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North Carolina · Form L-01 (rev. Aug. 2017)

North Carolina Articles of Organization (Form L-01)

Form L-01 is the North Carolina Secretary of State's articles of organization for a limited liability company, filed with the Business Registration Division under section 57D-2-20 of the General Statutes. The filing fee is $125, and the company exists once the Secretary of State files the articles. The same questions are asked by the Secretary of State's online filing system, which takes the fee by card or bank transfer.

Two parts of the form cause most of the trouble. Every address for the registered office and the principal office needs its county as well as the street, and every person listed in Item 2 has to sign. Anyone listed there as a member becomes a member when the articles take effect, so the box checked next to each name matters.

Have the Form L-01 prepared and filed for you

We fill every field the way the SOSNC online filing system expects, check the name first and submit it.

Form Your North Carolina LLC

Private filing service, not the North Carolina Secretary of State. The official form and portal are at sosnc.gov/forms/by_title/_Business_Registration_Limited_Liability_Companies, and the state's fee is the same if you file there yourself.

What Form L-01 Asks For

  1. 1.Item 1: Company nameMust contain Limited Liability Company, L.L.C., LLC, Ltd. Liability Co., Limited Liability Co. or Ltd. Liability Company, and be distinguishable from names already on the Secretary of State's records.
  2. 2.Item 2: Persons executing the articlesThe name, business address and capacity of each person signing: member, organizer or both. A member listed here becomes a member when the filing takes effect. An organizer who signs only as organizer does not. A company, such as a filing service, can be the organizer.
  3. 3.Item 3: Registered agentAn individual who lives in North Carolina, or a business entity whose business office is the same as the registered office. The agent does not sign the form. The online filing also asks for the agent's email address.
  4. 4.Item 4: Registered office street address and countyA North Carolina street address and the county it is in. A PO box cannot be the registered office.
  5. 5.Item 5: Registered office mailing addressOnly if mail is not delivered to the street address, or the agent prefers a PO box or drawer.
  6. 6.Item 6: Principal officeOption a if the company has a principal office: its phone number, street address and county, and a mailing address if different. Option b if it has none. The principal office can be outside North Carolina.
  7. 7.Item 7: Other provisions (optional)Any provision allowed by law, such as a statement of purpose, as an attachment. The names and addresses of the initial members can also be attached here. Most filings attach nothing.
  8. 8.Item 8: Company officials (optional)Names, titles and business addresses of the company's officials. The state includes it to help companies with federal banking rules; banks often look for a named person on the record.
  9. 9.Item 9: Business email (optional)For the Secretary of State's free notification service, which emails the company when a document is filed in its name. The address is not shown on the state's website.
  10. 10.Item 10: Effective dateEffective when filed unless a later date is given, up to the 90th day after filing. A delayed date with no time takes effect at 11:59:59 p.m. Raleigh time.
  11. 11.Date and signaturesEvery person listed in Item 2 signs and gives a name and title (organizer, member or both). An entity acting as organizer gives its name and a representative signs for it.

Why North Carolina Rejects It

  • A name without one of the required endings, or one that is not distinguishable from an existing North Carolina entity.
  • A registered office with a PO box as its street address, an address outside North Carolina, or no county.
  • A person listed in Item 2 who did not sign the articles.
  • A registered agent who is not a North Carolina resident or an eligible business entity at the registered office.
  • A delayed effective date more than 90 days after filing, or payment short of the $125 fee.

A rejection costs days, sometimes a second fee, and in a few states the name you wanted. Our name check and field review happen before the form goes to the SOSNC online filing system, which is most of what you pay us for.

After the State Files It

  • The Secretary of State reviews and files the articles, and the company then appears on its business registry. Online filings received after 5 p.m. are treated as received at 8 a.m. the next business day. Standard turnaround varies with the Division's volume.
  • North Carolina offers expedited review for an extra fee, requested when the filing is submitted: $100 for 24-hour service, or $200 for same-day service if received by noon.
  • North Carolina has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
  • From the year after formation, the company owes a North Carolina annual report every April 15. The fee is $200 ($203 online by card).

More on filing in North Carolina: North Carolina LLC filing through NC Secretary of State.

Form L-01 Questions

Can Form L-01 be filed online?+

Yes. The North Carolina Secretary of State's online filing system asks the same questions as the paper form and accepts card or bank transfer. Paper filings go by mail to the Business Registration Division. The $125 fee is the state's either way; we charge only for preparing and submitting the articles for you.

Do the members have to be listed on the articles?+

No. Item 2 lists only the people signing the articles, and an organizer who signs only as organizer does not become a member. Initial members can be attached under Item 7, and company officials can be listed under Item 8, but both are optional.

Does the registered agent sign Form L-01?+

No. The agent's name and registered office go on the form, and the online filing asks for the agent's email address, but there is no agent signature. A member can be the agent if they live in North Carolina and give a North Carolina street address.

What does it cost to have you file it?+

One flat service fee plus North Carolina filing & processing, which covers the state's $125 fee and the card and portal processing that goes with it. Both lines show on the checkout page before you pay. The annual report, due each April 15 from the year after formation, is paid to the state later and is not part of formation.

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