Every fee datum on this page is verified against the agency's own published schedule or statute (independent re-verification, 2026-09-04); the origin of each value is kept in its record as evidence.
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 34 of 54 on first-year state
filing cost, at $204.00 against a national median
of $185.00.
Recurring annual cost $102.
See the full ranking.
Where New Hampshire sits among its neighbours in the first-year cost ranking (USD)Show all 54 jurisdictionsThe full ranking with New Hampshire 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.
RSA 293-A:5.01
◎Verified
New Hampshire Business Corporation Act · applies to
corporations
Registered Office and Registered Agent.(a) Each corporation must continuously maintain in this state: (1) a registered office that may be the same as any of its places of business; and (2) a registered agent, who may be: (i) an individual who resides in this state and whose business office is identical with the registered office; (ii) a corporation organized or authorized under RSA 292, RSA 293-A, or RSA 294-A whose business office is identical with the registered office; (iii) a limited liability company formed or authorized under RSA 304-C whose business office is identical with the registered office; or (iv) a limited liability partnership formed or authorized under RSA 304-A:44 whose business office is identical with the registered office.
Limited Liability Companies (RSA ch. 304-C) · applies to
LLCs
Limited Liability Company Registered Offices and Registered Agents.I. Each limited liability company shall have and maintain in the state of New Hampshire: (a) A registered office that may be the same as any of its places of business; and (b) A registered agent, which agent may be: (1) An individual who resides in this state and whose residential or business office is identical with the registered office; or (2) A corporation organized or authorized under RSA 292, RSA 293-A, or RSA 294-A whose business office is identical with the registered office; [...]
New Hampshire Business Corporation Act · applies to
corporations
Act Definitions."Sign" or "signature" means, with present intent to authenticate or adopt a document, to execute or adopt a tangible symbol to a document, including any manual, facsimile, or conformed signature, or electronic signature under RSA 294-E. [...]
Limited Liability Companies (RSA ch. 304-C) · applies to
LLCs
Certificate of Formation-General Requirements.I. In order to form a domestic limited liability company, one or more authorized persons shall deliver a certificate of formation to the secretary of state for filing. II. (a) The certificate of formation shall set forth the name of the limited liability company. [...] III. Unless an effective time and date are specified in accordance with RSA 304-C:29, II, a domestic limited liability company is formed on the date and at the time of the filing of the certificate of formation with the secretary of state.
New Hampshire Business Corporation Act · applies to
corp
Incorporators.One or more persons may act as the incorporator or incorporators of a corporation by delivering articles of incorporation to the secretary of state for filing.
Limited Liability Companies (RSA ch. 304-C) · applies to
LLCs
Annual Reports to Secretary of State.I. Each domestic limited liability company and each foreign limited liability company registered to do business in this state, except limited liability companies making returns to the insurance commissioner, shall deliver to the secretary of state for filing an annual report that sets forth: [...] III. (a) Except as provided in subparagraph (b), the first annual report shall be delivered to the secretary of state between January 1 and April 1 of the year following the calendar year in which a domestic limited liability company was formed or a foreign limited liability company was registered to do business.
New Hampshire Business Corporation Act · applies to
corp
Annual Report for Secretary of State.(a) Each domestic corporation, and each foreign corporation authorized to transact business in this state, shall deliver to the secretary of state for filing an annual report that sets forth: (1) the name of the corporation and the state or country under whose law it is incorporated; [...] (c) The first annual report must be delivered to the secretary of state between January 1 and April 1 of the year following the calendar year in which a domestic corporation was incorporated or a foreign corporation was authorized to transact business; [...]
Limited Liability Companies (RSA ch. 304-C) · applies to
LLCs
Administrative Dissolution.The secretary of state may administratively dissolve a limited liability company if: I. For 2 consecutive years, the limited liability company does not pay within 60 days after they are due any annual report fees or penalties imposed by this act or other law; II. The limited liability company for 2 consecutive years does not deliver its annual report to the secretary of state within 60 days after it is due; III. The limited liability company is without a registered agent or registered office in this state for 60 days or more; [...]
New Hampshire Business Corporation Act · applies to
corp
Grounds for Administrative Dissolution.(a) The secretary of state may commence a proceeding under RSA 293-A:14.21 to administratively dissolve a corporation if: (1) the corporation does not pay any annual fees or penalties imposed by this chapter or other law for 12 months after they are due; (2) the corporation does not deliver its annual report to the secretary of state for 12 months after it is due; (3) the corporation is without a registered agent or registered office in this state for 60 days or more; [...]
