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 33 of 54 on first-year state
filing cost, at $200.00 against a national median
of $185.00.
Recurring annual cost $295.
See the full ranking.
Where Vermont sits among its neighbours in the first-year cost ranking (USD)Show all 54 jurisdictionsThe full ranking with Vermont 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.
11A V.S.A. § 5.01
◎Verified
Vermont Business Corporation Act (11A V.S.A.) · applies to
corporations
Registered office and registered agent for service of processEach 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 for service of process pursuant to 11 V.S.A. § 1655, whose business office is identical with the registered office.
Designated office and agentA limited liability company and a foreign limited liability company authorized to do business in this State shall designate and continuously maintain: (1) a designated office for notification purposes, which may but need not be a place of its business, and may but need not be located in this State; and (2) an agent for service of process pursuant to section 1655 of this title.
Vermont Business Corporation Act (11A V.S.A.) · applies to
corp
Articles of incorporation(a) The articles of incorporation shall set forth: (1) a corporate name for the corporation that satisfies the requirements of section 4.01 of this title; (2) the classes of shares, if any, and the number of shares in each class that the corporation is authorized to issue; (3) the number of shares the corporation is authorized to issue; (4) the street address of the corporation's initial registered office and the name and email of its initial registered agent for service of process at that office pursuant to 11 V.S.A. § 1655; (5) the name and address of each incorporator; [...]
Organization(a) One or more persons may organize a limited liability company, consisting of one or more members, by delivering articles of organization to the Office of the Secretary of State for filing. The organizers need not be members of the limited liability company at the time of formation or after formation has occurred. (b) Unless a delayed effective date is specified, the existence of a limited liability company begins when the articles of organization are filed.
Vermont Business Corporation Act (11A V.S.A.) · 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; (2) the address of its registered office and the name and email of its registered agent for service of process at that office in this State; (3) the address of its principal office; [...] (c) The annual report shall be delivered to the Secretary of State within two and one-half months after the expiration of the corporation's fiscal year.
Annual report for Secretary of State(a) Each domestic limited liability company and each foreign limited liability company authorized to transact business in this State shall file an annual report with the Secretary of State. The annual report shall set forth the following information: (1) the name of the company and the state or country under whose law it is organized; (2) the address of its designated office; and (3) the name, email, and address of its agent for service of process. [...] (c) The annual report shall be delivered to the Secretary of State within three months after the expiration of the company's fiscal year.
Vermont Business Corporation Act (11A V.S.A.) · applies to
corp
Involuntary termination(a) A corporation, which fails to file an annual report required by section 16.22 of this title, shall terminate and the Secretary of State shall notify such corporation of such termination. If, however, such terminated corporation shall file such annual report together with any fee required by law, its charter shall be reinstated by the Secretary of State.
Involuntary termination(a)(1) The articles of organization of a limited liability company that fails to file an annual report required by section 4033 of this title shall terminate and the provisions of this section shall apply to the limited liability company. (2) The certificate of authority of a foreign limited liability company that fails to file an annual report required by section 4033 of this title shall terminate and the Secretary of State shall notify the company of the termination.
Vermont Business Corporation Act (11A V.S.A.) · applies to
corp
Corporate name(a) A corporate name: (1) shall contain the word "corporation," "incorporated," "company," or "limited," or the abbreviation "corp.," "inc.," "co.," or "ltd.," or words or abbreviations of like import in another language; [...] (b) Except as authorized by subsections (c) and (d) of this section, a corporate name shall be distinguishable in the records of the Secretary of State from any name granted, registered, or reserved under this chapter, or the name of any other entity, whether domestic or foreign, that is reserved, registered, or granted by or with the Secretary of State.
Name(a)(1) Except for a low-profit limited liability company, the name of a limited liability company as set forth in its articles of organization shall contain the words "limited liability company" or "limited company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C.," "LLC," "L.C.," or "LC." The word "limited" may be abbreviated as "Ltd." and "company" may be abbreviated as "Co." in a limited liability company name. [...] (b) Unless authorized under subsection (c) of this section, the name of a limited liability company shall be distinguishable in the records of the Secretary of State from: (1) the name of each person that is not an individual and that is incorporated, organized, or authorized to transact business in this State; [...]
Partial only. Each corporation must continuously maintain a registered office and a registered agent 'pursuant to 11 V.S.A. § 1655, whose business office is identical with the registered office'; LLCs must designate 'an agent for service of process pursuant to section 1655 of this title' (11 V.S.A. § 4007). Vermont's 2025 Act 10 moved WHO may serve, appointment mechanics, and resignation into 11 V.S.A. § 1655 (Title 11, ch. 21), which is not in the corpus, so the substantive eligibility criteria could not be verified.
