68 of 73 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 49 of 54 on first-year state
filing cost, at $410.00 against a national median
of $185.00.
The recurring entity-tax minimum is not resolved for LLCs here, so no ongoing total is computed.
See the full ranking.
Where Delaware sits among its neighbours in the first-year cost ranking (USD)Show all 54 jurisdictionsThe full ranking with Delaware highlighted (USD)
Registered-agent statutes, quoted verbatim
The one section on this page that clears the publication gate in full. 11 citations, verified, quoted from the official code with every elision marked.
8 Del. C. § 132
◎Verified
General Corporation Law (8 Del. C. ch. 1) · applies to
corporations
Registered agent in State; resident agent.(a) Every corporation shall have and maintain in this State a registered agent, which agent may be any of: (1) The corporation itself; (2) An individual resident in this State; (3) A domestic corporation (other than the corporation itself), a domestic partnership (whether general (including a limited liability partnership) or limited (including a limited liability limited partnership)), a domestic limited liability company or a domestic statutory trust; or (4) A foreign corporation, a foreign limited liability partnership, a foreign limited partnership, a foreign limited liability limited partnership, a foreign limited liability company or a foreign statutory trust.
General Corporation Law (8 Del. C. ch. 1) · applies to
corporations
Registered office in State.(a) Every corporation shall have and maintain in this State a registered office which may, but need not be, a place of the corporation’s business in this State. [...] (c) As contained in any certificate of incorporation or other document filed with the Secretary of State under this chapter, the address of a registered office shall include the street, number, city, county and postal code.
Limited Liability Company Act (6 Del. C. ch. 18) · applies to
LLCs
Registered office; registered agent.(a) Each limited liability company shall have and maintain in the State of Delaware: (1) A registered office, which may but need not be a place of its business in the State of Delaware; and (2) A registered agent for service of process on the limited liability company, having a business office identical with such registered office, which agent may be any of: a. The limited liability company itself, b. An individual resident in the State of Delaware, [...]
General Corporation Law (8 Del. C. ch. 1) · applies to
corp
Incorporators; how corporation formed; purposes.(a) Any person, partnership, association or corporation, singly or jointly with others, and without regard to such person's or entity's residence, domicile or state of incorporation, may incorporate or organize a corporation under this chapter by filing with the Division of Corporations in the Department of State a certificate of incorporation which shall be executed, acknowledged and filed in accordance with § 103 of this title.
Limited Liability Company Act (6 Del. C. ch. 18) · applies to
LLCs
Certificate of formation.(a) In order to form a limited liability company, 1 or more authorized persons must execute a certificate of formation. The certificate of formation shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State and set forth: (1) The name of the limited liability company; (2) The address of the registered office and the name and address of the registered agent for service of process required to be maintained by § 18-104 of this title; and (3) Any other matters the members determine to include therein.
Annual franchise tax report; contents; failure to file and pay tax; duties of Secretary of State.(a) Annually on or before March 1, every corporation now existing or hereafter incorporated under Chapter 1 of this title or which has accepted the Constitution of this State, shall make an annual franchise tax report to the Secretary of State. The report shall be made on a form designated by the Secretary of State and shall be signed by the corporation's president, secretary, treasurer or other proper officer duly authorized so to act, or by any of its directors, or if filing an initial report by any incorporator in the event its board of directors shall not have been elected.
Limited Liability Company Act (6 Del. C. ch. 18) · applies to
LLCs
Taxation of limited liability companies and registered series.(b) Every domestic limited liability company and every foreign limited liability company registered to do business in the State of Delaware shall pay an annual tax, for the use of the State of Delaware, in the amount of $400. [...] (c) The annual tax for a domestic limited liability company shall be due and payable on the first day of June following the close of the calendar year or upon the cancellation of a certificate of formation.
