California Secretary of State — Business Entities

The Business Entities Section of the Secretary of State’s office processes filings, maintains records and provides information to the public relating to business entities (corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, general partnerships, limited liability partnerships and other business filings). Service Options: Options for online searches and filings, document processing and information requests (for certificates, copies and status reports) Name Reservations: Corporation, limited liability company and limited partnership name reservations Forms, Samples & Fees: Forms, document samples and associated fees Statements of Information (annual/biennial reports): Corporation and Limited Liability Company statements of information, Common Interest Development Association statements and Publicly Traded Disclosure statements Filing Tips: Tips for filing most corporation, limited liability company and limited partnership documents Information Requests: Orders for certificates, copies and status reports Service of Process: Substituted service of process FAQs: Answers to the most frequently asked business entity questions Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund: Restitution to victims of corporate fraud General provisions governing most business entities are found in the California Corporations Code.

Office Hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (excluding state holidays) Office Location 1500 11th Street Sacramento, CA 95814 Sacramento Office – Driving Directions Phone Number (916) 657–5448

Form/register, license or terminate a business entity.

Formation - Articles of Organization

Articles of Incorporation - General Stock

Forms, Samples and Fees

User Access Update

Reserving a Name

Certificates, Copies, Status Reports and Processing Times

Termination

Drop-Off Service (Special Handling Service)

Processing Dates

Business licenses or permits are not issued by the California Secretary of State. Please refer to the CalGOLD (California Government: On-Line to Desktops) website for information regarding business license/permit requirements.

Fictitious business name statements are filed with the County in which the principal place of business is located.

Employer identification numbers are not issued by or disclosed to the California Secretary of State. Please refer to the Internal Revenue Service for information relating to the issuance of Federal Employer Identification Numbers or the Employment Development Department for information relating to the issuance of State Employer Identification Numbers.

Sole proprietorships are not registered with the California Secretary of State but may register with the city, county or other local government entity in which the principal place of business is located.

Bylaws or Operating Agreements (or any amendments thereto) are maintained by the business entity and are not filed with the California Secretary of State. Requests for copies or information about these documents should be directed to the business entity itself.

Effective August 1, 2026, web User Access is required for Statement of Information filings. The option to file a Statement of Information online will only be visible to users with access established.

Statement of Information: Due within 90 days of initial registration and every two years thereafter.

Statement of Information - Domestic and Foreign Stock: Due within 90 days of initial registration and every year thereafter.

Statement of Information - Nonprofit: Due within 90 days of initial registration and every two years thereafter.

In addition, any time there are information changes in between statutory filing periods, an updated statement should be filed.

For fastest processing, terminations may be filed online through bizfile Online. Basic/Full Access to your entity is required to file online. If you do not currently have Basic/Full Access, you must establish Basic/Full Access before you can complete this action online.

A name can be reserved for a period of 60 days. For faster service, name reservations can be submitted online through our enhanced online services at bizfileOnline.sos.ca.gov. The reservation can be renewed to the same applicant or for the benefit of the same party, but not for consecutive 60-day periods. There must be at least 1 day between reservation periods. (California Corporations Code section 201(d), 2601(c), 5122(c), 7122(d), 9122(c), 12302(d), 15901.09(b)(c) or 17701.09(a).)

Names are not checked against trademark or service mark registrations or against fictitious business names. Laws relating to trademarks and service marks can be found in the California Business and Professions Code section 14200, et seq. and United States Code, Title 15, section 1051, et seq. Laws relating to fictitious business names (which are filed with the county in which the principal place of business is located) can be found in the California Business and Professions Code section 17900, et seq.

The reservation of a name does not guarantee the name meets all federal and state requirements related to a specific entity type. Names are reviewed for compliance at the time documents are submitted to the California Secretary of State’s office for filing.

Certificates, Certified Copies and Free Copies for Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and Limited Partnerships can be obtained online at bizfileOnline.sos.ca.gov. Other entity types including registered General Partnerships and Limited Liability Partnerships can submit a request to the California Secretary of State's Sacramento office either in person (drop off) or by mail. Instructions and fees for ordering certificates and copies related to General Partnerships and Limited Liability Partnerships are available on the Business Entities Records – Order Form (PDF).

Certificate of No Record (Paper Only) - Certificate of No Record certifies there is no record of a particular business entity filed with the California Secretary of State.

Note: Special handling fees are in addition to applicable filing fees, reservation fees, or order fees. Special handling fees are retained whether requests are approved or rejected. The special handling fee does not apply to Statements of Information, Statements by Common Interest Development Association, or any request submitted online or by mail.

Same Day Filing Service (Class B) - $750.00: Online or Drop-Off in Sacramento. Filing response guaranteed by 4:00 p.m. the same day. Note: The document must be received by the Secretary of State by 9:30 a.m., and a filing confirmation or filing response will be available the same day by 4:00 p.m.

