How to Start an LLC in Louisiana

Ready to start an LLC in the Pelican State? You’ll begin by naming your Louisiana LLC, establishing an EIN, appointing a registered agent, and filing Articles of Organization. This guide will walk you through those steps and more. Let’s geaux!

How to Start a Louisiana LLC in 6 Steps:

1. Name Your Louisiana LLC
2. Appoint a Registered Agent
3. Get Your EIN
4. File Articles of Organization & Initial Report
5. Set Up Operations
6. File Beneficial Ownership Information

Step 1: Name Your Louisiana LLC

Louisiana LLCs follow a few basic naming conventions. Your business name must contain the words “Limited Liability Company,” or the abbreviation “L.L.C.” or “L.C.” The name must be unique, and can’t imply that you’re a nonprofit, charitable organization, or state administrative agency.

Check the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Commercial Database to see if any other registered LA businesses have similar or identical names to yours.

Other things to consider when choosing a Louisiana LLC name: 

• Who else is using the name online?
  Brand recognition is all about consistency, especially in the digital world. Once you choose a name that meets Louisiana’s requirements, search online for domain name and social media handle availability.
  
  When you hire us to form your LLC in Louisiana, we’ll register your domain (free for the first year), plus give you three free months of website and email services.
• Has anyone else trademarked the name?
  Consider trademark availability from the get-go if you’re thinking about trademarking your business name in the future. We offer federal trademark registration service when you hire us to form your Louisiana LLC, complete with an attorney-led clearance search and recommendations to help your application succeed.

Can I reserve a business name in Louisiana before registering my LLC?

Yes, you can reserve a Louisiana business name prior to LLC registration. In fact, it’s preferred by geauxBIZ, Louisiana’s official online filing system. Reserving your business name ensures that the name you want is available and grants a leisurely 120 days to file your remaining formation documents.

Step 2: Choose a Registered Agent

Louisiana Revised Statute §12:1308 requires that all businesses maintain a registered agent with a physical street address, not a post office box, in the state. Your registered agent will receive your business’s legal mail and accept service of process to forward to you.

Your registered agent can be an adult Louisiana citizen who lives in the state, a professional law firm authorized to practice in the state, or another business entity authorized by its formation documents to act as the agent of an LLC for service of process.

Step 3: Get Your EIN

Your EIN is your company’s taxpayer ID. You’ll apply for it through the IRS. In Louisiana, you need an EIN to file your LLC paperwork online. The Louisiana Secretary of State requires online filing in the following parishes:

• Ascension
• Bossier
• Caddo
• Calcasieu
• East Baton Rouge
• Jefferson
• Lafayette
• Livingston
• Orleans
• Ouachita
• Rapides
• St. Tammany
• Tangipahoa
• Terrebonne

Even if you’re registering your Louisiana LLC outside of these parishes, you’ll want to get an EIN. You’ll need it to hire employees and open business bank accounts.

Step 4: File Articles of Organization & Initial Report

Filing your Articles of Organization and Initial report is what officially forms your Louisiana LLC. Per LA R.S. §1304, your Louisiana Articles of Organization and Initial Report are always filed together. Neither can be accepted for filing without the other.

The Articles of Organization lay out a few basic details about your Louisiana LLC:

• Name
  The name of your LLC. You chose this in Step 1.
• Business purpose
  You can write a specific business purpose, or say “any lawful activity for which limited liability companies may be formed.”
• Low-profit status
  If you choose to operate as a low-profit LLC—that is, an LLC formed to pursue a charitable or educational purpose that meets other specific criteria laid out in LA R.S. §1302.C—you’ll need to say so in the articles.