Failure to pay tax or file a complete annual report for 1 year; charter void; extension of time.If any corporation, accepting the Constitution of this State and coming under Chapter 1 of this title, or any corporation which has heretofore filed or may hereafter file a certificate of incorporation under said chapter, neglects or refuses for 1 year to pay the State any franchise tax or taxes, which has or have been, or shall be assessed against it, or which it is required to pay under this chapter, or shall neglect or refuse to file a complete annual franchise tax report, the charter of the corporation shall be void, and all powers conferred by law upon the corporation are declared inoperative [...]
Limited Liability Company Act (6 Del. C. ch. 18) · applies to
LLCs
Cancellation of certificate of formation or certificate of registered series for failure to pay taxes.(a) The certificate of formation of a domestic limited liability company shall be canceled if the annual tax due under § 18-1107 of this title for the domestic limited liability company is not paid for a period of 3 years from the date it is due, such cancellation to be effective on the third anniversary of such due date.
General Corporation Law (8 Del. C. ch. 1) · applies to
corp
Contents of certificate of incorporation.(a) The certificate of incorporation shall set forth: (1) The name of the corporation, which (i) shall contain 1 of the words "association," "company," "corporation," "club," "foundation," "fund," "incorporated," "institute," "society," "union," "syndicate," or "limited," (or abbreviations thereof, with or without punctuation) [...] (ii) shall be such as to distinguish it upon the records in the office of the Division of Corporations in the Department of State from the names that are reserved on such records and from the names on such records of each other corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, registered series of a limited liability company, registered series of a limited partnership or statutory trust [...]
Limited Liability Company Act (6 Del. C. ch. 18) · applies to
LLCs
Name set forth in certificate.The name of each limited liability company as set forth in its certificate of formation: (1) Shall contain the words "Limited Liability Company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or the designation "LLC"; (2) May contain the name of a member or manager; (3) Must be such as to distinguish it upon the records in the office of the Secretary of State from the name on such records of any corporation, partnership, limited partnership, statutory trust, limited liability company, registered series of a limited liability company or registered series of a limited partnership reserved, registered, formed or organized under the laws of the State of Delaware [...]
Every corporation must maintain a registered agent, which may be: the corporation itself, an individual resident of Delaware, a domestic entityDomestic / foreignRelative to one state's records: an entity is domestic in the state that formed it and foreign everywhere else it registers to do business.Read the full entry →, or a foreign entity (which must be authorized to transact business in Delaware). The agent must be generally present (individual) or keep a generally open business office (entity) at the registered office frequently enough to accept service, and may NOT operate solely through a virtual office or mail-forwarding service (§ 132(b)(2)). Agents serving more than 50 entities are 'commercial registered agents' with extra requirements (Delaware business license, normal-business-hours presence, § 132(c)). The LLC Act is parallel: the LLC itself, a Delaware-resident individual, or a domestic/foreign entity (6 Del. C. § 18-104(a)(2)).
Is the agent's consent required
○Pending review
Consent required: no.
What happens when the agent cannot be served
○Pending review
If process cannot with due diligence be served on any officer, director or the registered agent (or at the registered office/place of business), it may be served on the Secretary of State, which is as effectual as personal service; the SOS forwards it to the corporation by mail/courier with delivery receipt, and the plaintiff pays the SOS $50 (taxed as costs if the plaintiff prevails). The same mechanism applies after an unreplaced agent resignation (§ 136(c)) and while an annual-report default continues or when the agent dies, resigns, refuses to act, leaves the state or cannot be found (§ 502(d)). LLCs: identical fallback with the same $50 fee (6 Del. C. § 18-105(b)).
Revocation Foreign. A foreign corporation that fails to designate a new registered agent within the same 30-day window after its agent resigns forfeits its qualification/authority to do business in Delaware.
Civil Penalty. Annual-report failure (the registered agent forwards the annual report, § 132(b)(1)d.): neglect, refusal or failure to file a complete annual franchise tax report by March 1 adds a $200 penalty collected as part of the franchise tax; one year's nonpayment/nonfiling voids the charter (§ 510) and blocks certificates of good standing (§ 502(f)).
