30 of 43 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 38 of 54 on first-year state
filing cost, at $230.22 against a national median
of $185.00.
Recurring annual cost $76.69.
See the full ranking.
Where Illinois sits among its neighbours in the first-year cost ranking (USD)Show all 54 jurisdictionsThe full ranking with Illinois 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.
805 ILCS 5/5.05
◎Verified
Business Corporation Act of 1983 · applies to
corporations
Registered office and registered agent.Each domestic corporation and each foreign corporation having authority to transact business in this State shall have and continuously maintain in this State: (a) A registered office which may be, but need not be, the same as its place of business in this State. (b) A registered agent, which agent may be either an individual, resident in this State, whose business office is identical with such registered office, or a domestic or foreign corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, or limited liability partnership authorized to transact business in this State that is authorized by its statement of purpose to act as such agent, having a business office identical with such registered office.
Registered office and registered agent.(a) Each limited liability company and foreign limited liability company shall continuously maintain in this State a registered agent and registered office, which agent must be an individual resident of this State or other person authorized to transact business in this State.
Business Corporation Act of 1983 · applies to
corp
Articles of Incorporation.The articles of incorporation shall be executed and filed in duplicate in accordance with Section 1.10 of this Act. (a) The articles of incorporation must set forth: (1) a corporate name for the corporation that satisfies the requirements of this Act; (2) the purpose or purposes for which the corporation is organized [...] (3) the address of the corporation's initial registered office and the name of its initial registered agent at that office; (4) the name and address of each incorporator; (5) the number of shares of each class the corporation is authorized to issue; [...]
Organization.(a) One or more persons, other than natural persons under 18 years of age, may organize a limited liability company by executing and delivering articles of organization to the Secretary of State as specified in Sections 5-5 and 5-45. The organizers need not be members of the limited liability company. [...] (b) A limited liability company shall have one or more members. (c) A limited liability company is a legal entity distinct from its members.
Business Corporation Act of 1983 · applies to
corp
Annual report of domestic or foreign corporation.Each domestic corporation organized under any general law or special act of this State authorizing the corporation to issue shares, other than homestead associations, building and loan associations, banks and insurance companies [...] and each foreign corporation [...] authorized to transact business in this State, shall file, within the time prescribed by this Act, an annual report setting forth: (a) The name of the corporation. (b) The address, including street and number, or rural route number, of its registered office in this State, and the name of its registered agent at that address. [...]
Annual reports.(a) Each limited liability company organized under the laws of this State and each foreign limited liability company admitted to transact business in this State shall file, within the time prescribed by this Act, an annual report setting forth all of the following: (1) The name of the limited liability company. [...] (b) The annual report, together with all fees and charges prescribed by this Act, shall be delivered to the Secretary of State within 60 days immediately preceding the first day of the anniversary month.
Business Corporation Act of 1983 · applies to
corp
Grounds for administrative dissolution.The Secretary of State may dissolve any corporation administratively if: (a) It has failed to file its annual report or final transition annual report and pay its franchise tax as required by this Act before the first day of the anniversary month [...] (c) it has failed to pay any fees, franchise taxes, or charges prescribed by this Act; [...] (e) it has failed to appoint and maintain a registered agent in this State; [...]
Grounds for administrative dissolution.The Secretary of State may dissolve any limited liability company administratively if: (1) it has failed to file its annual report and pay its fee as required by this Act before the first day of the anniversary month or has failed to pay any fees, penalties, or charges required by this Act; [...] (3) it has failed to appoint and maintain a registered agent in Illinois in accordance with the provisions of this Act; [...]
Business Corporation Act of 1983 · applies to
corp
Corporate name of domestic or foreign corporation.(a) The corporate name of a domestic corporation or of a foreign corporation organized, existing or subject to the provisions of this Act: (1) Shall contain, separate and apart from any other word or abbreviation in such name, the word "corporation", "company", "incorporated", or "limited", or an abbreviation of one of such words [...] (3) Shall be distinguishable upon the records in the office of the Secretary of State from the name or assumed name of any domestic corporation or limited liability company organized under the Limited Liability Company Act [...]
