63 of 66 fee datums on this page are verified against the agency's own published schedule or statute (2026-09-04); the rest are marked pending review in the Status column - portal-surcharge components no official page states, values the official source contradicts (held for a correction package), or sources that could not be reached.
Values were first corroborated across independent internal records; verified cells now also carry the agency's own published schedule or statute as their authority, which is what promotion to verified requires.
Cost position
Ranked 11 of 54 on first-year state
filing cost, at $87.00 against a national median
of $185.00.
Recurring annual cost $0.
See the full ranking.
Where Arizona sits among its neighbours in the first-year cost ranking (USD)Show all 54 jurisdictionsThe full ranking with Arizona highlighted (USD)
Registered-agent statutes, quoted verbatim
The one section on this page that clears the publication gate in full. 10 citations, verified, quoted from the official code with every elision marked.
A.R.S. § 10-501
◎Verified
ARS Title 10, Chapter 5 - OFFICE AND AGENT (Arizona business corporations) · applies to
corporations
Known place of business and statutory agentEach corporation shall continuously maintain in this state both: 1. A known place of business that may be the address of its statutory agent. 2. A statutory agent who may be either: (a) An individual who resides in this state. (b) A domestic corporation formed under this title. (c) A foreign corporation authorized to transact business in this state. (d) A limited liability company formed under title 29. (e) A limited liability company authorized to transact business in this state.
Arizona Limited Liability Company Act · applies to
LLCs
Statutory agentA. Each limited liability company and each registered foreign limited liability company shall designate and maintain a statutory agent in this state. Unless the statutory agent signed the document making the appointment, the appointment of a statutory agent is not effective until the agent or the company delivers a record to the commission signed by the agent accepting the appointment. B. A statutory agent for a limited liability company or registered foreign limited liability company must have a place of business or residence in this state. A statutory agent must be either an individual resident of this state, a domestic corporation, a limited liability company, a foreign corporation or a foreign limited liability company authorized to transact business in this state.
ARS Title 10, Chapter 2 - INCORPORATION (Arizona business corporations) · applies to
corp
Articles of incorporation; violation; classificationA. The articles of incorporation shall set forth: 1. A corporate name for the corporation that satisfies the requirements of section 10-401. 2. The number of shares the corporation is authorized to issue. 3. A brief statement of the character of business that the corporation initially intends to actually conduct in this state. [...] 5. The name, street address and signature of the corporation's statutory agent. 6. The street address of the known place of business for the corporation, if different from that of its statutory agent. 7. The name and address of each incorporator. [...]
Arizona Limited Liability Company Act · applies to
LLCs
Formation of limited liability company; articles of organizationA. One or more persons may act as organizers to form a limited liability company by delivering to the commission for filing the articles of organization. B. The articles of organization must state all of the following: 1. The name of the limited liability company that complies with section 29-3112. 2. The principal address, which may be the same as the mailing address of the company's statutory agent. 3. The name and street and mailing addresses in this state of the company's statutory agent. [...] D. A limited liability company is formed when the articles of organization become effective. [...]
ARS Title 10, Chapter 16 - RECORDS AND REPORTS (Arizona business corporations) · applies to
corp
Annual reportA. Each domestic corporation and each foreign corporation authorized to transact business in this state shall deliver to the commission for filing an annual report that sets forth all of the following: 1. The name of the corporation and the state or country under whose law it is incorporated. 2. The address of its known place of business and the name and address of its statutory agent in this state. [...] C. The annual report for all corporations shall be delivered to the commission for filing, and the annual fee shall be paid on or before the date assigned by the commission. [...]
Arizona Limited Liability Company Act · applies to
LLCs
Administrative dissolutionA. The commission may commence a proceeding under subsection B of this section to dissolve a limited liability company administratively if the company does not do any of the following: 1. Pay any fee or penalty required to be paid to the commission not later than sixty days after the fee or penalty is due. 2. Have a statutory agent in this state for at least sixty consecutive days. 3. Have a principal address for at least sixty consecutive days. [...]