Dollar amounts named in the registered-agent statutes
What
Amount
Status
Fee the plaintiff pays the Secretary of State for substituted service on a corporation (taxed as costs if plaintiff prevails); version effective until Aug. 1, 2026
$50
○Pending review
Fee the plaintiff pays the Secretary of State for substituted service on an LLC (taxed as costs if plaintiff prevails)
$50
○Pending review
Penalty added to the franchise tax for failure to file a complete annual franchise tax report by March 1
$200
○Pending review
Filing fee for a certificate of change of location or change of registered agent (§ 133) and for change of address/name of registered agent (§ 134); also resignation coupled with successor appointment (§ 135)
$50
○Pending review
Filing fee, per corporation, for a registered agent's certificate of resignation WITHOUT appointment of a successor
$2.00
○Pending review
12 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 Delaware - 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 the filing of the certificate of incorporation an organization meeting of the incorporator or incorporators, or of the board of directors ... shall be held ... for the purposes of adopting bylaws, electing directors
Annual meeting required · applies to
corporations ·
yes
Unless directors are elected by written consent in lieu of an annual meeting as permitted by this subsection, an annual meeting of stockholders shall be held for the election of directors
Action by written consent allowed · applies to
corporations ·
yes
Unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, any action ... may be taken without a meeting ... if a consent or consents ... shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes
The original or other bylaws of a corporation may be adopted, amended or repealed by the incorporators, by the initial directors ... or, before a corporation ... has received any payment for any of its stock, by its board of directors.
Operating agreement required · applies to
LLCs ·
yes
'Limited liability company agreement' means any agreement ... written, oral or implied, of the member or members as to the affairs of a limited liability company and the conduct of its business.
A limited liability company agreement may set forth provisions relating to notice of the time, place or purpose of any meeting at which any matter is to be voted on by any members
Action by written consent allowed · applies to
LLCs ·
yes
the members may take such action without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote if consented to or approved, in writing ... by members having not less than the minimum number of votes
$25 single statewide registration. A Delaware business license is now required with the registration; entities not conducting business in DE (and nonprofits) may use a 'Trade Name Only' license, also $25.
Term
Perpetual - DBAs do not expire and require no renewal (active until terminated by the owner)
Delaware prohibits any person, firm or association from transacting business under a trade name that does not disclose the legal name of the person (or of every member of the firm or association) without first filing a sworn certificate with the Division of Revenue, which records it in the statewide Delaware Trade Name Registry. Recent session laws (85 Del. Laws c. 30, c. 1, c. 301) moved this filing to the Division of Revenue; copy describing county Prothonotary filing is outdated.
Where it is filed
The Delaware Division of Revenue (a state agency, not the Secretary of State and not a county office) receives the certificate and electronically records it in the Delaware Trade Name Registry.
Publication
Chapter 31 contains no newspaper-publication requirement; the filing consists of the sworn certificate filed with the Division of Revenue.
Term and renewal
Chapter 31 states no fixed term, expiration, or periodic renewal for a trade name certificate. The only required follow-up filing printed in the chapter is a supplemental certificate within 10 days after any change in the membership of a firm or association.
Assumed names for registered entities
Corporations and LLCs may voluntarily register trade names with the Division of Revenue under § 3108, including non-transacting Delaware corporations and LLCs (with a certificate of good standing and a special trade name license under 30 Del. C. § 2306). On the name-conflict side, a foreign corporation whose name conflicts with an existing Delaware record may qualify to do business only by adopting an assumed name (8 Del. C. § 371(c)); a foreign LLC's registration application states its name 'and, if different, the name under which it proposes to register and do business' (6 Del. C. § 18-902(1)a.), and its Secretary of State filing 'shall make it unnecessary to file any other documents under Chapter 31' (§ 18-903(c)).
