How to Start an LLC in Georgia (2026)
To form an LLC in Georgia, you file Articles of Organization for LLC (Form CD 030). You file it with the Georgia Secretary of State's Corporations Division, and it costs $100 online or $110 by mail.
Georgia doesn't make you publish a notice anywhere. It does require a $50 Annual Registration every year between January 1 and April 1, and missing that window puts your LLC at risk of administrative dissolution.
This page is for anyone forming a brand-new domestic LLC in Georgia from scratch. If your LLC already exists in another state, you just need to register it here instead. That's a shorter foreign LLC filing, covered in the FAQs below.
Quick Summary
- Check your name before you file. Georgia rejects filings that aren't clearly distinguishable from a business already on record.
- Serving as your own registered agent puts your address on the Articles of Organization. A registered agent service can keep it off instead.
- Mark the Annual Registration window. Miss it and Georgia can dissolve your LLC without much warning.
Georgia LLC Requirements at a Glance
Here's the exact information you need to file a Georgia LLC, straight from the Secretary of State's own filing guides. Use it to confirm the document, the fee and the agency before you start filling anything out.
| LLC requirement | State-specific answer |
|---|---|
| Filing document | Articles of Organization for LLC (Form CD 030) |
| Filing authority | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division |
| State filing fee | $100 online, $110 by mail ($100 + $10 paper fee) |
| Online filing | Yes, via Georgia eCorp |
| Processing time | Online ~7 business days, mail ~15 business days, expedite from $100 |
| Registered agent | Georgia resident individual or authorized corporation/LLC, with an in-state street address matching the registered office (O.C.G.A. S 14-11-209) |
| Annual report | Annual Registration: $50, due January 1-April 1 each year |
| Publication required? | No publication requirement for LLC formation |
| State business tax | None, pass-through only. No LLC franchise or net-worth tax |
| Last verified | September 3, 2026 |
How to Start an LLC in Georgia: 5 Steps
Follow these steps to form a domestic LLC in Georgia. For the general process most states share, see our how to start an LLC guide.
Step 1: Choose and check your LLC name
Your name needs to say what it is. Add "LLC," "L.L.C.," or the full phrase "limited liability company" [1]. It also has to look different from every other business name Georgia has on file. Swapping "and" for "&" or adding "the" doesn't count as different.
Search the name through Georgia eCorp before you file anything. To lock it in early, reserve it online for $25 (good for 30 days) or by mail for $35.
Step 2: Appoint a registered agent
Every Georgia LLC has to keep a registered agent and registered office in the state [2]. Your agent must live in Georgia, or be a company already allowed to do business here. Their address has to match your registered office.
A member or manager can serve for free. Their address goes on the Articles of Organization if they do. A registered agent service in Georgia keeps your home address off that filing instead, if you'd rather not have it there.
Step 3: File the Articles of Organization with the Corporations Division
Once your name and agent are set, file the Articles of Organization for LLC with the Corporations Division. You can file online through Georgia eCorp or by mail. If you'd rather not handle the filing yourself, a Georgia LLC formation service can file it for you.
Step 4: Create an operating agreement
Nothing in Georgia law forces you to adopt an operating agreement. If you do write one, it can be written or oral [3]. Skip it, and Georgia's default LLC Act rules end up deciding how your company runs instead.
That covers who can sign contracts and how decisions get made. Put your own rules in writing instead, and you skip the statute's defaults.
Step 5: Get an EIN
The IRS issues an EIN for free at IRS.gov. The online application returns your number right away. You'll need it to open a business bank account, hire employees or elect S corporation tax treatment. It's also required before you register for state taxes through the Georgia Tax Center.
Filing the Articles of Organization in Georgia: What to Expect
1. What the form asks for
Online and paper versions of the Articles of Organization ask for the same things. You'll give your LLC's name (or a valid name reservation number) and the name and address of whoever's filing. You'll also give a working email address and your principal office's mailing address.
You'll also give your registered agent's name and address, plus the name and address of each organizer. File online, and Georgia eCorp builds the document for you. File on paper, and you draft the Articles yourself, then attach the Transmittal Form for LLCs.
2. Fee and payment methods
Pay $100 if you file online or upload a paper filing through the portal. Use a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover card. Filing by mail costs $110. That's the $100 fee plus a $10 paper-filing charge, payable by check or money order.
Hand-delivered filings also take a check, certified bank check, money order or credit card. Cash isn't accepted. A mailed check needs a pre-printed full address. The state won't take counter or starter checks, since using one can delay or reject your filing.
3. Processing times
| Filing method | Processing time |
|---|---|
| Online | ~7 business days. 2-day expedite +$100, same-day +$250 |
| ~15 business days from receipt. Same expedite tiers apply | |
| In person | Not offered as a separate track. Follows the mail timeline |
| Expedited | $100 (2 days), $250 (same day, by noon), $1,000 (1 hour, mail only, 9am-4pm) |
| Current state estimate | Slower in late December-January and at each quarter's end (late March, June, September) |
Online filings usually clear in about 7 business days, and mailed ones take about 15. For a faster turnaround, Georgia offers three expedite tiers. Pay $100 for a 2-day response, $250 for same-day review before noon, or $1,000 for a one-hour turnaround by mail.
Expect longer waits in late December through January. The same goes for the end of each quarter. Filing volume spikes then, and the office works through a bigger backlog.
4. Where to file by mail or in person
Mail your completed Articles of Organization and the Transmittal Form to the Office of Secretary of State, Corporations Division, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE, Suite 313 West Tower, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. Hand-delivered filings go to the same address and follow the same fee schedule.
