Register your business in Ohio

LLCs, corporations, nonprofit corporations and limited partnerships register with the Ohio Secretary of State. Sole proprietors and general partnerships file nothing to exist. A business that uses a name other than its owner’s legal name registers a trade name or files a fictitious name report with the same office.

We could not read the Secretary of State’s own business pages while writing this guide. The fees and rules below come from the Ohio Revised Code, which the state publishes. Anything only those pages would say is marked * with a pointer to check the official source.

What’s different in Ohio

• A corporation’s fee depends on its shares. It is $0.10 a share for the first 1,000 authorized, never less than $99 or more than $100,000. An LLC pays a flat $99.
• There are two name filings, not one. A trade name is registered and lasts five years. A fictitious name report is due within 30 days of first use. Both go to the Ohio Secretary of State and cost $39.
• The role is called a statutory agent. The agent needs a real Ohio address, not a post office box.
• No annual report for an ordinary LLC or corporation. The Secretary of State’s site confirms that ordinary LLCs and for-profit corporations file no routine annual report, and the statutes set none. Nonprofits, professional associations and LLPs do have periodic filings, below.

Do this

1. Pick your structure. LLC, corporation, nonprofit corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship. A sole proprietor or general partnership can skip to step 6. Ohio’s professional services chapter says an LLC formed under Chapter 1706 may render professional services, and a licensed profession can also form a professional association.
2. Check the name. An LLC or corporation name must be distinguishable on the records of the Secretary of State. Search the Secretary of State’s business search, then the web and the federal trademark database too. Not ready to file? Reserve the name for 180 days for $39, under the Chapter 1706 name rules.
3. Choose a statutory agent. The agent is an Ohio resident, or a corporation, LLC, partnership or other entity with a business address in Ohio. The office must be a place in Ohio open during normal business hours where someone authorized to accept service is generally present, not a post office box. Changing the agent or the agent’s address later costs $25.
4. File with the Secretary of State. An LLC delivers its articles of organization to the Secretary of State, as Chapter 1706 requires. A corporation files articles of incorporation there under Chapter 1701. The online portal, form number, processing time and expedited options were not readable from here.* Check with the Ohio Secretary of State before you file. The fee depends on your structure, below. The current version of the fee statute took effect April 3, 2025.
5. Order a certificate of good standing if your bank asks. The seal on a certificate costs $5 under the fee statute. How to order it, and how long it takes, we could not confirm.* Check with the Ohio Secretary of State.
6. Register a trade name or file a fictitious name report if you use another name. The filing is a trade name or a fictitious name report. It applies to any individual, partnership, LLC, corporation or other entity using a name other than its own. The fee is $39 either way, and it is governed by Chapter 1329. The state keeps a public record of registered trade names and reported fictitious names kept by the Secretary of State.
7. Calendar the first deadlines. A nonprofit’s first statement of continued existence is due within five years after the date of incorporation. Selling taxable goods means a vendor’s license before your first sale: Get your tax IDs. Stay compliant has the rest.

By structure

LLC

File articles of organization ($99). The name must contain "limited liability company," "L.L.C.," "LLC," "limited," "ltd.," or "ltd". The LLC is formed when the articles are filed, or at a later date or time stated in the articles. Keep your operating agreement with the company’s records. Whether Ohio’s LLC statute requires one is not something we confirmed.* Check with a legal professional. An ordinary LLC has no recurring state report that we could confirm.* Check with the Ohio Secretary of State.

Corporation

File articles of incorporation. The fee is $0.10 a share for the first 1,000 authorized shares, with a minimum of $99 and a maximum of $100,000. The statute sets lower rates for shares beyond 1,000, so the number of shares you authorize sets the bill. The name must end with or include "company," "co.," "corporation," "corp.," "incorporated," or "inc.". A name reservation lasts 180 days. Effectiveness can be set up to 90 days after filing. S corp and C corp are federal tax choices you make with the IRS afterward, not Ohio forms. A professional association files a biennial statement every two years, in even-numbered years, due within 30 days after June 30 of each even-numbered year ($25).

Nonprofit

File articles of incorporation for a nonprofit corporation ($99, because it authorizes no shares). 501(c)(3) status is a separate application to the IRS. A nonprofit then files a statement of continued existence with the Secretary of State every five years ($25). Nonprofits regulated or supervised by another state agency, and those exempted by division (N) of section 1702.06, are exempt. The first one is due within five years after the date of incorporation.

Partnership

Under Ohio law, two or more people carrying on a business together as co-owners form a partnership whether or not they file anything. A general partnership may file an optional statement of partnership authority ($99), and it keeps an agent for service only while a statement of partnership authority is in effect. A limited partnership files a certificate of limited partnership ($99). A limited liability partnership registers for $99 and files a biennial report between April 1 and July 1 of each odd-numbered year after the year the statement of qualification is filed ($25). Partners using a name other than their own register a trade name or file a fictitious name report.

Sole proprietorship

No formation filing. If you do not register another entity, you are a sole proprietor. A name other than your own legal name means a trade name or a fictitious name report with the Secretary of State. Vendor’s license, tax registration and any license your work needs still apply.

Formed in another state

An LLC formed elsewhere files registration as a foreign limited liability company ($99). A corporation formed elsewhere files an application for a license to transact business, with a certificate of good standing or subsistence from the home state ($99). A foreign nonprofit corporation pays $99. Forming in another state covers the tradeoffs.

What you get back

An LLC exists when the articles are filed, or at a later date or time stated in the articles. Your entity’s record will be in the Secretary of State’s business search. How the filed copy comes back to you we could not confirm.* Check with the Ohio Secretary of State, and keep a copy. You will need the filed articles for your EIN and bank account. A trade name or fictitious name report goes into a public record of registered trade names and reported fictitious names kept by the Secretary of State.