Penalties
Violating §§ 3101, 3102, or 3104 subjects the person, and each person comprising the firm or association, to a fine of up to $100 or imprisonment up to 3 months, or both. Wilfully filing a false affidavit under §§ 3101, 3102, or 3108 is the crime of false swearing.
Trade name certificate filing (Delaware Trade Name Registry)
$25
6 Del. C. § 3103
◎Verified
Voluntary corporation/LLC trade name registration
$25
6 Del. C. § 3108(c)
◎Verified
Known gaps in the record
Term: chapter 31 prints no duration, expiration, or renewal period for a trade name certificate
Namerestrictions: no name-content restrictions (deceptive names, entity-indicator misuse) are printed in chapter 31
exclusive-rights:no-express-clause - chapter 31 neither grants nor expressly disclaims exclusive rights; the grantsRights=false classification rests on the absence of any granting provision
special-license:30-Del-C-2306 - § 3108(b) requires non-transacting registrants to 'first acquire a special trade name license from the Division of Revenue pursuant to § 2306 of Title 30,' which is not in the corpus
Common questions
Where do I register a trade name (DBA) in Delaware?
With the Delaware Division of Revenue, which records the certificate in the statewide Delaware Trade Name Registry (6 Del. C. §§ 3101, 3103). Under current law the filing goes to the Division of Revenue, a state agency; it is not a Secretary of State filing.
How much does a Delaware trade name registration cost?
The statute sets a $25 fee collected by the Division of Revenue for filing the certificate and making the registry entries (6 Del. C. § 3103; the same $25 applies to voluntary corporation and LLC registrations under § 3108(c)).
Does a Delaware corporation or LLC have to register its trade name?
No. Under 6 Del. C. § 3108(a), a corporation or LLC transacting business under a trade name 'may, but is not required to' register it with the Division of Revenue, and § 3107 provides that §§ 3101-3105 do not apply to legally incorporated companies. The mandatory filing duty falls on persons, firms and associations under § 3101.
What happens if I do business in Delaware under an unregistered trade name?
Violation of the mandatory filing sections (§§ 3101, 3102, 3104) is punishable by a fine of up to $100 or imprisonment up to 3 months, or both, for every person comprising the firm or association (6 Del. C. § 3106). Wilfully filing a false affidavit is the crime of false swearing (§ 3105).
Recurring entity-level tax
Franchise Tax (corporations); Annual Tax (LLCs/LPs, commonly also called franchise tax)
○Pending review
What it is called
Franchise Tax (corporations); Annual Tax (LLCs/LPs, commonly also called franchise tax)
Administering agency
Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations (not the Division of Revenue)
Basis of the tax
authorized shares OR assumed par value capital for corporations (taxpayer may use whichever yields the lesser tax); flat for LLCs/LPs ($300 for the 2026-06-01 payment; $400 from the 2027-06-01 payment, HB 400)
Minimum
$175
Maximum
$200,000
Due date
Corporations: March 1 (annual report + franchise tax; quarterly estimates if tax >= $5,000: 40% June 1, 20% Sept 1, 20% Dec 1, remainder March 1). LLCs/LPs: June 1. Penalty $200 plus 1.5%/month interest on tax and penalty; there is no proration on alternative entity taxes.
Corporations
true - all domestic non-exempt corporations pay franchise tax and file an annual report ($50 report fee) by March 1; foreign corporations file an annual report by June 30 ($125 fee) but pay no DE franchise tax
LLCs
true - flat annual tax due June 1, no annual report filing: $300 for the payment due 2026-06-01 (tax year 2025); $400 from the payment due 2027-06-01 (HB 400, first payable 2027-06-01)
The LLC minimum is not resolved as a number in the record (the annual-report figure already carries the entity-tax minimum - one obligation, counted once) - stated as a gap, not guessed.
This record is at review status provisionally reviewed: values render, citations are withheld until the review pass lands. How the gate works.
Stored as a delta against the federal baseline:
4 days this state closes that the
federal government does not, and 2 federal
holidays its filing office works through.
