How to Start an LLC in Colorado (2026)

Full transcript

0:00 The short answer

Dan To start an LLC in Colorado, you file Articles of Organization online with the Secretary of State, and pay the $50 filing fee.

Maya Online only?

Dan Online only. There's no paper option, and you pay by card, debit, or a prepaid account.

Maya This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today, Colorado for 2026, in six steps, with what it all costs and the three best ways to have it filed for you. What comes first?

0:28 Step 1: Choose a name

Dan Colorado wants limited liability company, LLC, L.L.C., limited, or ltd. in the name. And it has to be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records.

Maya How do I check what's taken?

Dan The state's business database is free to search. To hold a name, you can reserve it online for 120 days at $25.

Maya Is reserving worth it?

Dan Only if you won't file right away. Filing online is real time, so most people just file.

1:03 Step 2: Name a registered agent

Maya Who can be my registered agent in Colorado?

Dan An adult with a Colorado driver's license or ID, or a business in good standing. Either one needs a physical Colorado address.

Maya What kind of address doesn't count?

Dan A commercial mailbox or a P.O. box can't be the agent's street address.

Maya Does the agent have to agree?

Dan Yes, the agent consents. The details are public record, which is why many owners hire a commercial agent. Changing agents later costs $10.

1:35 Step 3: File Articles of Organization

Maya How do I file?

Dan Online with the Secretary of State. The fee is $50, paid by card.

Maya What does it ask for?

Dan The name, a principal office, your registered agent and their consent, whether members or managers run the LLC, and who is forming it.

Maya I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan.

Dan Nice to meet you, Maya. One more point: whatever you enter on the form is public.

Maya And how long does it take?

Dan Online filings are processed in real time. Unless you pick a later date, the LLC exists as soon as the payment goes through.

2:12 Step 4: Write an operating agreement

Maya Do I send my operating agreement to the state?

Dan No. It isn't filed, and there's no fee. You keep it with your records.

Maya What if I don't write one?

Dan Colorado's default rules decide things like how profits are split. So put yours in writing. Who owns what, who makes decisions, and what happens if a member leaves.

2:34 Step 5: Get a free EIN

Maya Now the federal side.

Dan Apply for your EIN free with the IRS at IRS.gov, after the state files your Articles.

Maya Can I use the number the Secretary of State gave me?

Dan No. That ID number isn't an EIN. They're two different things.

Maya How fast is the IRS?

Dan If the online application is approved, the number is issued right away. Have the Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge ready.

Maya And the beneficial ownership report?

Dan You can skip it. FinCEN no longer requires it from U.S. companies.

3:08 Step 6: File the periodic report

Maya What do I owe after the first filing?

Dan A periodic report, filed online every year. The fee is $25.

Maya When is it due?

Dan Around the month you formed. You have a window that opens two months before and closes two months after.

Maya What if I miss the window?

Dan The LLC becomes noncompliant, with a $50 late penalty. Two more months and it's delinquent, and curing that costs $100.

Maya And if I ignore it for a long time?

Dan After 400 days delinquent, your name becomes available to others.

3:45 What it costs

Maya Give me the do-it-yourself total.

Dan $50 to form. Then $25 a year for the periodic report. The EIN is free.

Maya And the extras?

Dan A name reservation is $25. Changing your registered agent is $10.

Maya What's a clean first-year number?

Dan $50 for most people. With a reservation, $75.

4:09 What a miss really costs

Maya Let me test the late math. I miss the whole window.

Dan Then you owe the $25 report plus the $50 late penalty, which is $75.

Maya And if it goes delinquent?

Dan Curing it costs $100, on top of the report you still need to file.

Maya So it's cheapest to just file on time.

Dan Yes. The $25 is small. The trouble comes from letting it slide. The window is wide, four months in all, so there's plenty of room.

4:38 Picking your registered agent

Maya Could I be my own agent?

Dan If you're an adult with a Colorado driver's license or ID and a physical Colorado address, yes.

Maya And a friend?

Dan Same test. They need the license or ID, a physical address that isn't a mailbox, and they have to consent.

Maya What about a company as agent?

Dan A business in good standing works, at a physical Colorado address. That's the commercial agent route.

Maya And if I want to change?

Dan Ten dollars. It's a short statement of change with the Secretary of State.

5:07 Real time filing

Maya You said filing is real time. What does that change?

Dan The LLC exists as soon as your payment goes through. You can start the next steps the same day.

Maya Can I pick a different start date?

Dan Yes. Choose a later effective date, and the LLC begins then.

Maya What's the next step after filing?

Dan Your EIN, since the state has filed your Articles. Then sign your operating agreement.

5:33 First-year checklist

Maya Give me the order of operations.

Dan Search the name. Settle your registered agent at a physical Colorado address. File your Articles online for $50. Then get your EIN, and write your operating agreement.

Maya And the calendar?

Dan Your periodic report. Mark the window around your formation month, two months before through two months after.

Maya And the amount to remember?

Dan $25 a year.

5:59 The 3 best ways to file in Colorado

Maya What if I want someone else to file it?

Dan Here are the three best ways to file in Colorado. Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. With the $50 state fee, checkout comes to $249.

Maya What does it cover?

Dan Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your registered agent every year. It renews at the same $199.

Maya And the periodic report?

Dan In Colorado, Mainstay prepares and files it in its window every year. You pay only the $25 state fee.

Maya Number two?

Dan CO Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Articles for $199 plus the state fee, which is also $249 at checkout. Your first year of agent service is free, then it's $99 a year.

Maya And number three?

Dan Colorado Registered Agent.co. Same offer. $199 plus the state fee, first year of agent service free, then $99 a year.

Maya How do I choose?

Dan If you'll file your own periodic report, numbers two and three cost less from year two, at $99 a year for the agent alone. The $25 state fee is the same either way. If you want the report filed for you at one steady price, that's Mainstay.

7:29 Three years of service fees

Maya Three-year number?

Dan Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597. Number two or three is $199 in year one, then $99 in each of the next two years, for $397.

Maya A $200 gap.

Dan Yes, and in Colorado, that gap covers having the periodic report filed in its window.

7:53 Recap

Maya One more time through it?

Dan Choose a name with LLC in it, name an agent at a physical Colorado address, file Articles online for $50, write an operating agreement, get your free EIN, and file your $25 periodic report every year.

Maya The links to all three services and every official source are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast, and good luck with your new Colorado LLC.