Start an Ohio LLC: Step-by-Step

Your LLC's name has to be distinguishable from every other business name already on file with the Ohio Secretary of State. "Distinguishable" is a legal test, not just a gut check: two names that differ only by punctuation, spacing, or filler words like "the" may still be treated as the same. The Secretary of State screens against all entity types on record, not just other LLCs.

Start at the Ohio business name search. Run your proposed name and a few close variations. If something already on file reads too similarly, the state can reject your Articles, which costs you a redo and delays everything downstream.

Ohio naming rules

• The name must include one of the designators ORC 1706.07 allows: "limited liability company," "LLC," "L.L.C.," "limited," "ltd.," or "ltd."
• It must be distinguishable from the names of other entities and registered names in the Secretary of State's records, unless the other business consents in writing.
• Certain words (for example those implying banking, insurance, or a government agency) require additional approval or are restricted.

Holding a name

If you're not ready to file but want to lock the name, Ohio lets you reserve an available name through the Secretary of State for $39, which gives you the exclusive right to it for 180 days. Reserving a name doesn't create the LLC. It just holds the name while you square away everything else.

Operating under a different name

If you'll do business under a name other than your LLC's legal name, register that separately as a trade name or fictitious name using Form 534A with the Secretary of State. It's a distinct filing from the Articles of Organization and runs on its own five-year renewal cycle.

Before you file the Articles, you need a statutory agent chosen and ready to be named: Form 610 includes the agent's name and Ohio address, and the agent signs the Acceptance of Appointment on the form itself.

Ohio uses "statutory agent" where most states say "registered agent." The role is identical: ORC 1706.09 says every LLC "shall maintain continuously in this state an agent for service of process," the person or business that receives lawsuits, subpoenas, and official state mail for your LLC.

Who can serve

• You: if you live in Ohio, using your primary residence or usual place of business as the address. Your address will show up in the public record.
• Another Ohio resident: a co-owner, an employee, an Ohio attorney, or another trusted person who lives in the state.
• A business entity: a domestic or foreign business with an Ohio address and authority to do business in Ohio. Commercial statutory agent services fall here. They keep a professional address on the public record instead of yours and make sure documents are received and forwarded.

Whoever you choose, the address can't be a P.O. box (even one with a street address attached) or a commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA) address.

Why it matters which you pick

Whatever address you list becomes searchable in the state's business database. If you use your home, anyone who looks up the LLC can find it. Many owners choose a commercial service specifically to keep a home address out of a public database, and to guarantee availability if they travel or keep irregular hours.

The Articles of Organization is the filing that brings your LLC into existence in Ohio's records. The current form is Form 610 (last revised 09/2025); older guides still mention Form 533A, which it replaced. Most people file online through Ohio Business Central; it can also be mailed to P.O. Box 670, Columbus, OH 43216, with a check or money order. The state fee is $99, and the original statutory agent appointment adds nothing.

Regular processing runs 3 to 7 business days, according to the form. If you need it faster, the expedite fees come on top of the $99: $100 for 2 business days, $200 for 1 business day, or $300 for 4 hours with in-person delivery by 1:00 p.m.

What the Articles contain

• LLC name: your full legal name with a valid designator.
• Effective date (optional): on receipt, or a date no more than 90 days later.
• Purpose (optional): Ohio doesn't require a purpose statement.
• Statutory agent: name, Ohio address, and the agent's signed Acceptance of Appointment.
• Organizer signatures: every organizer signs.

Don't put a Social Security number or tax ID anywhere on the form. The Secretary of State says it can't file or record a document that contains one.

What you don't include

You don't list members, ownership percentages, business activities, or any financials. The Articles are a short formation document, not a disclosure. Your operating agreement carries the internal detail, and it stays private.

The operating agreement is your LLC's internal rulebook. Ohio doesn't require you to file it, and it never goes into a public database, but you want one in place before you start doing business, add members, or open accounts.

What a solid agreement covers

• Ownership: who the members are and each member's percentage interest.
• Capital contributions: what each member put in and any future contribution obligations.
• Profit and loss allocation: how profits and losses are divided; it doesn't have to track ownership exactly, though it usually does.
• Distributions: when and how cash goes out, and in what order.
• Management: whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed, who has authority, and which decisions need a full member vote.
• Voting: whether votes are weighted by ownership or counted per member.
• Transfers: what happens when a member wants to sell or leave, including rights of first refusal or approval rules.
• Dissolution: the circumstances for winding up and how assets are distributed.

For a single-member LLC the agreement reinforces that the company is genuinely separate from you, which supports the liability shield. For a multi-member LLC it's essential. Without it, Chapter 1706's statutory defaults govern everything, and they often don't match the owners' intentions.

An Employer Identification Number is a nine-digit federal tax ID the IRS issues at no charge. Think of it as the business version of a Social Security number. You use it on tax filings, to open bank accounts, and when you hire.

When you need one

• Your LLC has more than one member (multi-member LLCs file a partnership return and must have an EIN).
• You plan to hire employees.
• You want a business bank account (most banks require the EIN).
• You've elected S-Corp or C-Corp tax treatment.

A single-member LLC with no employees can technically use the owner's SSN for federal taxes, but most advisors get an EIN anyway. It keeps your Social Security number off business paperwork and streamlines opening a bank account.

How to apply

File your application online using the IRS EIN Assistant over at IRS.gov. Plan on about ten minutes for the form, and since the number is generated on the spot, you can print the confirmation and start using it that day. The online path needs a US SSN or ITIN; applicants without one file Form SS-4 by fax or mail. Ohio's Secretary of State doesn't issue EINs, so this step is always with the IRS. If Mainstay Filing forms your LLC, we apply for the EIN for you.

Keeping business and personal money separate isn't optional. It's what preserves the liability protection you formed the LLC to get. Pay personal bills from the business account, or funnel business income through your personal checking, and a court can treat the LLC as a formality and reach your personal assets.

What banks usually want

• Filed Articles of Organization from the Secretary of State
• Your IRS EIN confirmation
• The operating agreement (many banks ask for it; have it ready either way)
• Government-issued ID for everyone who'll be an authorized signer

Community banks and credit unions are often more flexible with brand-new LLCs than the big national chains. Several online business banks can open an account without a branch visit. Before you settle on one, weigh the monthly charges, the caps on transactions, and any required minimum balance.

Ohio's continuing obligations are among the simplest anywhere, so most of the work is front-loaded into formation.

No annual report

Ohio does not require LLCs to file an annual or biennial report with the Secretary of State. There's no yearly form, no recurring state report fee tied to one, and no administrative dissolution for missing it. There's simply nothing to file. That's the biggest ongoing difference between Ohio and most other states.

Keep the statutory agent current

If your statutory agent's address changes, the agent resigns, or you switch agents, file a Statutory Agent Update (Form 521, $25) with the Secretary of State promptly. If an LLC fails to maintain an agent, the Secretary of State mails a notice, and if the problem isn't cured within 30 days, the Articles are canceled without further notice. A stale address also risks you missing something served to an address nobody watches.

Taxes

Federal treatment depends on how the LLC is taxed: single-member LLCs report on Schedule C, multi-member LLCs file Form 1065, and S-Corp elections file Form 1120-S. Ohio has a personal income tax on the pass-through profits, and the Commercial Activity Tax may apply to gross receipts above a threshold through the Department of Taxation. If you sell taxable goods or services, register for sales tax with the Ohio Department of Taxation.

Licenses

Ohio has no general statewide business license, but many professions require state licensure, and cities and counties often have their own registration or permit rules. These run separately from your Secretary of State filing.