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LLC Answered The short reply to every LLC filing question.

Term

Articles of organization: what is it?

The document that brings an LLC into legal existence when the state accepts it.
By the LLC Answered editorial team

Summary

Short reply
Other titles
Certificate of organization, certificate of formation
Related
Organizer then Registered agent then Operating agreement

In practice

It is brief. How the company operates is covered in the operating agreement instead.

The state picture

The least you will pay the state is $35, in Montana; the most is $500, in Massachusetts. Every state's fee.

Where this appears

You will meet it here: Start-an-LLC answers by state, Agent answers by state, Out-of-state LLC questions by state.

Also on this site

What backs this page

  1. Mont: mca.legmt.gov, last confirmed August 2026
  2. Montana formation fee: Filing fee: sosmt.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  3. Montana formation fee: Filing fee: sosmt.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  4. M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12: sec.state.ma.us, last confirmed August 2026
  5. Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee: sec.state.ma.us, last confirmed October 2026
  6. Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee: sec.state.ma.us, last confirmed October 2026