The minimum Ohio LLC cost is $99, which covers the processing fee for filing your LLC formation documents, known as the Articles of Organization.

Having said that, the total cost of forming a Ohio LLC will depend on several factors, including your personal preferences and business needs.

In our How Much Does an LLC Cost in Ohio Article, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about the different costs associated with launching and maintaining an LLC.

Ohio LLC Cost

In the table below, you can find a summary of the main requirements of forming a Ohio limited liability company (LLC) and their associated fees.

                                                         

Requirement	Fee
Articles of Organization	$99
Operating Agreement	$0+
Statutory Agent	$0-$150+
LLC Name	$0-$78+

Ohio LLC Filing Fee ($99)

All LLCs in Ohio are required to submit their Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State in order to be registered with the state.

For this submission, you will be required to pay a filing fee of $99, regardless of whether you’re registering a domestic or foreign LLC.

Having said that, if you choose to use an LLC formation service, the cost will be a little higher as it will include a small service fee in addition to California’s state filing fee.

The fees for an LLC formation service can range significantly, but can start from as low as $29, increasing if you decide to purchase any additional offerings.

Note: For more information, you can have a look at our Ohio LLC Formation guide.

Statutory Agent ($0-$150+)

As part of the formation process, you will be required to nominate a statutory agent for your LLC. This is commonly referred to as a registered agent in other jurisdictions.

This is a person or entity that you must assign to receive tax, legal, and governmental correspondence on behalf of your Ohio LLC.

While you can act as your own statutory agent at no extra cost, it’s often recommended to hire a professional service so you avoid any potential penalties or legal issues caused by non-compliance with state regulations.

Statutory agent service fees differ significantly depending on the breadth of services and support provided, but generally range anywhere between $45 and $150 per year.

Keep in mind that your statutory agent will need to sign the Acceptance of Appointment section of your LLC’s Articles of Organization in order to be accepted.

Alternatively, you can find some of the top recommendations for professional RA services in our Best Registered Agent Services of 2024 article.

Naming Your Ohio LLC ($0 – $78+)

When forming your Ohio LLC, you’ll be required to pick a suitable name that’s available to use.

While registering a name in itself has no cost, there are two potential costs to be aware of when naming your LLC.

Reserving Name

If you’ve settled on a name but aren’t ready to file your Articles of Organization, you can choose to reserve your chosen name in order to prevent others from taking it.

To do this, you can submit the Name Reservation/Transfer/Cancellation form to the Ohio Secretary of State alongside a $39 filing fee.

Keep in mind that you have the option to list up to two alternative names on the form (in case your first choice is already taken).

Once your name reservation is processed, the Secretary of State’s office will send you a written confirmation verifying that your name has been officially reserved for a period of 180 days.

Note: You can check the availability of your preferred name through the Ohio Secretary of State’s online Business Search tool.

When choosing a name for your LLC, it’s important to select one that corresponds to an available domain. This is because a matching domain ensures consistency between your LLC’s name and its online presence, which helps to strengthen its brand recognition and credibility.

Doing Business As (DBA) Name

If you intend to conduct business in Ohio under a name different from your LLC’s registered legal entity name, you will need to register a Doing Business As (DBA) name.

To do this, you will need to file the Form 534A (Name Registration) with the Ohio Secretary of State and pay the $39 filing fee.

Note: Your DBA registration will remain valid for five years and can be renewed for a $25 fee.

Ohio LLC Operating Agreement ($0+)

While not mandatory, it’s good practice for limited liability companies to have an operating agreement.

This document defines the roles and responsibilities of the members or managers in your LLC and will help prevent and solve any business disputes that may arise later on.

While you can opt to hire an online service or business attorney to draft this document for you (which typically costs at least a few hundred dollars), it’s actually quite straightforward to do it yourself at no extra cost.

It’s also important to note that this doesn’t actually need to be filed with the OhioSecretary of State — it’s purely an internal document.