Revocation Foreign. The Secretary of State may revoke a foreign LLC's certificate of authority if it does not appoint and maintain an agent for service of process, or fails to file a statement of change within 30 days of an agent name/address change (60-day cure window).
Other. Termination of a foreign corporation's certificate of authority appoints the Secretary of State as the corporation's agent for service of process for causes of action arising while it was authorized.
Reinstatement Fee. A terminated foreign corporation must correct each ground and pay a reinstatement fee of $25.00 for each year it is delinquent; a domestic corporation involuntarily terminated for annual-report failure pays the annual report fee plus a $50.00 reinstatement fee per year missed; an LLC pays a $35.00 reinstatement fee.
No Court Access. A foreign corporation (or foreign LLC) transacting business without a certificate of authority may not maintain a proceeding or raise a counterclaim, crossclaim, or affirmative defense in any Vermont court until it obtains one.
Civil Penalty. A foreign LLC transacting business without a certificate of authority is liable for $50.00 per day (max $10,000.00 per year) plus back fees.
Dollar amounts named in the registered-agent statutes
What
Amount
Status
Foreign corporation reinstatement fee after termination of certificate of authority, per year delinquent
$25.00 per year
○Pending review
Secretary of State fee each time process is served on the Secretary under Title 11A (recoverable as costs by prevailing party)
$25.00
○Pending review
Domestic corporation reinstatement fee after involuntary termination, per year the annual report was not filed (plus the annual report filing fee)
$50.00 per year
○Pending review
LLC reinstatement filing fee
$35.00
○Pending review
Fee each time process is served on the Secretary of State under the LLC chapter (recoverable as costs by prevailing party)
$35.00
○Pending review
LLC statement of change of designated agent or designated office
$35.00 (not to exceed $1,000.00 per filer per calendar year)
○Pending review
Civil penalty for a foreign LLC transacting business without a certificate of authority
$50.00 per day, capped at $10,000.00 per year
○Pending review
15 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 Vermont - 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
Annual meeting required · applies to
corporations ·
yes
The failure to hold an annual meeting at the time stated or fixed in accordance with a corporation’s bylaws does not affect the validity of any corporate action.
Action by written consent allowed · applies to
corporations ·
yes
action required or permitted by this title to be taken at a shareholders’ meeting may be taken without a meeting if the action is taken by all the shareholders entitled to vote on the action
Operating agreement required · applies to
LLCs ·
no
“Operating agreement” means any form of description of membership rights and obligations under section 4003 of this title, stored or depicted in any tangible or electronic medium, which is agreed to by the members
Action by written consent allowed · applies to
LLCs ·
yes
may be taken without a meeting if the action is approved in a consent by members having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take the action at a meeting
Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division (Online Business Service Center) - the SOS site now styles the office 'Business Services Division', 128 State Street, Montpelier.
Reregistration required every 5 years, filed not sooner than 60 days before expiration; reregistration fee $65 (11 V.S.A. 1635, eff. 7/1/2025). If not reregistered, the name becomes available to new applicants
Publication
Not required. None
Online filing
Available
The regime
Vermont requires an individual doing business under an assumed business name, and any partnership or unincorporated nonprofit association of individuals doing business in the state (resident or nonresident), to file a registration with the Secretary of State no later than 10 days after commencing business.
Where it is filed
All registrations are filed with the Vermont Secretary of State; there is no county or town filing under this chapter.
Term and renewal
Registrations last five years; the registrant must reregister every five years, no sooner than 60 days before expiration. If reregistration is not accomplished, the name becomes available to the first new applicant.
Name restrictions
The Secretary of State must decline any name not distinguishable from names already registered, reserved, or granted on the Secretary's records, and any name that would lead a reasonable person to think the business is a type of entity it is not. Prospective postsecondary schools need State Board of Education approval before registering.
An unregistered person (and successors/assignees) may not maintain an action, proceeding, counterclaim, crossclaim, or affirmative defense in Vermont until registered; failure to register does not impair contract validity or preclude defending an action. Liability to the State of $50.00 per day of unregistered business, capped at $10,000.00 per year, plus the fees that would have been due; the Attorney General may sue to collect and to restrain the business. If a person transacts business without registering, the Secretary of State becomes its agent for service of process for claims arising out of that business.