Delaware 2026 closure delta
Date
Day
Filing office
2026-02-16
Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day)
OPEN - federal holiday not observed
2026-04-03
Good Friday
Filing office closed
2026-10-12
Columbus Day
OPEN - federal holiday not observed
2026-11-03
Election Day
Filing office closed
2026-11-05
Return Day
Filing office closed
2026-11-27
Day After Thanksgiving
Filing office closed
Provenance - Delaware 2026 closures◎Verified
Citation withheld: this record did not clear the publication gate.
Delaware observed status strings and their verdict
Observed status
Verdict
Confidence
(BLANK)
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
2024, 2025, 2026 ARS DUE
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
2025 AND 2026 ARS DUE
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
ACTIVE
In good standing
high
ACTIVE- NEEDS RA CHANGE
In good standing
high
AR DELINQUENT, TAX DUE
Not in good standing
high
AR DELINQUENT, TAX DUE, PPOB NON-COMPLIANT
Not in good standing
high
AR DELINQUENT, TAX PAID
Not in good standing
high
AR DELINQUENT, TAX PAID, PPOB NON-COMPLIANT
Not in good standing
high
AR DELINQUENT/TAX DUE
Not in good standing
high
AR DELIQUENT, TAX DUE
Not in good standing
high
AR FILED, TAX DUE
Not in good standing
high
AR FILED, TAX DUE, PPOB NON-COMPLIANT
Not in good standing
high
AR FILED/TAX DUE
Not in good standing
high
BACKOUT INCORPORATION
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
CANCELED
Not in good standing
high
CANCELLED (FAILURE TO APPOINT R/A)
Not in good standing
high
CANCELLED (FAILURE TO APPOINT RA)
Not in good standing
high
CANCELLED (FAILURE TO PAY TAX)
Not in good standing
high
CANCELLED, FAILURE TO APPOINT RA
Not in good standing
high
CANCELLED, FAILURE TO PAY TAX
Not in good standing
high
CANCELLED, FAILURE TO PAY TAXVOID
Not in good standing
high
CANCELLED, FAILUVOIDE TO PAY TAX
Not in good standing
high
CEASE GOOD STANDING
Not in good standing
high
CONVERTED
Not in good standing
medium
CONVERTED OUT
Not in good standing
medium
DEFAULT
Not in good standing
high
DELINQUENT
Not in good standing
high
DISSOLVED
Not in good standing
high
ENTITY IS INACTIVE
Not in good standing
high
FILED
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
FILED IN
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
FILED IN <YEAR>
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
FORFEITED (FAILURE TO APPOINT RA)
Not in good standing
high
FORFEITED, FAILURE TO APPOINT RA
Not in good standing
high
GOD STANDING
In good standing
high
GOOD STANDIN
In good standing
high
GOOD STANDING
In good standing
high
GOOD STANDING - 2025 AR LATE
In good standing
high
INACTIVE
Not in good standing
high
INACTIVE/VOID
Not in good standing
high
MERGE DISSOLVED
Not in good standing
high
MERGED
Not in good standing
medium
MERGED OUT
Not in good standing
medium
NON SOS
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
NON-PPOB COMPLIANT
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
NOT FILED
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
NOT SOS FILED
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
NOT YET FILED
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
PPOB NON-COMPLIANT
Not in good standing
high
RESIGNATION TO APPOINTMENT
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
REVOKED
Not in good standing
high
REVOKED PRIOR TO ORDERING SERVICES
Not in good standing
high
SURRENDERED
Not in good standing
high
UNKNOWN
Unresolved - do not automate on this
high
VOI
Not in good standing
high
VOID
Not in good standing
high
VOID (AR/TAX DELINQUENT)
Not in good standing
high
VOID, AR OR TAX DELINQUENT
Not in good standing
high
VOID, AR S OR TAX DELINQUENT
Not in good standing
high
VOID, AR'S OR TAX DELINQUENT
Not in good standing
high
VOID, NO RA
Not in good standing
high
VOID, PPOB NON-COMPLIANT
Not in good standing
high
VOID, TAX DUE, PPOB NON-COMPLIANT
Not in good standing
high
VOID/NO RA APPOINTED
Not in good standing
high
VOL. DISSOLVED
Not in good standing
high
VOLUNTARILY CANCELLED
Not in good standing
high
VOLUNTARILY DISSOLVED
Not in good standing
high
VOUNTARILY CANCELLED
Not in good standing
high
WITHDRAWN
Not in good standing
high
Restricted entity-name words
3 restricted entity-name word entries
are recorded for Delaware,
the rest requiring an agency's consent or licensure before the word may appear in a name.