Your Initial Report builds on the information provided in the Articles of Organization. In addition to your LLC’s name, purpose, and low-profit status, your Initial Report requires:

• Registered office address
  This is the street address, not a P.O. Box, of your registered office.
• Registered agent name and address
  The name and street address, not a P.O. Box, of your registered agent (if different from the registered office).
• Affidavit of acknowledgment and acceptance
  A notarized form your registered agent must sign accepting their designation as your registered agent.
• Member or manager information
  The names and street addresses of the first members (owners) or managers of the LLC, if they have been chosen at the time of filing.

The Louisiana Secretary of State offers multiple options for filing these documents. Filing online with geauxBIZ is preferred—and required in some parishes—but you can also file by mail, fax, or in person.

It costs $100 to file your Louisiana LLC formation paperwork. If you file online, you’ll also pay a credit card fee.

How do I register my Louisiana LLC online?

To file Louisiana Articles of Organization and Initial Report online, you’ll log into your geauxBIZ account, then select the option to Start a New Business Registration. If you reserved a business name, you’ll select Convert Name Reservation to a New Business Registration instead.

A convenient one-stop portal, geauxBIZ registers business owners with the Louisiana Secretary of State, the LA Department of Revenue, and the LA Workforce Commission all at once. You’ll therefore need to provide all the information required in the Articles of Organization and Initial Report, plus the following details:

• Your EIN
  Your Employer Identification Number is required to file online, and you’ll need it to hire employees, establish business bank accounts, and other necessities.
• Tax accounts needed
  Choose the types of tax accounts you may need to open—a sales tax account, for example.
• Employees in Louisiana
  Select whether you have or plan to have employees in Louisiana.
• Federal Unemployment Tax Act
  Choose whether your business is subject to the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) in a state other than Louisiana.
• Louisiana LLC ownership type
  Your ownership type directly relates to your federal tax classification, so choose carefully and consult an attorney or CPA for help.
• US NAICS code(s)
  This tells Louisiana what kind of business you’re running. If you have multiple lines of business, you’ll need to assign a percentage that each type contributes to your overall activities.

Your registered agent will receive a request for a digital notarization of acceptance from geauxBIZ when you submit your form. The agent must respond within seven days for your filing to proceed.

How do I register my Louisiana LLC by mail or fax?

To file your LA Articles of Organization via mail or fax, complete and notarize Forms #365 and #973. Fax to 225.932.5314 or mail along with a check or money order (made out to the LA Secretary of State) in the amount of your filing fees to:

Louisiana Secretary of State
Commercial Division
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125

How do I register my Louisiana LLC in person?

To file in person, first complete and notarize your Louisiana Articles of Organization and Initial Report. Then schedule an appointment or take advantage of walk-in filing services available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at:

8585 Archives Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70809

The Commerce Division is located in the building behind the Louisiana State Archives, on Essen Lane between I-10 and I-12.

Step 5: Establish Business Operations

Once your filing has been recorded with the Louisiana Secretary of State, you’ll receive a Certificate of Organization. You’re almost in business! There are just a few more things you’ll want to handle:

• Write an operating agreement.
  This binding contract describes the governance of your Louisiana LLC’s internal operations, including its financial organization and functional decision-making policies. Without one, you’ll be subject to the rules as written in the Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 12 Chapter 22. We’ll include a customizable template written by our attorneys when you hire us to form your LLC.
• Set up business bank accounts.
  Help maintain your LLC’s limited liability by keeping your business finances separated from your own.
• Obtain licenses and permits.
  Each Louisiana parish has different regulatory bodies who oversee licenses and permits. Check with your local Parish Clerk of Court and your city’s website for information relevant to your industry. For example, if you’re registering in the French Quarter, check the New Orleans permits and licensing.

Step 6: File Beneficial Ownership Information Report

The Corporate Transparency Act requires most LLCs to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report. This report identifies the people who own or substantially control a company.

Qualifying businesses must file this report to FinCEN within 90 days of registration if formed in 2024, or within 30 days of registration if formed in 2025 or later.

Hire us to form your LLC and you can add BOI Report filing service.

Frequently Asked Questions