Limited liability company name.(a) The name of each limited liability company or foreign limited liability company organized, existing, or subject to the provisions of this Act: (1) shall contain the terms "limited liability company", "L.L.C.", or "LLC", or, if organized as a low-profit limited liability company under Section 1-26 of this Act, shall contain the term "L3C"; [...] (4) shall not contain any of the following terms: "Corporation," "Corp.," "Incorporated," "Inc.," "Ltd.," "Co.," "Limited Partnership" or "L.P."; [...] (d) The name shall be distinguishable upon the records in the Office of the Secretary of State from all of the following: (1) Any limited liability company that has articles of organization filed with the Secretary of State under Section 5-5. [...]
The Secretary of State is irrevocably appointed as agent for service whenever the entity fails to appoint or maintain a registered agent, or the agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the registered office. Service is made on the Secretary of State with a fee, plus registered/certified mail notice to the entity. The LLC Act parallel is 805 ILCS 180/1-50(b).
Administrative Dissolution. The LLC Act carries the same ground: an Illinois LLC that fails to appoint and maintain a registered agent may be administratively dissolved (60-day cure window after the notice of delinquency under 805 ILCS 180/35-30(b)).
Revocation Foreign. A foreign corporation's authority to transact business in Illinois may be revoked for failure to appoint and maintain a registered agent.
Revocation Foreign. A foreign LLC's admission may be revoked if it fails to appoint and maintain a registered agent within 60 days after its agent's notice of resignation.
No Court Access. A foreign corporation transacting business without authority (including after revocation for registered agent failure) may not maintain a civil action in Illinois courts until authority is obtained; the LLC Act parallel is 805 ILCS 180/45-45(a).
Filing statement of change of address of registered office or change of registered agent, or both (corporation)
$25
○Pending review
Filing an application for reinstatement of a domestic or foreign corporation
$200
○Pending review
Filing a statement of change of address of registered office or change of registered agent, or both (LLC)
$25
○Pending review
Filing an application for reinstatement of an LLC or foreign LLC
$200
○Pending review
LLC delinquency penalty (includes failure to appoint and maintain a registered agent within 60 days of a resignation notice)
$100 plus $100 per year of delinquency
○Pending review
Penalty on a foreign corporation transacting business without authority that fails to apply within 60 days (greater of 10% of fees/taxes or this amount)
$200 plus $5.00 per month
○Pending review
Penalty on a foreign LLC transacting business without admission that fails to be admitted within 60 days
$2,000 plus $100 per month
○Pending review
18 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 Illinois - 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
The first meeting of the initial directors shall be held at the call of the majority of them for the purpose of: (1) adopting by-laws... (2) electing officers
Annual meeting required · applies to
corporations ·
yes
An annual meeting of the shareholders shall be held at such time as may be provided in the by-laws... Failure to hold the annual meeting at the designated time shall not work a forfeiture or dissolution
Action by written consent allowed · applies to
corporations ·
yes
may be taken without a meeting and without a vote, if a consent in writing... shall be signed (i) by the holders of outstanding shares having not less than the minimum number of votes
Operating agreement required · applies to
LLCs ·
no
"Operating agreement" means the agreement under Section 15-5, whether or not referred to as an operating agreement and whether oral, in a record, implied, or in any combination thereof
Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services (corp: BCA 4.15 / form BCA-4.15; LLC: 805 ILCS 180/1-20 / form LLC-1.20). County clerk only for sole props/general partnerships.
Until the anniversary month in the next calendar year evenly divisible by 5 (statewide 5-year cycle ending in years ending 0 and 5)
Renewal
Renew within the 60 days preceding the renewal date each 5-year cycle; renewal fee $150; LLCs get a nonpayment notice and a $100 late fee - right to the name ceases if not paid within 60 days of notice
Illinois splits DBA registration by business form. Individuals and general partnerships must file an assumed-name certificate with the County Clerk of each county where they conduct or transact business, followed by newspaper publication (805 ILCS 405/1). Corporations, LLCs, LPs, and LLPs are expressly excluded from the county act (805 ILCS 405/4) and instead register assumed names with the Secretary of State under their entity statutes (e.g., 805 ILCS 5/4.15 for corporations, 805 ILCS 180/1-20 for LLCs).