5. Common reasons filings are rejected
The Corporations Division doesn't publish a formal rejection checklist. Its fee guidance does flag one common trip-up. A mailed check without a pre-printed complete address, or a counter or starter check, can get your filing delayed or rejected.
6. What you receive when it is approved
Once the Corporations Division reviews and approves your filing, it issues a Certificate of Organization for your LLC. Online filers get a download through Georgia eCorp. Mail filers get a copy in the mail. Keep it somewhere safe, since banks and licensing agencies will ask to see it later.
What It Costs to Start an LLC in Georgia
Here's every fee Georgia charges to form and maintain your LLC, plus what's optional. Use it to budget for the filing itself and decide which extras are worth the money.
| Cost item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $100 online, $110 by mail ($100 + $10 paper fee) |
| Name reservation | $25 online (good for 30 days), $35 by mail |
| Registered agent | $0 when a member, manager or an authorized entity serves at a Georgia street address. No state-published commercial rate |
| Certified copy | Not published in a reachable fee schedule |
| Expedited filing | $100 (2 business days), $250 (same day), $1,000 (1 hour, mail) |
| Annual report | Annual Registration: $50, due January 1-April 1 each year |
| Other mandatory state fees | None beyond the filing fee and the $50 Annual Registration |
The only fees everyone pays are the $100 (or $110 by mail) filing fee and the yearly $50 Annual Registration. Name reservation, certified copies and expedited processing are optional. Skip them if you don't need a backup name locked in or a faster turnaround.
Georgia-Specific Rules That Change the Process
1. Naming restrictions and restricted words
Your name needs an LLC designator, and it can't be too close to a name Georgia already has on file. It also tops out at 80 characters, so keep it concise.
Some words need extra sign-off first. "Bank," "insurance," "college," and "university" all need written approval from the agency that regulates them before the Corporations Division will accept your filing. Georgia doesn't require you to publish a formation notice in a newspaper, unlike some states.
2. Professional LLC rules
Georgia's LLC Act doesn't have a separate professional-LLC statute. The Secretary of State's online system only offers a standard "Domestic Limited Liability Company" filing. There's no separate PLLC option the way some states set up for corporations.
Licensed professionals can still form a regular LLC. Just check with your licensing board first, since it may require something extra before you can practice under it.
3. Member vs. manager disclosure
Georgia's Articles of Organization only require your LLC's name. Member names aren't a mandatory disclosure. You also don't have to state whether you're member-managed or manager-managed unless you want that on record.
Management defaults to the members, unless you say so in writing. Your articles or operating agreement can hand it to designated managers instead.
4. Foreign LLC registration
An LLC that already exists somewhere else and wants to do business in Georgia registers as a foreign LLC. That means submitting an Application for Certificate of Authority instead of new Articles.
The fee is $225 online or $235 by mail. The same registered-agent rule applies either way, no matter which one you pick.
5. Business licenses and permits
Georgia doesn't issue one general state business license. Almost every business still needs a city or county license. Requirements change depending on where you're located and what you do.
Some jobs also answer to one of the state's licensing boards, on top of whatever permit your city or county wants.
What to Do After Your Georgia LLC Is Approved
Your Certificate of Organization is the first document you'll need once your LLC is approved. Here's what comes next, roughly in order.
- Open a business bank account: bring your Certificate of Organization and EIN, plus your operating agreement if you have one.
- Get your licenses and permits: check with your city or county for a local business license, and confirm whether your industry needs a state licensing-board sign-off.
- Register for state taxes: sign up through the Georgia Tax Center for whichever accounts your business needs, like sales and use tax or employer withholding.
- Look into insurance: price out workers' compensation, general liability and any coverage your industry requires.
- Keep your books straight: separate business and personal accounts from day one, and decide whether you're handling bookkeeping yourself or hiring it out.
- Stay compliant: get your Annual Registration in by April 1 each year (the window opens January 1). Miss it by 60 days and Georgia can dissolve your LLC [4]. Getting it back afterward costs $250.
| Compliance item | Deadline, fee and department |
|---|---|
| Initial report | None required. The first Annual Registration covers it |
| Annual or biennial report | $50, due January 1-April 1 each year, Corporations Division |
| State tax registration | Georgia Tax Center (GTC), Dept. of Revenue, for applicable taxes |
| Renewal deadline | Not applicable at the state level. Licenses are local only |
| Late fee | No graduated late fee. 60 days late risks dissolution, and reinstating costs $250 |
| Responsible state department | Secretary of State, Corporations Division and Dept. of Revenue |
FAQs
Does Georgia Charge a Franchise Tax on LLCs?
No, Georgia doesn't charge a franchise tax on LLCs, and it skips the privilege and net-worth taxes too. Profits pass through to the members' personal returns, and the business registers with the Department of Revenue only for taxes its activity actually triggers.
What Happens If I Miss the Georgia Annual Report Deadline?
If you miss the Georgia annual report deadline by 60 days, Georgia can dissolve your LLC. You can get it back within 5 years, though it costs an extra $250.
What Happens If My Georgia LLC Name Isn't Distinguishable?
If your Georgia LLC name isn't distinguishable from one already on file, the Corporations Division rejects the filing. You'll need to search for and choose a different name through Georgia eCorp before resubmitting.
Can I Move an Existing LLC Into Georgia?
Yes, you move an existing LLC into Georgia by registering it as a foreign entity rather than forming a brand-new company here. The Application for Certificate of Authority runs $225 online or $235 by mail.
References:
1. https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2022/title-14/chapter-11/article-2/section-14-11-207/
2. https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2022/title-14/chapter-11/article-2/section-14-11-209/
3. https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2022/title-14/chapter-11/article-1/section-14-11-101/
4. https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2022/title-14/chapter-11/article-6/section-14-11-603/