Limited Liability Companies (RSA ch. 304-C) · applies to
LLCs
Name Set Forth in Certificate of Formation.I. The name of each limited liability company as set forth in its certificate of formation: (a) Shall contain the words "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "LLC" or any other similar abbreviation; and (b) May contain the name of a member or manager. [...] III. Except as authorized by paragraph IV, V, or VI, a limited liability company name, based upon the records of the secretary of state, shall be distinguishable from, and not the same as: [...]
New Hampshire Business Corporation Act · applies to
corp
Corporate Name.(a) A corporate name: (1) must contain the word "corporation," "incorporated," or "limited," or the abbreviation "corp.," "inc.," or "ltd.," or words or abbreviations of like import in another language; and (2) may not contain language stating or implying that the corporation is organized for a purpose other than that permitted by RSA 293-A:3.01 and its articles of incorporation. (b) Except as authorized by subsections (c) and (d), a corporate name, based upon the records of the secretary of state, shall be distinguishable from, and not the same as: [...]
A NH corporation must continuously maintain a registered office and a registered agent who is either (i) an individual resident of NH whose business office is identical with the registered office, or (ii) a corporation (RSA 292/293-A/294-A), LLC (RSA 304-C), or LLP (RSA 304-A:44) organized or authorized in NH whose business office is identical with the registered office. The LLC act mirrors this, and for an individual allows a 'residential or business office' identical with the registered office (RSA 304-C:36, I).
Is the agent's consent required
○Pending review
Consent required: no.
What happens when the agent cannot be served
○Pending review
If a corporation has no registered agent, or the agent cannot with reasonable diligence be served, service is made by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed to the secretary of the corporation at its principal office - perfected on receipt, on the return-receipt date, or 5 days after mailing. The LLC act is identical except mail is addressed to the LLC at its principal office (RSA 304-C:37, II). This is mail service on the entity, not service on the Secretary of State.
Other. Effect of administrative dissolution: the corporation continues to exist but may not carry on any business except winding up and liquidating; the SOS gives 60 days to cure after notice before dissolving.
Other. Name protection lasts only 120 days after the notice of administrative dissolution; after that another entity may take the name without the dissolved corporation's consent.
Reinstatement Fee. Reinstatement within 3 years costs $135 (application for reinstatement following administrative dissolution); after 3 years, late reinstatement requires a court-style showing, publication, and a $500 fee. LLC fees are identical ($135 reinstatement, $500 late reinstatement, RSA 304-C:191, II(f)).
Dollar amounts named in the registered-agent statutes
What
Amount
Status
Statement of change of registered agent or registered office, or both (corporation)
$15
○Pending review
Agent's statement of resignation (corporation)
No fee
○Pending review
Application for reinstatement following administrative dissolution (corporation)
$135
○Pending review
Late reinstatement fee (corporation, after 3 years)
$500
○Pending review
Fee collected each time process is served on the secretary of state under the corporation chapter (recoverable as costs by a prevailing party)
$25
○Pending review
LLC statement of change of registered office/agent (RSA 304-C:36, II) and agent's own change statement (304-C:36, V)
$15
○Pending review
LLC application for reinstatement following administrative dissolution
$135
○Pending review
LLC application for late reinstatement
$500
○Pending review
16 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 New Hampshire - 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 initial 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, and carrying on any other business
Annual meeting required · applies to
corporations ·
yes
Unless directors are elected by written consent in lieu of an annual meeting as permitted by RSA 293-A:7.04, a corporation shall hold a meeting of shareholders annually at a time stated in or fixed in accordance with the bylaws
Action by written consent allowed · applies to
corporations ·
yes
may be taken without a meeting if the action is taken by all the shareholders entitled to vote on the action. ... The articles of incorporation may provide ... not less than the minimum number of votes that would be required
Operating agreement required · applies to
LLCs ·
no
Unless a written operating agreement provides otherwise, an operating agreement, including amendments to the operating agreement, may be written, oral, or implied by course of dealing or otherwise.
there shall be, within 30 days after a written demand by any member, a meeting of the members ... No meeting shall be required under paragraph I if there has been such a meeting within 240 days
Action by written consent allowed · applies to
LLCs ·
yes
the members may cast their votes in a writing without a meeting and without prior notice if the votes taken without a meeting are not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to decide the matter
$50 registration (RSA 349:7: 'a fee of $50' for filing of registration and issuance of certificate); notice of discontinuance/addition/withdrawal $10
Term
5 years (RSA 349:8)
Renewal
Renew every 5 years, $50; SOS mails notice at least 6 months and again 30 days before expiration; if not renewed within 30 days AFTER expiration the registration is discontinued and the name abandoned (RSA 349:8)
New Hampshire requires trade-name registration at the state level: every sole proprietor doing business under any name other than the proprietor's own name, and every partnership, trust or association doing business in the state, must register the trade name with the secretary of state. Registered entities (corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs) are exempt unless they do business under trade names other than their registered names.