Governing law: 8 Del. C. 102(a)(1) (corporate name); 8 Del. C. 395 (word 'trust'); 6 Del. C. 18-102 (LLC), 17-102 (LP), 15-108 (partnership).
8 Del. C. 125: 'the certificate of incorporation or an amendment thereof prior to its being filed in the office of the Secretary of State shall have endorsed thereon the approval of the Department of Education' (power to confer academic or honorary degrees); implemented by 14 DE Admin. Code 292 (Department approval required prior to an institution incorporating with the power to confer degrees, per 14 Del. C. 121(a)(16), 122(b) and 8 Del. C. 125)
◎Verified
License required
bank (or any variation thereof)
must be a bank reporting to and under the supervision of the Delaware State Bank Commissioner, a subsidiary of a bank or savings association (FDIA definitions), or an entity regulated under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 or the Home Owners' Loan Act; Division of Corporations determines misleading-use cases
8 Del. C. 102(a)(1)(iv) ('shall not contain the word "bank," or any variation thereof, except for the name of a bank reporting to and under the supervision of the State Bank Commissioner of this State...'); parallel text at 6 Del. C. 18-102(5) (LLC), 6 Del. C. 17-102 (LP), 6 Del. C. 15-108(d) (partnership)
◎Verified
License required
Trust
Delaware State Bank Commissioner (corporation must report to and be under the Commissioner's supervision, or be regulated under the Bank Holding Company Act / Home Owners' Loan Act)
8 Del. C. 102(a)(1)(iii) ('except as permitted by 395 of this title, shall not contain the word "trust"'); 8 Del. C. 395(b): 'no corporation of this State shall use the word "trust" as part of its name, except a corporation reporting to and under the supervision of the State Bank Commissioner of this State or a corporation regulated under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 ... or 10 of the Home Owners' Loan Act'
● 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: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday thru Friday excluding State Holidays (live support 8:30am to 4:00pm).
Source links render on verified rows only.
Division of Corporations, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901 (express); Division of Corporations, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903 (regular mail)
Where to search Delaware'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 - Delaware◎Verified
Filing office
Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Filing-office statute
6 Del. C. 9-501(a)(2): "the office of the Secretary of State" in all other cases (https://delcode.delaware.gov/title6/c009/sc05/index.html); 6 Del. C. 9-525 information request fee "$25 if the request is communicated in writing" / "$25 if the request is communicated by another medium authorized by filing-office rule"
$70 flat when filed on the web; $125 for a 1 to 4 page document submitted through an Authorized UCC Filer, plus $2 per page over 4; plus $25 per debtor name when there are more than two debtor names; plus $20 if the financing statement is for a public finance or manufactured home transaction
Filing channels
online only - paper is not accepted (since 2015-12-01); e-UCC web application (icis.corp.delaware.gov/Ecorp/UCC.aspx) or UCC XML submitters; paper may only go through an Authorized UCC Filer who submits it electronically; the Division no longer accepts pap
Filing expedite
Expedited service for UCC-1 and UCC-3 filings, in addition to the filing fee: Next Day $100, Same Day $200, 2 Hour $500, 1 Hour $1,000
UCC-3 amendments, as the office states the fees
UCC-3 amendments, continuations, terminations and assignments carry the same fee as a UCC-1: $70 flat on the web, or $125 for 1 to 4 pages plus $2 per page over 4 through an Authorized UCC Filer
Effective for
5 years from filing - 6 Del. C. 9-515(a)
Bulk data
bulk data by quote only - Unpublished - by inquiry to the filing office only (Rule 108)
Whether Delaware 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 - Delaware◎Verified