4–Hour Filing Service (Class C) - $350.00: Online or Drop-Off in Sacramento. Filing response guaranteed within 24 hours (e.g., submitted Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., filing confirmation or filing response available Thursday by 11:00 a.m.), excluding weekends and holidays. Same Day Filing Service (Class B) - $750.00: Online or Drop-Off in Sacramento. Filing response guaranteed by 4:00 p.m. the same day. Note: The document must be received by the Secretary of State by 9:30 a.m., and a filing confirmation or filing response will be available the same day by 4:00 p.m. 4–Hour Filing Service (Class A) - $500.00: Drop-Off-Only in Sacramento. Filing response guaranteed within 4 hours (e.g., submitted Monday at 10:00 a.m., filing confirmation or filing response available Monday by 2:00 p.m.) Note: A document must be precleared and approved to be eligible for the 4-Hour Filing Service.

1. Statement of Information Statement of Information P.O. Box 944230 Sacramento, CA 94244–2300 Email Us Statement of Information (Corporations and Limited Liability Companies) 2. Limited Liability Company Filings Limited Liability Company Filings P.O. Box 944260 Sacramento, CA 94244–2600

If you have any questions about the update, please contact us at bizfile@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-6814.

Formation - Articles of Organization Form LLC-1 (PDF) $70.00

Articles of Incorporation - General Stock Form ARTS-GS (PDF) $100.00

Statement of Information: Due within 90 days of initial registration and every two years thereafter. Form LLC-12 (PDF) $20.00

Statement of Information - Domestic and Foreign Stock: Due within 90 days of initial registration and every year thereafter. Form SI-550 (PDF) $25.00

Statement of Information - Nonprofit: Due within 90 days of initial registration and every two years thereafter. Form SI-100 (PDF) $20.00

Certificate of Amendment Form LLC-2 (PDF) $30.00

Termination Certificate of Dissolution Certificate of Cancellation Short Form Cancellation Certificate For fastest processing, terminations may be filed online through bizfile Online. Basic/Full Access to your entity is required to file online. If you do not currently have Basic/Full Access, you must establish Basic/Full Access before you can complete this action online. How to Create an Account | How to Establish User Access Control | How to Terminate Your Business Entity | bizfile Help Guide (PDF) Termination Packet LLC-3 (PDF) LLC-4/7 (PDF) LLC-4/8 (PDF) No Fee

Name Reservations Name reservations information. -- $10.00

Order Certified Copies, Plain Copies and Certificates of Status for LLCs Business Entity Records Order Form Certified copies - $5.00 per document, Certificate of Status - $5.00 per entity

Order Certified Copies, Plain Copies and Certificates of Status for LLCs Business Entity Records Order Form Certified copies - $5.00 per document, Certificate of Status - $5.00 per entity

$15 special handling fee is applicable for each filing request.

$10 special handling fee is applicable for each copy (order) request.

24–Hour Filing Service (Class C) - $350.00: Online or Drop-Off in Sacramento. Filing response guaranteed within 24 hours (e.g., submitted Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., filing confirmation or filing response available Thursday by 11:00 a.m.), excluding weekends and holidays.

Same Day Filing Service (Class B) - $750.00: Online or Drop-Off in Sacramento. Filing response guaranteed by 4:00 p.m. the same day. Note: The document must be received by the Secretary of State by 9:30 a.m., and a filing confirmation or filing response will be available the same day by 4:00 p.m.

24–Hour Preclearance Service - $500.00: Drop-Off-Only in Sacramento. A customer may submit a business entity document for preclearance prior to an intended filing date, requesting completion of preclearance within 24 hours. Preclearance response guaranteed within 24 hours (e.g., submitted Monday at 11:00 a.m., preclearance response available Tuesday by 11:00 a.m.), excluding weekends and state holidays.

4–Hour Filing Service (Class C) - $350.00: Online or Drop-Off in Sacramento. Filing response guaranteed within 24 hours (e.g., submitted Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., filing confirmation or filing response available Thursday by 11:00 a.m.), excluding weekends and holidays. Same Day Filing Service (Class B) - $750.00: Online or Drop-Off in Sacramento. Filing response guaranteed by 4:00 p.m. the same day. Note: The document must be received by the Secretary of State by 9:30 a.m., and a filing confirmation or filing response will be available the same day by 4:00 p.m. 4–Hour Filing Service (Class A) - $500.00: Drop-Off-Only in Sacramento. Filing response guaranteed within 4 hours (e.g., submitted Monday at 10:00 a.m., filing confirmation or filing response available Monday by 2:00 p.m.) Note: A document must be precleared and approved to be eligible for the 4-Hour Filing Service.

California Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)

California Corporations

Limited Liability Companies – Statement of Information

Corporations – Statement of Information

California Limited Partnerships (LPs)

General Partnerships (GPs)

Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs)