Louisiana LLC formation requirements

Creating a Louisiana LLC involves a series of legal steps outlined in Louisiana's Limited Liability Company Law. Skip any of these requirements, and you risk rejected filings, personal liability exposure, and administrative dissolution that strips away your business's legal protections.

These requirements cut across:

• Naming requirements
• Registered agent requirements
• Articles of Organization filing
• Operating agreement considerations
• Ongoing compliance obligations, like annual reports

1. Name requirements

Your LLC name must include "Limited Liability Company," "L.L.C.," or "LLC" to satisfy Louisiana's naming statute. Louisiana won't approve your Articles of Organization without this suffix.

Next comes uniqueness. Your name can't resemble an existing business so closely that people might get confused. Louisiana checks for distinguishability across all registered entities. Check the Louisiana Secretary of State's Commercial Database before filing, or you'll waste $100 on a rejected application.

Some names are off-limits regardless of uniqueness:

• Words suggesting government connections are banned outright (like "FBI," "Treasury")
• Terms like "bank," "trust," "insurance," or "credit union" require additional licensing documentation
• Words like "engineer" need notification from the relevant professional board
• Words that mislead the public about your actual business purpose will be rejected

You can reserve your chosen name for 120 days by filing an Application for Reservation of Name with the Louisiana Secretary of State for $25.

Planning to market under a different brand? You'll need to register a trade name (DBA) with the Secretary of State for $50, though this creates an alias for your company rather than a new legal entity. Check domain availability too, so your online presence matches your legal name.

2. Registered agent requirements

Louisiana mandates every LLC to continuously maintain a registered agent under state law. This person or company must have a physical Louisiana street address to receive legal documents, tax notices, and official mail. Your registered agent must be in place from day one.

You have two choices:

• Any Louisiana resident who is at least 18 and willing to be present at their address during business hours can serve. Either you, a member, or an employee will work, but the LLC itself cannot serve as its own agent.
• Alternatively, hire a professional service that's authorized to operate in Louisiana. These commercial agents keep your personal address private, guarantee daytime availability, and often include mail scanning or compliance reminders.

Either way, your registered agent must provide written consent and maintain current contact information with the Secretary of State.

Failing to maintain a valid registered agent triggers serious consequences. The state can administratively dissolve your LLC if agent information lapses, and missed legal documents can result in default judgments against your business.

3. Articles of Organization requirements

Filing Articles of Organization brings your Louisiana business to life, but the Secretary of State rejects incomplete forms. The document must be filed simultaneously with an Initial Report, both are required.

Articles of Organization need six key elements:

1. Your LLC's legal name, exactly as verified for availability
2. Parish where the business is located and principal office address (P.O. boxes not accepted for principal address)
3. Registered agent with name and actual Louisiana street address
4. Business purpose statement (can be general or specific to your industry)
5. Duration (typically "perpetual" unless you specify an end date)
6. Organizer's details, including name, contact info, and signature

The organizer signs and submits the paperwork, and your registered agent must consent to serve in writing.

You have two ways to file:

• Online filing through geauxBIZ costs $105 total (includes $5 convenience fee) and typically processes within one week
• Mailing the form with a check costs $100 per the official fee schedule, but requires notarized signatures and takes longer for processing

Expedited processing adds $30 for 24-hour service or $50 for same-day processing when your launch timeline demands immediate approval.

4. Operating agreement requirements

Louisiana doesn't legally require an operating agreement, but business attorneys universally recommend creating one. Without this internal document, your LLC defaults to state law provisions that rarely match how you actually want to operate.

A solid Louisiana Operating Agreement typically covers:

• Member names and ownership percentages
• Capital contributions and voting rights
• Management structure (member-managed vs. manager-managed)
• Procedures for admitting new members or transferring interests
• Allocation of profits, losses, and distributions
• Meeting requirements and record-keeping expectations
• Dispute-resolution methods and buyout provisions
• Events that trigger the dissolution and winding-up process

Creating these provisions upfront costs far less than resolving ambiguous agreements through court battles later.

5. Initial and ongoing compliance requirements

Getting your Articles of Organization approved is just the start. Once Louisiana stamps your paperwork, a series of federal and state requirements kicks in, each with different deadlines and consequences.

• You'll need an Employer Identification Number from the IRS right away to open a bank account and maintain liability protection
• Licensing adds another puzzle piece. Louisiana doesn't have a general statewide business license for all LLCs, but cities and parishes may require business licenses, sales-tax registrations, or professional credentials specific to your industry
• Opening a business bank account requires perfect timing. You need your approved Articles of Organization, EIN confirmation, and sometimes an operating agreement, all ready at once
• Louisiana requires an annual report to be filed by your entity's anniversary date each year, with a $25 fee per the official schedule (though sources indicate $30-$35 in practice)

Additionally, your registered agent information must stay current. If your agent quits or moves, you have a small window to update the Secretary of State or risk default judgments and administrative dissolution.

Consequences of non-compliance

Skip one filing deadline or let your registered agent information expire, and Louisiana escalates consequences systematically.

Immediate consequences include:

• Loss of good standing status: Public registry shows compliance failure to potential partners
• Administrative dissolution proceedings: Typically, after three years of non-compliance, there is a complete loss of legal protections
• Default judgments: Missed lawsuits due to invalid registered agent information
• Business complications: Cannot open bank accounts or secure financing until compliance is restored
• Reinstatement costs: Paying all outstanding fees plus additional penalties that exceed original compliance costs

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