, the phrase “professional limited liability company” or abbreviations such as “PLLC” or “P.L.C.” must be included in your company name.

If you need help gathering and filing your LLC's Arizona forms, you can post your legal needs on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.