ARS Title 10, Chapter 14 - DISSOLUTION (Arizona business corporations) · applies to
corp
Grounds for administrative dissolutionThe commission may commence a proceeding under section 10-1421 to administratively dissolve a corporation if either: 1. The corporation does not pay within sixty days after they are due any fees or penalties imposed by chapters 1 through 17 of this title. 2. The corporation does not deliver its annual report to the commission within sixty days after it is due. 3. The corporation is without a statutory agent or known place of business in this state for sixty days or more. [...]
Arizona Limited Liability Company Act · applies to
LLCs
Administrative dissolutionA. The commission may commence a proceeding under subsection B of this section to dissolve a limited liability company administratively if the company does not do any of the following: 1. Pay any fee or penalty required to be paid to the commission not later than sixty days after the fee or penalty is due. [...] C. If a limited liability company, not later than sixty days after delivery of the notice under subsection B of this section, does not cure or demonstrate to the satisfaction of the commission the nonexistence of each ground determined by the commission, the commission shall administratively dissolve the company [...]
ARS Title 10, Chapter 4 - NAME (Arizona business corporations) · applies to
corp
Corporate nameA. A corporate name: 1. Shall contain the word "association", "bank", "company", "corporation", "limited" or "incorporated" or an abbreviation of one of these words or words or abbreviations of like import in another language. 2. Shall not contain language stating or implying that the corporation is organized for a purpose other than that allowed by section 10-301 and its articles of incorporation. [...] B. Except as authorized by subsections C and D of this section, a corporate name shall be distinguishable from all of the following: 1. The corporate name of a corporation incorporated in this state or a foreign corporation authorized to transact business in this state. [...]
Arizona Limited Liability Company Act · applies to
LLCs
Permitted namesA. The name of a limited liability company must contain the phrase "limited liability company" or "limited company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C.", "LLC", "L.C." or "LC" in uppercase or lowercase letters. B. Except as otherwise provided in subsection D of this section, the name of a limited liability company and the name under which a foreign limited liability company may register to do business in this state must be distinguishable on the records of the commission or the secretary of state from any of the following: [...] E. The name of a limited liability company or foreign limited liability company may not contain the words "association", "corporation" or "incorporated" or an abbreviation of these words. [...]
Corporations: if the corporation fails to appoint or maintain a statutory agent at the address of record, the Arizona Corporation Commission is the corporation's agent for service; the commission forwards a copy to the known place of business and the corporation gets 30 extra days to respond. LLCs use a different fallback: service by registered or certified mail (or commercial delivery) to the company's principal address, and failing that, by handing a copy to the person in charge of any regular place of business (29-3119(B)-(C)).
Other. Name loss: if a dissolved corporation (or LLC) has not applied for reinstatement within six months after the effective date of administrative dissolution, the commission releases the entity's name for use by others.
Revocation Foreign. The commission may revoke a foreign corporation's authority to transact business if it is without a statutory agent or known place of business for 60 days or more, or fails to report an agent change or resignation within 60 days; on revocation the commission becomes the corporation's agent for service of process (10-1531(D)).
Reinstatement Fee. Reinstatement is available within six years for both corporations (10-1422(A)) and LLCs (29-3709(A)); an LLC must pay all fees and penalties that were due at dissolution and that would have accrued during dissolution, plus a $100 reinstatement application fee (corporations pay the same $100 application fee under 10-122(A)(13)).