General state license
Yes - Delaware business license (State of Delaware business license; general service license for activities not otherwise enumerated)
Who must hold it
Any person conducting a trade or business in Delaware (including Delaware-located entities doing business outside the state); a separate license for each separate business activity
30 Del. C. Part III (Occupational and Business Licenses and Taxes): ch. 21 General Provisions Concerning Licenses (§§ 2101-2126) and ch. 23 Cost of Occupational Licenses and Fees (§ 2301)
Initial fee
$75
Renewal fee
$75
Renewal cadence
annual - License expires December 31 each year (or December 31 of the third year for a 3-year license); renewal for the coming year due no later than December 31 of the preceding year; obtain at the time business commences (FAQ)
Penalty
Carrying on a licensable business without a license: liable for the license fees and a fine of not more than $3,000, or imprisonment of not more than 2 years, or both (30 Del. C. § 2119). Division of Revenue also assesses a $200 penalty for failure to obtain a business license if not self-disclosed (CRA instructions). Failure to display the license: fine up to $100 (§ 2109). Court of Chancery may
Exemptions
Nonprofit organizations exempt from federal income tax under IRC § 501 (§ 2301(p)); Employees, with respect to activities as an employee (§ 2301(e)(2)); partners acting solely as partners (§ 2301(e)(4)); Banks, insurance companies and licensed agents, public utilities, savings and loan associations and similar regulated financial institutions (§ 2301(o)); REMICs, registered investment-company stat
county and city licenses - Depending on where you are located in Delaware, your city and/or county may also require a city and/or county business license, in addition to a State of Delaware business license.
Which of Delaware'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 Delaware filings, 6 of 6 rows verified
Filing
Entity scope
Asks for
Required
Where on the form
Source
Formation
domestic stock corporation
no industry information
not asked
Articles First (name), Second (registered office/agent), Third (purpose - preprinted), Fourth (authorized shares/par), Fifth (incorporator), execution
State business license - Detailed List of Division of Revenue Licenses and Tax Rates (Category / Business Group Code / Annual Fee / Additional Locations / Current Tax Rate / Returns Due, 74 options
101 Advertising Agency
105 Amusement Machine Owner
131 Amusement Machine Owner - Each machine (decal)
Entity-tax return - Gross receipts tax rate / exclusion by business category - the same 'Detailed List of Division of Revenue Licenses and Tax Rates' business codes selec, 57 options
101 Advertising Agency
105 Amusement Machine Owner
519 Auctioneer Non-Resident - each county
520 Auctioneer Resident
120 Broker
214 *Cigarette - Wholesale business license also needed
Tax registration - Same list as DE business_license: 'Detailed List of Division of Revenue Licenses and Tax Rates' business codes, entered on the Combined Registration A, 74 options
101 Advertising Agency
105 Amusement Machine Owner
131 Amusement Machine Owner - Each machine (decal)
Delaware has 3 county-equivalents: 3 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.
All 3 county-equivalents
Delaware county-equivalents
Name
Type
FIPS
Note
Kent County
county
10001
New Castle County
county
10003
Sussex County
county
10005
Other records held
Other records held for Delaware
Record
Value
Status
State trademark registration
$25 per class, 10 year term, $25 renewal
○Pending review
Change of registered agent
$50
○Pending review
Who must be named in public filings
LLC: near-total privacy - the certificate of formation requires only the LLC name and registered office/agent (6 Del. C. 18-201(a)); members/managers are NOT required on the public record, and there is NO annual report (flat tax only), so nothing is forced onto the record annually. CORP: the certificate of incorporatio
○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.