Where it is filed
The New Hampshire secretary of state - a statewide registry, not a county or municipal filing. The certificate states the name under which the business is conducted, the principal place of business, a brief description of the business, the names and addresses of the principal parties, and the date of organization.
Publication
RSA ch. 349 contains no newspaper-publication requirement - registration is complete upon filing with the secretary of state and payment of the fee.
Term and renewal
5 years from the date of filing. Reregistration is required at expiration; the secretary of state sends renewal notices at least 6 months and again at least 30 days before expiration. If not renewed within 30 days after expiration, the registration is discontinued and the name abandoned and free.
Name restrictions
A trade name must be distinguishable, on the secretary of state's records, from (and not the same as) the names of entities incorporated, authorized, formed or registered in NH, reserved names, fictitious names of foreign corporations, government agency names, and recognized political party names (absent consent). RSA 349:1, IV(a-1) lists factors that do NOT make a name distinguishable (articles, plurals, phonetic spellings, abbreviations, punctuation differences, etc.), and IV(d) restricts use of the term 'farmers' market'.
Assumed names for registered entities
Registered entities that do business under trade names other than their registered names lose the RSA 349:1, II exemption and must register the trade name with the secretary of state under ch. 349 itself. Separately, a foreign corporation whose real name is unavailable in New Hampshire may transact business under an available fictitious name by filing a certified board resolution adopting it with the secretary of state (RSA 293-A:15.06(a)(2)); the LLC act (RSA 304-C) contains a parallel foreign-LLC fictitious-name mechanism.
Penalties
Failure to comply with the chapter is a violation for a natural person and a misdemeanor for any other person: 'Any person who fails to comply with the provisions of the preceding sections of this chapter shall be guilty of a violation if a natural person, or guilty of a misdemeanor if any other person.' Procuring a trade-name registration by false or fraudulent representations makes the filer liable for all damages sustained in consequence, and is a misdemeanor for a natural person or a felony for any other person. Until the RSA 349:2 change certificate is filed, the failure to file is prima facie evidence that the withdrawal or addition of a partner or discontinuance of the partnership has not occurred.
Filing of registration and issuance of certificate of registration
$50
RSA 349:7
◎Verified
Renewal of registration
$50
RSA 349:7
◎Verified
Notice of discontinuance, addition, or withdrawal
$10
RSA 349:7
◎Verified
Known gaps in the record
The foreign-LLC fictitious-name provision in RSA 304-C was located in the corpus by keyword but its exact section number was not extracted; the corporate provision (RSA 293-A:15.06) is fully verified
RSA 349:12 is a repealed placeholder (repealed 1998); its former content is unknown from the corpus
Common questions
Where is a trade name (DBA) registered in New Hampshire?
With the New Hampshire secretary of state - a single statewide registry, not a county or town filing. RSA 349:5 requires the certificate to be filed 'in the office of the secretary of state', stating the trade name, principal place of business, a brief description of the business, and the principal parties' names and addresses.
How long does a New Hampshire trade name registration last, and what does it cost?
5 years from filing (RSA 349:6), with a $50 statutory fee for registration and $50 for each renewal (RSA 349:7). Reregistration is required at the end of each 5-year period; if the registration is not renewed within 30 days after expiration, it is discontinued and the name becomes 'abandoned and free' (RSA 349:8).
Does registering a New Hampshire trade name protect the name?
The statute gives registration real teeth: registration accomplishes a 'reservation of the name' (RSA 349:6), and RSA 349:10 lets the registrant sue to enjoin others' use of the name and recover profits from wrongful use. RSA 349:11 also preserves trade-name rights acquired in good faith at common law.
Do New Hampshire corporations and LLCs have to register trade names?
Not for the names they are already registered under - RSA 349:1, II exempts corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs and similar registered entities. The exemption applies 'except as such holders ... may be doing business under trade names other than the names under which they are registered', so an entity operating under a different trade name must register that trade name.
Recurring entity-level tax
No franchise or privilege tax in this jurisdiction
Stored as a delta against the federal baseline:
1 day this state closes that the
federal government does not, and 2 federal
holidays its filing office works through.