Dollar amounts named in the registered-agent statutes
What
Amount
Status
Penalty (up to) payable to the state by a foreign corporation transacting business without authority, in addition to back fees
$1,000
○Pending review
Corporation application for reinstatement following administrative dissolution, in addition to other fees and penalties due
$100
○Pending review
LLC application for reinstatement, in addition to other fees and penalties due
$100
○Pending review
Corporation statutory agent's statement of resignation filing fee
$10
○Pending review
LLC statement of change (used to change the statutory agent) filing fee
$5
○Pending review
Nonrefundable fee collected by the commission each time process is served on it under the corporation statutes (recoverable as costs by a prevailing party)
$25
○Pending review
13 statutory citations and their supporting verbatim quotations sit behind this section in the record and are withheld from public display until the review pass lands, because a citation presented as authority is a verification claimed. Statutory references appearing inside the summaries above are part of the recorded text rather than an authority claim, and they are not rendered as citations, linked, or emitted in this page's structured data. How the gate works.
Governance rules
7 governance rules are recorded for Arizona - the organizational and annual meetings, action by written consent, and whether bylaws or an operating agreement are mandatory. Each verified rule links to the statutory text it was verified against, quoted verbatim below.
Organizational meeting required · applies to
corporations ·
yes
After incorporation the board of directors shall hold an organizational meeting at the call of a majority of the directors to complete the organization of the corporation by appointing officers, adopting bylaws
Action by written consent allowed · applies to
corporations ·
yes
may be taken without a meeting if there is written consent by the holders of outstanding shares that are entitled to at least the minimum number of votes necessary to authorize or take the action
Operating agreement required · applies to
LLCs ·
no
"Operating agreement" means the agreement, whether or not referred to as an operating agreement and whether oral, implied, in a record or in any combination thereof, of all the members
An action requiring the vote or consent of members or managers under this chapter may be taken without a meeting if the action is approved by the minimum number of members or managers required
Action by written consent allowed · applies to
LLCs ·
yes
a majority in interest of the members shall decide ... Matters that are outside the ordinary course ... The affirmative vote or consent of all the members is required to ... Amend the operating agreement.
Stated gaps in the record itself: AZ LLC citations were verified in corpus file AZ_ARS_Title29_Ch07.html (the ALLCA capture). One llc entry (OperatingAgreementRequired) initially referenced AZ_ARS_Title29_Ch05.html due to a transcription slip in this output; the correct verified sourceFile for all three AZ llc rules is AZ_ARS_Title29_Ch07.html, as stated in its notes.
Arizona Secretary of State, Business Services (Trade Names & Trademarks). NOTE: registration is OPTIONAL in Arizona - not legally required to use a DBA, but needed to appear on the state registry (banks often require it)
State fee
$10 (amendment $3)
Term
5 years from date of registration (A.R.S. 44-1460.02)
Renewal
Renewable for successive 5-year terms; application within the 6-month window before expiration; SOS mails notice ~60 days before expiration; renewal fee $10, renewals processed online (apps.azsos.gov/apps/tntp/nr.html); only the current owner may renew
Arizona has no mandatory general DBA act. Trade-name registration with the Secretary of State is voluntary ('may register') and open to any person, partnership, corporation, or other organization doing business in the state; the applicant must state that a search found the name distinguishable from names on record with the Secretary of State and from corporate names.
Where it is filed
Filings go to the Arizona Secretary of State, which issues the certificate of registration and keeps a public record of registered and renewed trade names. Electronic filing is authorized.
A foreign corporation whose corporate name does not satisfy A.R.S. § 10-401 must either add a corporate designator or adopt a fictitious name (by filing a certified board resolution with the Arizona Corporation Commission) to obtain or keep authority to transact business; the fictitious name must be distinguishable from entity names, reserved names, other foreign corporations' fictitious names, and registered trade names. A foreign LLC whose name fails § 29-3112 likewise cannot register to do business until it adopts a complying alternate name (§ 29-3906).
Penalties
There is no penalty for not registering (registration is voluntary), but the Secretary of State must cancel a registration obtained fraudulently by containing false or misleading information, as well as unrenewed or court-ordered cancellations.
Regime: outside art. 3.1 rests on the article's permissive text and the retrieval-manifest note; no repealer is citeable
Common questions
Is a DBA or trade name registration required in Arizona?
