Start an LLC in Colorado
Start a Colorado LLC by filing the Articles of Organization with the Colorado Secretary of State for $50.
You can use our free tool to fill out the paperwork right here yourself. Or hire Northwest to do it for you and we'll provide one year of registered agent service and a business identity—all for $39.
Fill Out Colorado Articles of Organization
Want to do it yourself? Use our free tool to fill out your Articles of Organization right here. Submitting this form to the Colorado Secretary of State officially creates your LLC. You can also hire us to submit your Articles for you.
How To Start An LLC in Colorado
A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a permanent public record. Starting one requires sharing personal information with the government, banks, landlords, vendors, and of course, customers. We like to help our customers protect their privacy, so we give out a free domain name, website, phone line, email address, and brand protection services on day one. This helps you form a company without giving out your personal info to strangers.
Already have an LLC in another state? You can register it as a foreign LLC to do business here, or domesticate it to move it to Colorado.
1. Name Your LLC
First things first: your LLC needs a name. Ideally, it’s one that helps customers find and remember you, and one that keeps you on the right side of Colorado’s business naming laws.
Colorado LLC Name Rules
Your LLC needs to:
- Be distinguishable from names already on file with the Colorado SOS (check the name availability search).
- Include an LLC designator such as LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company, Ltd., or Limited.
- Use only standard keyboard characters (letters, numbers, and common symbols). The Colorado SOS system won’t accept accented letters, emoji, or special symbols like ™. See the full list.
Reserve Your Business Name
Have the perfect name in mind but not ready to file your formation docs? You can reserve it for 120 days by filing a Statement of Reservation of Name with the Colorado Secretary of State. It costs $25 and must be filed online. You can renew the reservation before it expires.
File Online:
- Go to the SOS File a Business Document page.
- Under “LLCs, Corporations & Trade Names,” choose Reserve a name for later use.
- Fill out the form and pay the $25 fee.
2. Register Your Domain Name
The next step is securing a domain name for your website. This is important because just like you need a street address to help people find you on a map, you need a domain name to help people find you on the web.
A domain name gives potential clients a reliable way to find information about you online. Registering earlier is better for at least a couple reasons:
- Credibility: When you bother to establish a professional domain name, you’re letting customers know you take your work seriously.
- Consistency: A domain name that connects to your brand name makes it simpler for customers to remember you, which makes them more likely to seek you out.
If you’re looking for a specific domain name, you can run a domain name search through Northwest.
3. Appoint a Registered Agent
Every Colorado LLC needs a registered agent: a person or company that receives legal and state mail for your business. You’ll list your agent on your Articles of Organization, so you’ll want to pick one before you file.
Colorado Registered Agent Requirements
Your Colorado registered agent must:
- Have a physical street address in Colorado (no P.O. Boxes)
- Agree to serve as your agent. The Articles include a consent checkbox to confirm this.
- Accept legal and state mail on your LLC’s behalf
You can be your own registered agent, but your name and address will go on the public record.
Hire Northwest as your registered agent in Colorado, and we’ll list our address instead of yours to keep your info off the public record. You’ll also get access to business services that help you build a professional presence, online and off—a Free Business Identity from day one.
4. File Colorado Articles of Organization
An LLC in Colorado isn’t legally formed until the Articles of Organization are accepted by the Colorado Secretary of State. It costs $50 to file your Articles in Colorado.
Here’s what you’ll include:
Business Name
Remember to double check that the name is unique in Colorado, or your Articles will be denied. Your company name must include Limited Liability Company, LLC, or L.L.C.
Principal Office Address
Provide a physical street address for your LLC’s principal office (no P.O. Boxes). It doesn’t have to be in Colorado. You can add a separate mailing address, which can be a P.O. Box.
If your address changes later, you can update it with the state.
Registered Agent Information
The person or entity that will accept legal mail for your business. Your agent needs a physical street address in Colorado (no P.O. Boxes), and you’ll check a box confirming they’ve agreed to serve.
Person Forming the LLC
The name and mailing address of the person or business forming the LLC. An individual must be at least 18. You’ll also list the individual submitting the filing. If you hire us, we’ll handle this as your organizer.
Management Structure
Choose whether your LLC is member-managed or manager-managed, and confirm it has at least one member. Member names aren’t required, but you can add them as an attachment.
Bringing on partners later? Here’s how to add a member to your Colorado LLC.
Effective Date (Optional)
If you want, you can choose a start date for your LLC up to 90 days after filing. If you pick a date without a time, it takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time that day.
Additional Provisions (Optional)
If you are forming a professional LLC (PLLC), you must include a specific business purpose, such as practicing law, practicing medicine, etc. Add any other information the law allows, as a .txt or .pdf attachment. If you’re forming an LLC for a licensed profession, check with your licensing board first.
How Do I File Colorado Articles of Organization?
Filing just means submitting your information to the state, where it becomes part of the public record. In Colorado, you must file online at the Colorado Secretary of State LLC Filing Portal to complete your application.
The Colorado Secretary of State does not accept paper or mail filings. All submissions must be completed electronically.
Just remember there’s a $50 filing fee.
5. Create an Operating Agreement
An operating agreement is not legally required in Colorado. We include it because it gives your business a user’s manual to look at when complications arise. Your operating agreement can include pretty much anything, but generally has things like voting procedures, how to allocate profits, and how to resolve conflict.
Operating agreements might also be helpful opening a business bank account, depending on the bank you’re using. Otherwise, they are internal documents—meaning you don’t need to share it with anyone outside the business.
Tip: Our attorneys have drafted a simple Colorado operating agreement you can use as a reference, tweak a little, or use as is. Use it for free.
6. Get an EIN
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is like your business’s social security number. You need an EIN to open a business bank account, apply for loans, and, most crucially, pay and file taxes.
Multi-member LLCs, LLCs taxed as corporations, and any LLC with employees must have an EIN. You can apply with the IRS for free. If you have a Social Security number, apply online and get your EIN right away. If you don’t, you’ll file Form SS-4 by mail or fax.
Rather not deal with the IRS? We get it. You can hire us to get your EIN for you.
7. File Periodic Report
Limited liability companies in Colorado have to file an annual report called the Colorado Periodic Report. The report’s main purpose is to ensure the state knows if something like your business ownership or contact information changes.
Your periodic report will be due during the anniversary month in which the LLC was originally formed, but can also be filed up to two months before that month, or up to two months after with no penalty. So if you formed your LLC on October 22nd, your periodic report would be due by October 31st of the following year (but you can submit it between August 1st and December 31 without accruing fines).
The report costs $25. If you miss the window, your LLC becomes Noncompliant and owes a $50 late penalty. If it stays Unfiled, your LLC becomes Delinquent and has to file a Statement Curing Delinquency to get back in good standing.
Worried you’ll forget? When you hire us to form your LLC or be your registered agent, we’ll enroll you in our Renewal Filing service. We’ll send you reminders before your periodic report is due, then file it on your behalf for $100 plus the $25 state fee. You’re only charged when we file. Prefer to handle it yourself? You can cancel anytime in your client portal.
Staying Compliant
After you form, beyond the periodic report, a few more steps keep your Colorado LLC in good standing:
Frequently Asked Questions
It costs $50 to file your Colorado Articles of Organization, which is the form that you need to file to start your Colorado LLC.
Ready to Start Your Colorado LLC?
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