$25.00 (recoverable as costs by a prevailing party)
11 V.S.A. § 1625(d)
◎Verified
Five-year reregistration
$65.00
11 V.S.A. § 1635(a)
◎Verified
Known gaps in the record
The chapter contains no express statement granting or denying trademark-type exclusive rights; the exclusiveRights entry relies on the § 1621(c) distinguishability screen and the § 1652 reservation mechanism rather than an explicit no-exclusive-right clause.
The chapter was comprehensively rewritten by 2025, No. 10, § 4 (eff. July 1, 2025), repealing §§ 1621a, 1623, 1624, 1627, and 1629-1634; any legacy site copy citing those sections is outdated.
Common questions
Where and when do I register an assumed business name in Vermont?
With the Vermont Secretary of State. Under 11 V.S.A. § 1621(b), the registration must be sworn to by someone with authority to act for the registrant and filed no later than 10 days after commencement of business.
How much does a Vermont assumed business name cost?
The statute prints the fees: $70.00 to register (11 V.S.A. § 1625(a)), $35.00 for an amendment, certificate of cessation, or name reservation (§ 1625(b)), and $65.00 to reregister every five years (§ 1635(a)).
What happens if I do business in Vermont without registering?
Under 11 V.S.A. § 1626, you cannot maintain an action or raise a counterclaim, crossclaim, or affirmative defense in Vermont courts until you register, and you are liable to the State for a civil penalty of $50.00 per day (up to $10,000.00 per year) plus the fees you would have owed. Failure to register does not invalidate your contracts or prevent you from defending a suit.
Can Vermont refuse the name I want?
Yes. Under 11 V.S.A. § 1621(c), the Secretary of State must decline to register a business name unless it is distinguishable on the Secretary's records from other registered, reserved, or granted names, and must decline any name that would lead a reasonable person to conclude the business is a type of entity it is not.
Recurring entity-level tax
Franchise-equivalent entity-level minimum taxes: Business Entity Income Tax minimum ($250, pass-throughs) and Corporate Income Tax minimum (receipts-tiered, C c
Vermont Department of Taxes (Commissioner of Taxes)
32 V.S.A. § 5921 ('shall pay an annual tax of $250.00 to the Commissioner of Taxes'); tax.vermont.gov business entity income tax page · source↗ (opens the official source)
Basis of the tax
other - flat $250 for pass-through entities; C corps pay the greater of a graduated net-income tax or a minimum tiered on Vermont gross receipts
Federal due dates: C corps (Form CO-411) due on the date prescribed under the IRC (calendar year 4/15); pass-throughs (Form BI-471) due with the federal return (calendar year 3/15; S corps per IRC § 6072(b))
32 V.S.A. §§ 5915, 5921 ('on or before the due date prescribed for the filing of the entity's federal return'); tax.vermont.gov corporate/BEIT pages · source↗ (opens the official source)
Corporations
true - greater of graduated income tax or a minimum annual tax tiered on Vermont gross receipts: $100 / $500 / $2,000 / $6,000 / $100,000 ($75 small farm corporations); S corps pay $250 under § 5915
LLCs
true - $250/yr if taxed as partnership (32 V.S.A. § 5921) or S corp (§ 5915); corporate minimums (§ 5832) if taxed as C corp; disregarded single-member LLC is EXEMPT (taxed 'in the same manner as taxed under the Internal Revenue Code', i.e. on the owner's return)
Stored as a delta against the federal baseline:
2 days this state closes that the
federal government does not, and 1 federal
holiday its filing office works through.
Vermont 2026 closure delta
Date
Day
Filing office
2026-03-03
Town Meeting Day
Filing office closed
2026-06-19
Juneteenth (2026 only)
OPEN - federal holiday not observed
2026-11-27
Day After Thanksgiving
Filing office closed
Provenance - Vermont 2026 closures◎Verified
Citation withheld: this record did not clear the publication gate.
3 restricted entity-name word entries
are recorded for Vermont,
the rest requiring an agency's consent or licensure before the word may appear in a name.
Governing law: 11A V.S.A. sec. 4.01 (corporate name); word-specific restrictions in 8 V.S.A. sec. 14103 (bank words) and 8 V.S.A. sec. 31202 (credit union).