The statute imposes no general requirement. A.R.S. § 44-1460(A) says eligible persons and organizations 'may register with the secretary of state' the name under which they operate - permissive language, not a mandate.
How long does an Arizona trade name registration last?
Five years from the date of registration, renewable for successive five-year terms by application filed within six months before expiration (A.R.S. § 44-1460.02(A)). The Secretary of State sends a renewal notice in the sixty days before expiration (§ 44-1460.02(B)), and cancels registrations that are not renewed (§ 44-1460.07(A)(2)).
Does registering an Arizona trade name give exclusive rights to the name?
What happens if an out-of-state company's name is already taken in Arizona?
A foreign corporation whose real name is unavailable may transact business under a fictitious name by delivering a certified board resolution adopting that name to the Arizona Corporation Commission (A.R.S. § 10-1506(A)(1)(b)). A foreign LLC in the same position must adopt a complying alternate name before it can register to do business (§ 29-3906(A)).
Recurring entity-level tax
No franchise or privilege tax in this jurisdiction
Stored as a delta against the federal baseline:
0 days this state closes that the
federal government does not, and 1 federal
holiday its filing office works through.
Arizona 2026 closure delta
Date
Day
Filing office
2026-06-19
Juneteenth
OPEN - federal holiday not observed
Provenance - Arizona 2026 closures◎Verified
Citation withheld: this record did not clear the publication gate.
4 restricted entity-name word entries
are recorded for Arizona - 2 prohibited outright,
the rest requiring an agency's consent or licensure before the word may appear in a name.
Governing law: A.R.S. § 10-401(A) (corporate name); A.R.S. § 6-509 (credit union name); A.R.S. § 29-3112 (LLC names - no word list); A.R.S. § 10-3401 (nonprofit - generic only).
Arizona restricted entity-name words
Treatment
Word or phrase
Authority
Citation
Status
License required
credit union
Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (deputy director) - via authority under A.R.S. Title 6, Chapter 5
A.R.S. § 6-509(B): "It is unlawful for any person ... to make use of the words 'credit union' or any other words in a manner reasonably calculated to convey the impression that the person is engaged in the business of a credit union in this state, unless the act is done by or on behalf of a person having authority under this chapter" (associations/organizations of credit unions excepted)
◎Verified
Prohibited
(any word implying unauthorized purpose)
A.R.S. § 10-401(A)(2) (corporations) and § 10-3401(A) (nonprofits): name shall not contain language stating or implying the corporation is organized for a purpose other than that allowed by law and its articles
◎Verified
Prohibited
limited liability company / limited company / L.L.C. / L.C. / LLC / LC
A.R.S. § 10-401(A)(4): a corporate name "shall not contain the words 'limited liability company' or 'limited company' or the abbreviations 'L.L.C.', 'L.C.', 'LLC' or 'LC', in uppercase or lowercase"
◎Verified
Restricted
bank / deposit / credit union / trust / trust company
A.R.S. § 10-401(A)(3): a corporate name "shall not include the words 'bank', 'deposit', 'credit union', 'trust' or 'trust company' separately or in combination to indicate or convey the idea that the corporation is engaged in banking or trust business unless the corporation is to be and becomes actively and substantially engaged in the banking, credit union or trust business or the corporation is a holding company holding substantial interest in companies actively and substantially engaged in the banking or trust business"
● accepted · ○ not accepted · ? unknown or conditional (hover for the recorded condition). Channel data covers 54 jurisdictions (2026-08-15 wave). Source links render on verified rows only.
Contact the filing office
Verified against the agency's own contact page
2026-08-13 - office hours: 8am - 5pm Monday - Friday, closed state holidays.
Source links render on verified rows only.
