LLC formation
Utah LLC Formation: File Your Certificate of Organization
A Utah LLC exists once the Division of Corporations files its Certificate of Organization. The state fee is $59. The certificate states the LLC's name, the street and mailing address of its principal office and its registered agent, plus any professional, series or low-profit statements that apply (Utah Code § 16-20-201). We file it for $149, $299 or $419 plus the $59.
Utah fees re-checked against the Utah General Laws and the Division of Corporations Filing Fees page: November 12, 2026
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits Utah filings for owners. We are not the Utah Department of Commerce or its Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, and we do not give legal advice. Every state charge passes through at the exact amount billed, shown separately from our service fee.
- Filed with the Utah Division of Corporations
- We track your Utah annual renewal
- Cited to Utah Code Title 16
- Talk to a filer: (386) 465-3937
Utah LLC Formation: File Your Certificate of Organization: the Utah specifics
What the certificate must say
The name, which must meet the naming rules in § 16-1a-302; the street and mailing address of the principal office; the registered agent information required by § 16-1a-404; and, only if they apply, a low-profit LLC statement, professional services company details or notice of series liability limits (§ 16-20-201).
Source: Utah Code § 16-20-201The name has to be distinguishable
Utah compares your name with every active entity, registered foreign entity, DBA, reserved name and registered name on the Division's records. Endings like LLC, company or Inc. and punctuation do not make two names different; a different word, letter or numeral does (§ 16-1a-302).
Source: Utah Code § 16-1a-302Operating agreement binds the LLC
The LLC is bound by its operating agreement whether or not it signed it, and anyone who becomes a member is deemed to assent to it. A single founder can adopt terms before formation that become the agreement on filing (§ 16-20-108).
Source: Utah Code § 16-20-108Optional corporate kit ($79)
A Utah LLC or corporation keeps its liability shield only while it acts like a separate company: its own bank account, its own signed records and decisions made in its own name. Utah's corporation statute requires permanent minutes of shareholder and board meetings and a record of shareholders (Utah Code § 16-10a-1601). A kit with an embosser seal, membership or stock certificates and a binder gives those records one home. A kit is not a guarantee of liability protection and not legal advice.
Source: Utah Code § 16-10a-1601Annual renewal: one rule for every entity
Utah calls its yearly filing an annual renewal or annual report. Every domestic LLC, corporation and nonprofit, and every registered foreign entity, files it by the last day of its anniversary month, the calendar month its formation or registration took effect, and may file up to 60 days early (Utah Code § 16-1a-212). The fee is $18 for an LLC or corporation, which includes a $5 single sign-on surcharge, and a late renewal adds $10.
Source: Utah Code § 16-1a-212Filling in the Utah Certificate of Organization
Utah's certificate is short. It needs the name, the street and mailing address of the principal office and the registered agent details (§ 16-20-201). Only three optional statements may be required: a low-profit LLC statement, the extra details for a professional services company, and a notice if the LLC will have series with separate liability. Most small businesses need none of them.
Because the form is short, the real decisions go into the operating agreement: who manages, how profits are shared, what happens when a member leaves. Utah makes that agreement binding on the company and every member (§ 16-20-108).
Source: Utah Code § 16-20-201
Getting the name through on the first try
Utah tests distinguishability, not deceptive similarity. A name is distinguishable if it has at least one different word, letter or numeral, but LLC, company, Inc., the, and, punctuation and spacing do not count (§ 16-1a-302). Summit Ridge Builders LLC and Summit Ridge Builders Inc. would collide; Summit Ridge Builders 2 LLC would not.
If you need time, a $22 reservation holds a name for 120 days (§ 16-1a-304).
Source: Utah Code § 16-1a-302
After the certificate comes back
Get the EIN in the exact name on the certificate, sign the operating agreement, and open the bank account. Register with the Utah State Tax Commission if you sell taxable goods or services; combined sales tax rates run from 6.35 percent in many rural counties to 8.75 percent in unincorporated Summit County in late 2026. Then check whether your city requires a business license.
Source: Utah State Tax Commission
Utah LLC Formation: File Your Certificate of Organization: questions
By the last day of the anniversary month a year after formation. An LLC formed on April 17, 2026 renews by April 30, 2027, and may file as early as 60 days before that.
Source: Utah Code § 16-1a-212Yes. A single-member LLC is allowed, and it is taxed like a sole proprietorship unless it elects otherwise with the IRS.
Source: Utah Code § 16-20-108Utah does not ask you to file one, but the statute makes the agreement binding on the company and every member (§ 16-20-108). Banks and partners usually ask to see it.
Source: Utah Code § 16-20-108Yes. Corp USA prepares and submits your Utah filing with the Division of Corporations for you. The official state fee is passed through at cost, with our service fee shown separately at checkout, so you never have to work through the state's registration system yourself.
Source: Utah Division of Corporations fee schedule, fiscal year 2026Ready when you are, Utah.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits Utah filings for owners. We are not the Utah Department of Commerce or its Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, and we do not give legal advice. Every state charge passes through at the exact amount billed, shown separately from our service fee.