Vermont restricted entity-name words
Treatment
Word or phrase
Authority
Citation
Status
Consent required
bank; banking association; trust company (or other similar sounding word or name)
Commissioner of Financial Regulation (written approval), unless a supervised or federally authorized financial institution
8 V.S.A. sec. 14103 - no person shall 'use the word "bank," "banking association," or "trust company" or other similar sounding word or name unless it is a financial institution reporting to and under the supervision of the Commissioner ... or unless the Commissioner approves the activity or word or name used in writing'
◎Verified
License required
credit union (or any derivation)
Commissioner of Financial Regulation (state charter) or federal authorization
8 V.S.A. sec. 31202(b) - no person other than a chartered credit union (state acts or Federal Credit Union Act) or an association/organization whose membership is limited to credit unions 'may use a name or title containing the phrase "credit union"'
◎Verified
Restricted
cooperative (or any abbreviation)
11A V.S.A. sec. 4.01(a)(3) - corporate name 'shall not have the word "cooperative" or any abbreviation thereof as part of its name' unless the corporation is a worker cooperative (11 V.S.A. ch. 8), a housing cooperative (11 V.S.A. ch. 14), or its articles contain the provisions required of a general cooperative in 11 V.S.A. sec. 981
● 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: 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM Monday - Friday (except holidays).
Source links render on verified rows only.
Reaching the filing office
◎Verified
Phone
802-828-2386
Mailing address
Business Services Division, 128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633
The Business Services Division direct line plus the single State Street address; there is no published divisional email or separate courier address, so written contact must go through the division's own web form.
Where to search Vermont'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 - Vermont◎Verified
Filing office
Vermont Secretary of State - Business Services Division
Filing-office statute
9A V.S.A. § 9-501 ('the Office of the Secretary of State, in all other cases, including a case in which the collateral is goods that are or is to become fixtures and the financing statement is not filed as a fixture filing') - read at https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/09A/009/00501
Uncertified online 'Lien Records Search' at bizfilings.vermont.gov/uccsearch loads with no login (Debtor Name / IFS-Filing Number, lien status, filing date). Fee schedule (fees-statutes page, 'UCC Fees', all cited to 9A V.S.A. § 9-525): 'Filing and Indexing a Record $45.00'; 'Additional fee (fixture filing; as-extracted collateral; timber to be cut; manufactured home; transmitting utility; or publ
Filing images online
Not established for the free search. The UCC Liens page says the advanced certified report 'provides you with a listing, expanded view, and all attachments related to a particular search query' ($35.00 search and copy request); whether attachments/images display in the free uncertified search was no
$45 to file and index a record, online or by mail; $25 more for a fixture filing, as-extracted collateral, timber to be cut, manufactured-home, transmitting-utility or public-finance transaction
Filing channels
online or paper; Online through the Online Business Service Center (bizfilings.vermont.gov; user account required) or by mail using IACA standard forms to Business Services Division, 128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 0
No expedited UCC filing service is printed on the Secretary of State's UCC fee schedule
UCC-3 amendments, as the office states the fees
$45 to file and index any record, which covers a UCC-3 amendment, continuation, termination or assignment; the schedule does not itemize UCC-3 types
Effective for
5 years from filing - 9A V.S.A. 9-515(a)
Bulk data
bulk data by quote only - unpublished - UCC Image/Data Sales module is login-gated in the new bizfilings.vermont.gov system; SOS fee page (fees-statutes) lists no bulk-data fee
Whether Vermont 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 - Vermont◎Verified
General state license
None - the state issues no general business license; licensing is occupation-specific and local
city licenses - To license or regulate itinerant vendors, peddlers, door-to-door salesmen, and those selling goods, wares, merchandise, or services who engage in a transient or temporary business
Which of Vermont'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 Vermont filings, 6 of 6 rows verified
Filing
Entity scope
Asks for
Required
Where on the form
Source
Formation
profit corporation
no industry information
not asked
Online Business Service Center > Business Formation (login required); statute lists no code field
Vermont has 14 county-equivalents: 14 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 14 county-equivalents
Vermont county-equivalents
Name
Type
FIPS
Note
Addison County
county
50001
Bennington County
county
50003
Caledonia County
county
50005
Chittenden County
county
50007
Essex County
county
50009
Franklin County
county
50011
Grand Isle County
county
50013
Lamoille County
county
50015
Orange County
county
50017
Orleans County
county
50019
Rutland County
county
50021
Washington County
county
50023
Windham County
county
50025
Windsor County
county
50027
Other records held
Other records held for Vermont
Record
Value
Status
State trademark registration
$35 per class, 10 year term, $35 renewal
○Pending review
Change of registered agent
$35
○Pending review
Who must be named in public filings
CORP: annual report must list 'the names and business addresses of its directors and the president, secretary, treasurer, and all other officers with policy-making authority' (11A V.S.A. 16.22(a)(4), read in corpus vt_11A_ch016.html) - directors AND officers are public every year. LLC: neither formation nor annual repo
○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.