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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 1 · Colorado

Forming an LLC in Colorado (2026): 7 Procedures and the 3 Best LLC Services

Result for 2026: forming an LLC in Colorado is best served by CO Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Colorado Registered Agent.co ($199), ranked in that order. 7 procedures follow; the state's charge measures $50, and the periodic report adds $25.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Key facts

Fee for filing
$50Logged against coloradosos.gov in October 2026
Periodic report
$25 a yearDate per the state: last day of the entity's anniversary month
Three-year state cost
$100Filing plus recurring state fees
Number of procedures
7One at a time

After reading you will know

  • The official Colorado fee and form
  • The registered agent requirement
  • How to remain in good standing
  • The readings and their reasoning

Best reading

Services that measured best in Colorado

Three-year cost and the number of procedures a price performs weigh the most; how we measure lists all five criteria.
Best reading

1. CO Registered Agent.org: best for a budget formation

$199 to open, $99 a year from year two

CO Registered Agent.org comes first since $199 above the state fee, with year-one agent service included, then $99 a year.

A lower three-year total than Mainstay Filing gives it first place; cost counts 36%.

The price excludes the periodic report, which the owner files every year.

What the price performs

  • The filing is performed for you
  • Agent service for the first year

Measured strengths

  • A formation fee of $199
  • $99 a year afterward
  • Agent service for year one costs nothing extra

Measured limits

  • The owner prepares the periodic report
  • A $99 add-on for the EIN application
Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Any state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for no periodic report paperwork

$199/yr plus the $50 state fee

Reading 2 belongs to Mainstay Filing, because $199 per year performs the formation, keeps the registered agent and files the periodic report; year two measures $199.

A gap of $200 to CO Registered Agent.org across three years fixes its position.

The owner does not file the periodic report; the $25 state fee is simply passed through.

What the price performs

  • Filing with the state
  • Registered agent for the full year
  • Periodic report filed on schedule
  • EIN application included
  • Official fee, nothing added

Measured strengths

  • The EIN procedure is part of the price
  • A flat $199 yearly
  • The renewal price stays at $199

Measured limits

  • $100 a year above CO Registered Agent.org's renewal
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Single-state plan

3. Colorado Registered Agent.co: best for owners who prepare their own reports

$199 to open, $99 a year from year two

Reading 3 belongs to Colorado Registered Agent.co, because $199 above the state fee, with year-one agent service included, then $99 a year.

The price excludes the periodic report, which the owner files every year.

It costs exactly what CO Registered Agent.org costs.

What the price performs

  • The filing is performed for you
  • Agent service for the first year

Measured strengths

  • $99 a year afterward
  • A formation fee of $199
  • Agent service for year one costs nothing extra

Measured limits

  • The owner prepares the periodic report
  • A $99 add-on for the EIN application
Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Colorado results compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1CO Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Colorado Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's listed price on November 13, 2026. No row includes the $50 state fee.

The sheet, procedure by procedure

  1. Procedure 1: Settle on a name

    the Colorado Secretary of State keeps the register. Search it first, since a taken name in Colorado can send the filing back.

    TipHold a fallback name in reserve.

  2. Procedure 2: Assign the registered agent role

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A person 18 or older whose home or usual place of business is in Colorado (since July 1, 2025 the person has to hold a Colorado driver's license or ID or otherwise verify residency), or a business entity in good standing with a usual place of business in Colorado. The agent has to consent.

    The address has to be a physical address in Colorado, either a home or a usual place of business. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    TipEach recommended service fills the registered agent role.

    Specimen: Logged against sos.state.co.us in October 2026

  3. Procedure 3: Weigh the two routes

    The state's fee is $50 on either route. A service adds $199; the readings show which to use.

  4. Procedure 4: Prepare the Articles of Organization

    The Articles of Organization is the formation instrument. It goes to the Colorado Secretary of State, and the fee measures $50.

    Specimen: Logged against coloradosos.gov in October 2026

  5. Procedure 5: Request the LLC's federal tax ID

    Sequence: state approval, then the IRS number. This procedure sits inside the Mainstay Filing package.

  6. Procedure 6: Prepare an operating agreement

    The operating agreement records who owns the Colorado LLC and how decisions are made. It stays in the company records and is never sent to the state.

  7. Procedure 7: Plan the second year

    Every year the LLC files the periodic report with $25; due date last day of the entity's anniversary month. Lateness costs $50.

    Specimen: Logged against coloradosos.gov in October 2026

What will be paid

ItemPaid toPrice
The formation procedureState$50
Periodic reportState$25 every year
Late feeState$50
Optional serviceThe service$199 for year one
Three years of state feesState$100
Method for the three-year state row: take the filing fee, add the reports due in years two and three, then add any yearly minimum tax. Service fees stay in their own rows.

The reasoning behind the ranking

The deciding criterion was measured cost over three years, worth 36% of the reading.

Three years with CO Registered Agent.org total $397, which is $200 below Mainstay Filing.

Colorado questions

What will a Colorado LLC cost at the start?

Colorado charges $50. The ranked services charge $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Articles of Organization is the instrument, and the Colorado Secretary of State receives it.

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Colorado require each year?

Log the periodic report: $25, every year, last day of the entity's anniversary month.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Yes. The state takes $50 at filing, and the LLC must still name a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

CO Registered Agent.org reads highest, Mainstay Filing and Colorado Registered Agent.co follow; CO Registered Agent.org leads on measured cost over three years.

See also

Specimens and records

  1. Colorado Secretary of State: primary record at sos.state.co.us, last observed August 2026.
  2. Colorado Secretary of State: primary record at sos.state.co.us, last observed August 2026.
  3. Colorado yearly filing: Periodic report, official source: primary record at coloradosos.gov, last observed October 2026.
  4. Colorado report due date: primary record at colorado.public.law, last observed August 2026.
  5. Colo: primary record at sos.state.co.us, last observed August 2026.
  6. Colorado formation fee: Filing fee, official source: primary record at coloradosos.gov, last observed October 2026.
  7. CO Registered Agent.org pricing page, recorded November 13, 2026
  8. Mainstay Filing Colorado service page, recorded November 13, 2026
  9. Colorado Registered Agent.co pricing page, recorded November 13, 2026