Where it is filed
For individuals and general partnerships: the County Clerk of each county where the business is or is to be conducted, with an additional certificate required in any other county where the business relocates or opens an additional location. For registered entities: the Secretary of State under the entity acts.
Publication
Notice of the county filing must be published in a county newspaper of general circulation once a week for 3 consecutive weeks, with first publication within 15 days of filing; proof of publication must be filed with the County Clerk within 50 days, and the registration is void without it.
Term and renewal
The county-level certificate has no stated duration or expiration in 805 ILCS 405; supplemental certificates are required when a name, residence address, or business address changes or a person is added. Entity-level assumed names registered with the Secretary of State run to the first day of the entity's anniversary month in the next calendar year evenly divisible by 5.
Name restrictions
A person may not advertise or list in a telephone directory an assumed or fictitious business name that intentionally misrepresents where the business is located or operating ('locale misrepresentation'), and a foreign person or entity may not use an assumed or fictitious name to intentionally misrepresent its origin or location. SOS-registered assumed corporate names must also satisfy the corporate-name standards of 805 ILCS 5/4.05(a)(2)-(6).
Failure to comply is a Class C misdemeanor, and each day of business in violation is a separate offense. If proof of publication is not made to the County Clerk, the certificate of registration of the assumed name is void. If persons required to register do not and are unknown, civil actions may be brought against the business under its assumed name naming 'unknown owner or owners,' and the judgment is enforceable against the property of the business and is a lien on real estate held in the business name.
County Clerk filing of certificate of cancellation or withdrawal of one or more names
$1.50
805 ILCS 405/3a
◎Verified
Known gaps in the record
Exclusiverights: 805 ILCS 405 (reviewed in full, secs. 0.01-6) contains no provision addressing whether registration grants exclusive rights to the name
Term: 805 ILCS 405 states no duration or renewal for the county-clerk certificate; the cited 5-year cycle applies only to SOS entity assumed names
Common questions
Where do I file a DBA in Illinois?
It depends on your business form. Under 805 ILCS 405/1, individuals and general partnerships file an assumed-name certificate with the County Clerk of each county where they conduct or transact business. Corporations, LLCs, LPs, and LLPs are excluded from that act (805 ILCS 405/4) and instead register assumed names with the Illinois Secretary of State under their entity statutes (805 ILCS 5/4.15 for corporations; 805 ILCS 180/1-20 for LLCs).
Does Illinois require newspaper publication of a DBA filing?
Yes, for county-level filings. 805 ILCS 405/1 requires notice of the filing to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county once a week for 3 consecutive weeks, with the first publication within 15 days after filing. Proof of publication must be filed with the County Clerk within 50 days, and unless proof of publication is made, the certificate of registration is void.
What is the penalty for doing business under an unregistered assumed name in Illinois?
Under 805 ILCS 405/5, failure to comply with the act is a Class C misdemeanor, and each day of business in violation is deemed a separate offense. In addition, under 805 ILCS 405/6, an unregistered business can be sued under its assumed name with owners designated as 'unknown,' and the judgment is enforceable against the business's property.
Do Illinois entity assumed names expire?
Yes. An assumed corporate name registered with the Secretary of State is effective until the first day of the corporation's anniversary month in the next calendar year evenly divisible by 5, and must be renewed within the 60 days preceding expiration for 5-year periods (805 ILCS 5/4.15(d), (e)). The county-level certificate for individuals and partnerships has no stated expiration, but supplemental certificates are required when names or addresses change.
Recurring entity-level tax
Corporation Franchise Tax (annual franchise tax under the Business Corporation Act of 1983)
◎Verified
What it is called
Corporation Franchise Tax (annual franchise tax under the Business Corporation Act of 1983)
Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services (NOT the Dept. of Revenue)
805 ILCS 5 Art. 15 (fees, franchise taxes and charges payable to the Secretary of State); collected with the SOS annual report (Form BCA 14.05) · source↗ (opens the official source)
Basis of the tax
other - paid-in capital represented in Illinois
805 ILCS 5/15.35 (tax computed on the basis prescribed in the Act = paid-in capital); 805 ILCS 5/15.45 (rate applied to paid-in capital) · source↗ (opens the official source)
Payable with the SOS annual report, which must be filed within the 60 days immediately preceding the first day of the corporation's anniversary month
805 ILCS 5/14.10 ('within 60 days immediately preceding the first day of the anniversary month'); tax payable per 805 ILCS 5/15.35 with the annual report · source↗ (opens the official source)
Corporations
True
LLCs
False
The tax does not reach LLCs - a positive finding in the record.