Additional Ohio LLC Formation Costs

On top of the more common fees outlined above, there are a number of additional formation costs that LLCs in Ohio may encounter depending on their circumstances.

We’ve summarized some of these additional costs below:

Expedited Filing Services

If you need your LLC’s paperwork processed quickly, the Ohio Secretary of State offers expedited services for all filings except preclearance requests, certificate requests, and UCC filings.

The specificities of these can be found below:

• Expedite Service 1: For an additional $100 beyond the standard filing fee, your documents will be processed within 2 business days
• Expedite Service 2: By adding $200 to the standard fee, your filing will be processed within 1 business day. This option is exclusively available for walk-ins at the Client Service Center
• Expedite Service 3: For an additional $300 fee, your filing will be processed within 4 hours (for submissions received by 1:00 p.m.). This is only for walk-in customers at the Client Service Center

It should be noted that standard processing time for filings without expedited service typically ranges from 3-7 business days, depending on the current workload of the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.

Ohio Local Business Licenses

Depending on the exact location and industry of your LLC, there are a number of local-level licenses and permits you may be required to obtain.

The cost for these licenses and permits can vary widely, and will ultimately depend on the specific regulations of each locality.

For example, to operate a Hotel in Columbus, you will be required to obtain a Hotel/Motel License and pay a $20 application fee, a $32 background check fee, and a $75 license fee.

Ohio Professional Licenses

In Ohio , LLCs may need to obtain certain professional licenses if they plan to operate in a regulated field like medicine, law, or accounting.

The state of Ohio manages many of these specialized licenses through its eLicense system, which streamlines the application and renewal processes.

For instance, under Ohio Revised Code 4768, Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) operating in Ohio are required to obtain a state-issued license from the Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing board, which carries a fee of $1,000.

Certificate of Good Standing

A Certificate of Good Standing, which is known as a Full Force and Effect Certificate in Ohio, is a document that verifies that your LLC has been properly registered and is legally authorized to conduct business within the state.

This is often required in order to open a business bank account or apply for a business loan.

To obtain a certificate of good standing, you will need to fill out this Certificate Request form and pay a $5 fee via the Ohio Secretary of State’s Online Services page.

Certified Copies of Business Documents

Certified copies of business documents are official documents that verify the authenticity of your LLC’s filings.

You can request these by completing the Certification/Copy Request form and submitting it to the Secretary of State.

Certified copies incur a $5 fee, while plain copies are available at no charge and can also be accessed online.

Keep in mind that for requests exceeding 100 pages, an additional $5 fee will be applied.

Cost to Maintain an LLC in Ohio

In addition to the cost of forming an LLC in Ohio, there are also several ongoing costs you’ll be responsible for paying each year.

We’ve outlined these recurring costs associated with maintaining an Ohio LLC below.

Registered Agent Maintenance

If you decide to take advantage of a professional registered agent in order to handle your legal documents, you’ll be required to pay an annual fee in return for their services. This fee commonly ranges between $35 and $300 depending on the provider and features you select.

While you’re not required to use a professional registered agent service, it’s highly recommended.

Taxes

In addition to the federal taxes your LLC is required to pay regardless of the state it’s based in, there are a variety of state-specific taxes in Ohio you need to be aware of, including:

• Sales tax
• Employment taxes
• Business privilege taxes
• Property taxes

Additionally, there are various local taxes your LLC may need to pay depending on the municipality or county it’s based in, such as:

• Sales and use taxes
• Property tax

Ohio vs Other States

Ohio is an attractive choice for entrepreneurs aiming to minimize expenses and maximize efficiency, thanks to its clear regulations and supportive tax environment.

Even so, it’s important to understand that the best state to form your LLC in will almost always be the one in which you plan to primarily operate your business from.

This is because this makes it far easier to stay legally compliant on a number of levels, including taxation, licensing, and filing requirements, as you’ll only need to deal with one state’s set of rules.