How to Start an LLC in Georgia

A Georgia limited liability company exists the moment the Georgia Secretary of State's Corporations Division accepts your Articles of Organization. The official filing fee is $110 all-in: a $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge, and since September 6, 2025 that total is the same whether you file online through the eCorp portal or on paper. Formation is governed by O.C.G.A. § 14-11-203, and the required contents of the articles come from O.C.G.A. § 14-11-204. This guide walks through the official steps, the actual form numbers, and what each filing runs.

Why Georgians Pick the LLC

An LLC separates your personal assets from business liabilities. If the company is sued or takes on debt it cannot pay, your house, savings, and personal accounts are generally shielded, provided you keep business and personal finances separate. Compared with a corporation, an LLC skips most of the governance formalities while keeping pass-through taxation by default, which is why it is the entity of choice for Georgia freelancers, contractors, real estate investors, and small firms.

Steps to Start an LLC in Georgia

1. Pick a name that clears the state database. The name must contain "Limited Liability Company," "LLC," or "L.L.C." and must be distinguishable from every entity already registered with the Georgia Secretary of State. Run it through the state's business search before you print anything, and skip terms that imply you are a bank, insurer, or government body.
2. Appoint a Georgia registered agent. Every Georgia LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent at a street address in the state (O.C.G.A. § 14-11-209). The agent can be an individual Georgia resident, a domestic corporation, another domestic LLC, or a foreign corporation or LLC authorized to do business in Georgia. The one thing your LLC cannot do is name itself. Our registered agent page covers the rules in detail.
3. File Articles of Organization with the Georgia Secretary of State. This is the formation filing. Georgia publishes an optional template, Form CD 030, but you may draft your own articles as long as they include everything O.C.G.A. § 14-11-204 requires. File online through the eCorp portal at ecorp.sos.ga.gov or by mail; paper filings must also include Transmittal Information Form CD 231. Either way the state charge is $110 total ($100 fee plus the $10 service charge).
4. Put an operating agreement in writing. Georgia never asks you to file one, but banks ask for it, courts read it in disputes, and without one the default rules of the Georgia LLC Act decide how profits, votes, and exits work. Write down ownership percentages, management structure, and what happens when a member leaves.
5. Get an EIN from the IRS. The federal tax ID is free and issued immediately when you apply at IRS.gov. You will need it for a business bank account, employees, and federal returns. Never pay anyone for this step.
6. Calendar your first Annual Registration. Georgia's recurring filing (its version of an annual report) is due between January 1 and April 1 of the year after you form, and every year after that. It runs $60 all-in. Details on our annual requirements page.

The Formation Document: Form CD 030

Georgia's Articles of Organization for an LLC carry the form number CD 030, and it is worth knowing that CD 030 is a filing template rather than a mandatory form. The Secretary of State's own filing procedure explains that LLCs are formed by filing articles of organization containing the information listed in O.C.G.A. § 14-11-204, whether you use the template or your own drafting. The official procedure document is posted on the SOS site: LLC filing procedure (PDF). If you file on paper, staple on Transmittal Information Form CD 231; online filers through eCorp skip the transmittal.

Online vs. Paper Filing Fees

Under the fee schedule effective September 6, 2025, the two methods finally match: $110 total either way ($100 filing fee + $10 service charge). Before that date, online filing was $105, so any guide still quoting $100 or $105 is working from the old schedule. Optional expedited handling is available from the Corporations Division for an additional charge; the tiers are listed on our filing fees page and in the SOS fee and expedited processing guide.

Where We Come In

You can absolutely file directly with the state for $110 and handle every step above yourself. If you would rather hand it off, our formation service is $199: we prepare and file your Articles of Organization, and the first year of registered agent service is included. After year one, the registered agent service renews at $99 per year.

Already have an LLC in another state? Expanding into Georgia means filing an Application for Certificate of Authority instead ($225 online, $235 on paper). Our foreign qualification service handles that filing for $199 plus the state fees.

Form Your Georgia LLC