Stored as a delta against the federal baseline:
3 days this state closes that the
federal government does not, and 0 federal
holidays its filing office works through.
Illinois 2026 closure delta
Date
Day
Filing office
2026-02-12
Lincoln's Birthday
Filing office closed
2026-11-03
General Election Day
Filing office closed
2026-11-27
Day after Thanksgiving
Filing office closed
Provenance - Illinois 2026 closures◎Verified
Citation withheld: this record did not clear the publication gate.
Illinois observed status strings and their verdict
Observed status
Verdict
Confidence
(BLANK)
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
ACTIVE
In good standing
high
ADMIN DISSOLVED
Not in good standing
high
AGENT VACATED
Not in good standing
medium
BANKRUPTCY
Not in good standing
medium
CONVERSION
Not in good standing
medium
CONVERTED
Not in good standing
medium
DEFAULT
Not in good standing
high
DELINQUENT
Not in good standing
high
DISSOLVED
Not in good standing
high
DOMESTICATED
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
EXPIRED
Not in good standing
medium
FILED IN <YEAR>
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
GOOD STANDING
In good standing
high
GOODSTANDING
In good standing
high
INACTIVE
Not in good standing
high
INCOMPLETE FILE
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
INVOLUNTARILY DISSOLUTION
Not in good standing
high
INVOLUNTARILY DISSOLVED
Not in good standing
high
INVOLUNTARY DISSOLINVOLUNTARY DISSOLUTION
Not in good standing
high
INVOLUNTARY DISSOLULTION
Not in good standing
high
INVOLUNTARY DISSOLUTION
Not in good standing
high
INVOLUNTARY DISSOLVED
Not in good standing
high
MERGE/CONSOLIDATED
Not in good standing
medium
MERGED
Not in good standing
medium
MERGED/CONSOLIDATED
Not in good standing
medium
NGS
Not in good standing
high
NO RENEWAL
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
NON SOS
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
NOT FILED
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
NOT GOOD STANDING
Not in good standing
high
NOT IN GOOD STANDING
Not in good standing
high
NOT SOS FILED
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
NOT YET FILED
Unresolved - do not automate on this
medium
NVOLUNTARY DISSOLUTION
Not in good standing
high
REDOMESTICATED
Not in good standing
medium
REGISTERED NAME EXPIRATION
Not in good standing
medium
REGISTERED NAME EXPIRATION CANCELLATION
Not in good standing
high
REVOKED
Not in good standing
high
SINVOLUNTARY DISSOLUTION
Not in good standing
high
SPECIAL ACT CORPORATION
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
TERMINATED
Not in good standing
high
UNACCEPTABLE PAYMENT
Unresolved - do not automate on this
low
UNKNOWN
Unresolved - do not automate on this
high
VOID
Not in good standing
high
VOLUNTARY DISSOLUTION
Not in good standing
high
VOLUNTARY DISSOLVED
Not in good standing
high
WITHDRAWN
Not in good standing
high
Restricted entity-name words
4 restricted entity-name word entries
are recorded for Illinois - 2 prohibited outright,
the rest requiring an agency's consent or licensure before the word may appear in a name.