Arizona Corporation Commission, Corporations Division - Examination Section, 1300 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Courier / walk-in
Arizona Corporation Commission, Corporations Division - Examination Section, 1300 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007
The Corporations Division call center (not the Utilities/Securities switchboards at the neighboring 1200 W. Washington building) and the Examination Section street address that the form instructions designate for both mail and in-person delivery; expedited work has its own Same Day/Next Day fax (602) 542-0900.
Purposed contact channels, Arizona
Kind
Value
What it is for
Purpose
Source
phone
(602) 542-3026
Corporations Division - Customer Service / Call Center
Where to search Arizona's UCC (Article 9) financing statements, on what terms, and what the office charges to file one. Verified against the filing office's own pages 2026-09-11. UCC division contacts are listed with the other filing-office contacts above.
UCC records - Arizona◎Verified
Filing office
Arizona Secretary of State - Business Services Division (UCC Dept.)
Filing-office statute
A.R.S. 47-9501 (https://www.azleg.gov/ars/47/09501.htm): filing office is "The office of the secretary of state" except real-property-related collateral
Yes - "Each document receives a unique 12-digit filing number assigned by our UCC program, and is available for viewing on our UCC search as public record." Online images are watermarked "uncertified"; certified copies are $9 via UCC 11.
$9 per UCC 1 financing statement, filed by mail, in person, or by PDF upload for filers who have set up a prepaid account with the office; UCC 1a addendum and UCC 1ap additional-party pages carry no extra charge
Filing channels
online or paper; Paper by mail: Secretary of State, Attn: UCC Dept., 1700 W. Washington Street, Fl. 7, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2808. In person: State Capitol Executive Tower, 1700 W. Washington Street, Suite 220, Phoenix; A
Filing expedite
No expedited filing service is listed; the office states a processing time of 5 business days from receipt
UCC-3 amendments, as the office states the fees
UCC 3 continuation, assignment or any amendment $9; UCC 3 termination $2; UCC 3a and 3ap addendum pages no charge; UCC 5 correction statement $9
Effective for
5 years from filing - A.R.S. 47-9515(A)
Bulk data
published bulk-data program - $2,000 Full Index File (SOSAZ-UCCFI-IDX, one-time, thumb drive, 8-12 week delivery); $24,000 Full Index + Images (SOSAZ-UCCFI-IMG)
Whether Arizona requires a general state-level business license, and on what terms. A "None" is a verified finding cited to the agency's own pages, not a gap. Which of the state's filings ask for an industry code is in the next section.
State business license - Arizona○Pending review
The existence finding for this jurisdiction has not yet cleared independent verification.
General state license
None - the state issues no general business license; licensing is occupation-specific and local
Where a new business registers
No general licensing agency. Tax registration: Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) - TPT / withholding license via Arizona Joint Tax Application (JT-1) on AZTaxes.gov agency page↗ (opens the official source)
Which of Arizona's business filings ask the filer for an industry classification, and in what form. "No industry information" is a positive finding cited to the form. Where the state uses its own category list and the list was captured, it is expandable below. The NAICS and SIC reference lists are on their own page.
Industry code on Arizona filings, 6 of 6 rows verified
Filing
Entity scope
Asks for
Required
Where on the form
Source
Formation
corporation
free-text description (no code)
mandatory
Form C010 item 4 'Character of business' (free-text description; no code)
Arizona has 15 county-equivalents: 15 countyies. Names and codes are the U.S. Census Bureau's (2020 national county codes); county seats and official sites are not yet published here.
Signature AZ trap, entity-dependent: domestic LLCs publish a NOTICE OF FILING (29-3201(G)); domestic AND foreign for-profit and nonprofit corporations publish a COPY of the articles/application (10-203(D), 10-1503(D), 10-3203(D), 10-11503(D)); LLPs/LLLPs publish the statement of qualification (29-1103(A)). Mechanics: w
○Pending review
These come from a research pass its own author graded CANDIDATES. They are shown because they are useful and withheld from every ranking on this site because they are not ratified.