Articles of Organization

Articles of Organization is the formal legal document filed with a state's Secretary of State (or equivalent agency) to officially create a limited liability company (LLC), establishing the entity's legal existence and basic structural parameters. While the specific name varies by state — some jurisdictions call it a Certificate of Formation (Delaware, Texas) or Certificate of Organization (New York) — the substantive content is largely consistent: the LLC's legal name (which must include 'LLC' or 'Limited Liability Company' and be distinguishable from existing entity names in the state), the street address of the principal office, the name and address of the registered agent, the LLC's purpose (most states accept a general 'any lawful purpose' statement), the management structure (member-managed or manager-managed), the duration (perpetual or fixed term), and the organizer's name and signature. Filing fees range from $40 (Kentucky) to $500 (Massachusetts), with most states falling in the $50–$200 range. Processing times vary from same-day (Wyoming, Delaware with expedited filing at $50–$100 additional) to 4–8 weeks (California, New York without expedited service). Critical decisions made during the Articles of Organization process — particularly the management structure designation — have lasting implications for operating agreement requirements, member authority to bind the LLC, and tax elections (such as S-Corp election eligibility requiring specific ownership restrictions). doola handles the complete Articles of Organization filing process including state-specific name availability searches, registered agent designation, management structure selection, and expedited processing, reducing the typical 2–6 week DIY research and filing timeline to 1–3 business days.