New Hampshire 2026 closure delta
Date
Day
Filing office
2026-06-19
Juneteenth
OPEN - federal holiday not observed
2026-10-12
Columbus Day
OPEN - federal holiday not observed
2026-11-27
Day after Thanksgiving
Filing office closed
Provenance - New Hampshire 2026 closures◎Verified
Citation withheld: this record did not clear the publication gate.
3 restricted entity-name word entries
are recorded for New Hampshire - 1 prohibited outright,
the rest requiring an agency's consent or licensure before the word may appear in a name.
Governing law: RSA 293-A:4.01 (corporate name) and RSA 304-C:32 (LLC name); parallel trade-name rule in RSA 349.
New Hampshire restricted entity-name words
Treatment
Word or phrase
Authority
Citation
Status
Consent required
name of a political party recognized under RSA 652:11
Authorized representative of the political organization (written consent)
RSA 293-A:4.01(b)(5); RSA 304-C:32, III(e)
◎Verified
Prohibited
name of an agency or instrumentality of the United States or this state or a subdivision thereof
RSA 293-A:4.01(b)(6) and RSA 304-C:32, III(f): name shall not be 'farmers' market' 'unless the entity meets the definition of farmers' market established in RSA 21:34-a, V'; same rule for trade names in RSA 349
● 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.
Source links render on verified rows only.
Corporation Division, NH Dept. of State, 107 N Main St, Rm 204, Concord, NH 03301-4989
The Corporate Information Line and Corporation Division PO-less street mailing address printed on the SOS's own filing-form footers; most filing volume should go through NH QuickStart (quickstart.sos.nh.gov, +$2.00 electronic handling per RSA 5:10-a)
Where to search New Hampshire'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 - New Hampshire◎Verified
Filing office
New Hampshire Secretary of State (N.H. Department of State) - Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Division
Filing-office statute
RSA 382-A:9-501(a)(2) - "the office of the secretary of state, in all other cases, including a case in which the collateral is goods that are or to become fixtures" (read at https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/xxxiv-a/382-a/382-a-9-501.htm; gencourt.state.nh.us URL 301s there)
Official search
no public online search (requests only)
Access
no public online search (requests only)
Search fees, as the office states them
UCC 11-U "Search: State Information Request Form." - "Routine $10.00", "24 Hour $25.00", "Same Day $35.00". Also: "As of July 1, 2004, all fees received electronically by the State of New Hampshire will be charged an additional $2.00 handling charge." Fee authority cited on the page: "View all fees here: RSA 382-A:9-525 Fees."
Filing images online
No public online UCC index or image viewer found on the agency pages. Search results/copies are returned by the UCC office in response to a paid UCC 11-U information request (paper, or ordered online through a NH QuickStart account).
$48 with up to two debtors and one addendum page, online or on paper; add $35 if two or more pages are attached; add $40 for each debtor or secured party name over two; online filings carry an additional $2 electronic handling charge
Filing channels
online or paper; Online through NH QuickStart (quickstart.sos.nh.gov, account required; File Online links on every UCC form row); paper by mail or walk-in (paper forms filled out, printed and mailed with the fee; ackn
Walk-in expedited filing, in addition to the filing fee: Same Day, immediate time, $50.00 (acknowledgement receipt may take up to 4 hours); 24 Hours, $25. Mail and walk-in filings are otherwise effective at close of business (4:30 p.m.) on the day received; state law requires routine paper filings t
UCC-3 amendments, as the office states the fees
$48 for a continuation, partial release, assignment, amendment or termination with a one-page addendum; add $35 if two or more pages are attached; add $40 per name over two; terminations are not free
Effective for
5 years from filing - RSA 382-A:9-515(a)
Bulk data
no bulk-data product - no bulk product at any price; retail UCC-11 information requests only: $10 routine, $25 24-hour, $35 same-day (+$2 electronic handling per RSA 5:10-a)
Whether New Hampshire 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 - New Hampshire◎Verified
General state license
None - the state issues no general business license; licensing is occupation-specific and local
Where a new business registers
New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration (no general license; state-level tax registration/operator licensing) - entity and trade-name registration is with the NH Secretary of State, Corporation Division agency page↗ (opens the official source)
Revenue-department registration
required - New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration (Granite Tax Connect); employers also register with NH Employment Security register↗ (opens the official source)
Which of New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire filings, 6 of 6 rows verified
New Hampshire has 10 county-equivalents: 10 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.