Commissioner of Banks and Real Estate (functions now in IDFPR), per Section 46 of the Illinois Banking Act
805 ILCS 5/4.05(a)(2): 'The word "bank", "banker" or "banking" may only be used by a corporation if it has first complied with Section 46 of the Illinois Banking Act'; banking-implication words otherwise prohibited 'unless otherwise permitted by the Commissioner of Banks and Real Estate'
◎Verified
Consent required
trust / trustee / fiduciary
Commissioner of Banks and Real Estate under Section 1-9 of the Corporate Fiduciary Act (corporations); Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation (LLCs)
805 ILCS 5/4.05(a)(2): 'The word "trust", "trustee", or "fiduciary" may be used by a corporation only if it has first complied with Section 1-9 of the Corporate Fiduciary Act'; parallel LLC rule at 805 ILCS 180/1-10(a)(6)
◎Verified
Prohibited
Corporation / Corp. / Incorporated / Inc. / Ltd. / Co. / Limited Partnership / L.P. (in an LLC name)
805 ILCS 180/1-10(a)(4): LLC name 'shall not contain any of the following terms: "Corporation," "Corp.," "Incorporated," "Inc.," "Ltd.," "Co.," "Limited Partnership" or "L.P."'
◎Verified
Prohibited
insurance / assurance / indemnity (or any word implying authority to conduct insurance or accept savings deposits)
805 ILCS 5/4.05(a)(2)(i): name 'Shall not contain any word or phrase which indicates or implies that the corporation (i) is authorized or empowered to conduct the business of insurance, assurance, indemnity, or the acceptance of savings deposits'
● 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: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..
Source links render on verified rows only.
Reaching the filing office
◎Verified
Phone
217-782-6961 for corporation matters; 217-524-8008 for LLC matters
Mailing address
Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, 501 S. Second St., Rm. 350 (corp) / Rm. 351 (LLC), Springfield, IL 62756
Courier / walk-in
501 S. Second St., Rm. 350 (corp) / Rm. 351 (LLC), Springfield, IL 62756 (street address - same for courier)
Illinois splits the filing surface by division: corp forms carry Rm. 350 and 217-782-6961, LLC forms carry the Limited Liability Division, Rm. 351 and 217-524-8008 - use the division-direct line and room, not the 800 switchboard; no email is published, use the web contact form
Where to search Illinois'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 - Illinois◎Verified
Filing office
Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Uniform Commercial Code Division
Filing-office statute
810 ILCS 5/9-501(a)(2): 'the office of the Secretary of State in all other cases' (read at https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/081000050K9-501.htm)
Online UCC/Federal Tax Lien Database Search: no fee or login on the form. Certified search: 'To obtain a certified search with images, you must complete a UCC-11 information request.' Fee table: 'UCC 11 Information Request $10'; 'UCC 58 Payment Cover Sheet - To be attached to the Information Request UCC 11'. Filing fees: UCC 1 $20, UCC 3 $20 '(UCC Terminations are free)', UCC 5 $20.
Filing images online
No: 'Because some UCC images contain Social Security numbers, Federal Identification Numbers, and banking account or loan numbers, images of filed documents are not online.'
$20 per UCC 1 financing statement, online or on paper, regardless of page count.
Filing channels
online or paper; Online through the Secretary of State's UCC filing application at https://apps.ilsos.gov/UCC/ (UCC 1 and UCC 3); paper by mail to Illinois Secretary of State, UCC Division, Howlett Bldg., Rm. 350 W, 5
UCC-3 amendments, as the office states the fees
$20 per UCC 3 amendment (including assignment and continuation); UCC terminations are free; UCC 5 information statement $20.
Effective for
5 years from filing - 810 ILCS 5/9-515(a)
Bulk data
published bulk-data program - $2,500 one-time, payable in advance - full extract of the master file of ALL HISTORICAL UCC and Federal Tax Lien data from the information management system
Whether Illinois 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 - Illinois◎Verified
General state license
None - the state issues no general business license; licensing is occupation-specific and local
county and city licenses - A General Business License (GBL) is required for all businesses in the unincorporated area of Cook County that engage in general sales, that provide a service, engage in office operations, or businesses that do not fall under another license category and are not exempt from County Licenses.
Which of Illinois'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 Illinois filings, 9 of 9 rows verified
Filing
Entity scope
Asks for
Required
Where on the form
Source
Formation
corporation
no industry information
not asked
Item 3 'Purposes(s) for which the Corporation is Organized' - pre-printed general purpose, free text; items 1-8 otherwise name, agent, shares, directo
Illinois has 102 county-equivalents: 102 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.
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.