How to Start an LLC in North Dakota: Eight Articles, No Member Names
None of the eight short Articles that start an LLC in North Dakota asks who owns the company; they’re filed in the Secretary of State’s FirstStop portal for $135.
North Dakota LLC at a glance
State fees checked October 2026
- Registration
- $135
- Articles in FirstStop
- Owners listed
- None
- Organizers and agent only
- Annual report
- $50
- November 15, from next year
File it yourself
$135registration
Filed in FirstStop with an NDLogin account; approval or a correction request comes by email.
Northwest files it Partner
$39+ $135 state fee
Northwest is the North Dakota agent until the first anniversary, then $125 a year. Where it stops
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LLC or a $25 trade name?
Both are filed in FirstStop with the Secretary of State, not with a county.
| Trade name only | LLC | |
|---|---|---|
| What it creates | A registered name for your business | A separate legal entity |
| State cost | $25 for five years, renewable | $135, then $50 a year |
| Agent in North Dakota | Not required | Required, never the LLC itself |
| Who uses it | A sole proprietor trading under another name, or an LLC using a second name | Owners who want a separate entity; it still needs a trade name for any other name |
Under N.D.C.C. 47-25-02, a trade name is required before operating under any name that isn’t the owner’s own.
Before you start an LLC in North Dakota: name and agent
The name ends in “limited liability company,” “LLC” or “L.L.C.,” in plain ASCII characters, and it must pass the state’s distinguishable-name rules.
“Bank,” “banking” and “trust company” need approval from the Department of Financial Institutions. The FirstStop business and trademark searches show existing names, but the Secretary of State decides at review and advises not to invest in a name before then.
A name reservation holds a name for 12 months, for $10, and can be renewed.
The registered agent rule
“A business may not serve as its own registered agent,” the Secretary of State says. The agent needs a physical address in North Dakota and must agree to the appointment; naming one without approval can lead to involuntary dissolution.
A member or anyone else who lives in North Dakota can be a noncommercial agent, as can a corporation or LLC in good standing with an office there. Otherwise, owners pick from the state’s list of commercial registered agents.
How to start an LLC in North Dakota: the eight articles in FirstStop
FirstStop runs on NDLogin. A personal account belongs to one person; a business account can be shared, and each user sees the organization’s filings.
Filing the Articles of Organization means the form “Business Limited Liability Company Articles of Organization,” which holds only what state law requires. The fee is $135, domestic or foreign. Extra provisions mean filing a self-drafted document instead.
- Limited Liability Company NameWith a built-in name search and boxes for a reservation or a consent to use a similar name ($10).
- Principal Executive Office Address
Street address MUST be provided and cannot be a post office box.
- Mailing Address
May be a post office box.
- Registered Agent in North DakotaA commercial agent picked from the list, or a noncommercial agent with a North Dakota address.
- Formation DateWhen filed, or a specific date within 90 days after filing.
- ExistencePerpetual, or an expiration date.
- Business Purpose
Enter the description of the business purpose or ‘General Business.’
- OrganizersName and mailing address of each; individuals must be at least 18.
A menu also asks whether the LLC is a series LLC, which applies only when an operating agreement and state law allow it. Under N.D.C.C. 10-32.1-02(36), an operating agreement can be written, oral or implied; it isn’t filed.
An organizer signs by checking the confirmation box, then “File Online” leads to payment. Approval, rejection or a correction request arrives by email at the NDLogin address.
On paper, “Print and Mail” produces the form; send it with a check, cashier’s check or money order payable to “Secretary of State” to PO Box 5513, Bismarck, ND 58506-5513. Business Services answers at (701) 328-2900 and books appointments from its Register a Business page.
Farming or ranching LLCs (members related, at least 65% of income from agriculture) and ALF LLCs use their own forms with an Initial Farm Report, for the same $135; their annual report is due April 15.
Form 58, Form 60, or the owner’s return
The Office of State Tax Commissioner follows the IRS: an LLC taxed like a partnership or S corporation federally “is treated in the same manner for North Dakota income tax purposes.”
| Federal treatment | North Dakota filing |
|---|---|
| Single-member LLC, disregarded | No separate LLC return: income goes on the owner's federal and North Dakota individual returns, due April 15 for a calendar year |
| Multi-member LLC, partnership | Form 58, due April 15 for a calendar year |
| LLC that elected S corporation status | Form 60, due April 15 for a calendar year |
| LLC that elected C corporation status | Corporate income tax |
A partnership or S corporation withholds 2.5% for nonresident members on their year-end share. For 2025, individual rates for a single filer were 0% up to $48,475, 1.95% up to $244,825 and 2.5% above.
- Sales taxAn LLC selling taxable goods, admissions or lodging needs a sales tax permit, applied for in ND TAP 30 days before opening.
- EINFree from the IRS; FirstStop's SOS Control ID is a state record number, not an EIN. Employers also open a North Dakota withholding account.
- LicensesThey depend on the activity, and several agencies issue them; contractors need a Secretary of State license for jobs above $4,000.
The first annual report is due November 15 of the next year
Nothing is due in the year the LLC registers. An LLC formed in 2026 files its first North Dakota annual report by November 15, 2027, then every November 15.
The report costs $50, or $100 after the deadline. A November 15 weekend moves it to the next business day, as in 2026 (November 16). Unlike the Articles, it lists managers or governors.
How to dissolve an LLC in North Dakota, and what blocks it
Closing takes up to two filings: an optional Notice of Dissolution ($10), then Articles of Dissolution and Termination ($20).
The second won’t go through while the LLC still owns an active trade name, trademark or service mark, or remains a partner in an active partnership. Cancel those first.
To cut off known creditors’ claims, the LLC may give them written notice with at least 120 days to file (N.D.C.C. 10-32.1-52).
More answers on North Dakota LLCs
What does a North Dakota LLC cost through its first reports?
$135 to register, then $50 each November 15 from the next year: $235 through 2028 for an LLC formed in 2026. Optional: a $10 name reservation and a $25 trade name for five years. A commercial agent’s fee comes on top.
What are the requirements to form a North Dakota LLC?
An NDLogin account, a distinguishable name, a consenting registered agent with a North Dakota address, the eight articles and $135. After that, the annual report every November 15.
How long does it take to form an LLC in North Dakota?
The Secretary of State doesn’t publish a timeline for new LLCs. Approval or a correction request arrives by email at the NDLogin address.
Is North Dakota tax-friendly for a small LLC?
Its 2025 individual rates were 0%, 1.95% and 2.5%, and income from a disregarded LLC is taxed on the owner’s return at those rates.
Does an S corp election change North Dakota filings?
The election is federal, with the IRS, and North Dakota follows it: the LLC files Form 60 by April 15 for a calendar year, and the Secretary of State’s record doesn’t show the status.
Is a single-member LLC’s tax return due in March or April?
April 15 for a calendar year. A single-member LLC has no separate return: the profit goes on the owner’s federal and North Dakota individual returns.
