Skip to content
Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 1 · North Dakota

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

Ranked by measured reading, the services for forming an LLC in North Dakota in 2026 are Mainstay Filing ($199), ND Registered Agents.org ($199) and North Dakota Registered Agent.co ($199). Forming the LLC requires 7 procedures and $135 paid to the state, followed by the annual report every year.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Before the procedures

Fee for filing
$135sos.nd.gov (observed October 2026)
Annual report
$50 a yearFiling window: November 15
Three years of state fees
$235State charges only
Procedures
7In sequence

Sheet aims

  • The North Dakota formation document, its price and its destination
  • The registered agent requirement
  • What follows formation
  • Which services measured best and why

Best reading

Who we would engage in North Dakota

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

1. Mainstay Filing: best for filing and upkeep on one invoice

$199 annually, state fee extra ($334 at checkout)

Mainstay Filing reads highest, and the reason is that $199 per year performs the formation, keeps the registered agent and files the annual report; year two measures $199.

ND Registered Agents.org measures $200 lower over three years; this service still reads higher because it performs more of the sheet.

Included in the service: the annual report, with the state's $50 charged as North Dakota sets it.

What the price performs

  • Formation filing, prepared and submitted
  • Registered agent for the full year
  • Annual report filed on schedule
  • EIN application included
  • No markup on the state fee

Measured strengths

  • A flat $199 yearly
  • $199 each year
  • It submits the EIN application

Measured limits

  • Every year after the first it costs $100 extra
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
In-state service

2. ND Registered Agents.org: best for North Dakota LLCs with limited funds

$199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

Second: ND Registered Agents.org, since $199 at the start, no agent fee in year one, then $99 yearly.

The owner files the annual report every year.

What the price performs

  • The North Dakota formation, prepared and filed
  • Agent service for the first year

Measured strengths

  • Agent service for year one costs nothing extra
  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two

Measured limits

  • The annual report filing is not part of the price
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit ND Registered Agents.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
In-state service

3. North Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for LLCs that keep to North Dakota

$199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

Third: North Dakota Registered Agent.co, since $199 at the start, no agent fee in year one, then $99 yearly.

The owner files the annual report every year.

It publishes the same prices as ND Registered Agents.org.

What the price performs

  • The North Dakota formation, prepared and filed
  • Agent service for the first year

Measured strengths

  • $199 and the state fee
  • Agent service for year one costs nothing extra
  • $99 yearly from year two

Measured limits

  • The annual report filing is not part of the price
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit North Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The North Dakota results compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2ND Registered Agents.org$199$99/yr$397Visit ND Registered Agents.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3North Dakota Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit North Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Drawn from each company's pricing on November 13, 2026. Add North Dakota's $135 fee to each row.

How a North Dakota LLC is formed

  1. Procedure 1: Test the name for availability

    Query the business records kept by the North Dakota Secretary of State. They show whether the name is already on the North Dakota register.

    TipA spare name saves a second round.

  2. Procedure 2: Assign the registered agent role

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial agent: a North Dakota resident, or an entity registered with the Secretary of State that has a North Dakota business office. A business cannot serve as its own agent.

    The address has to be a complete physical address in North Dakota. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    TipAll of the ranked services provide a registered agent.

    Specimen: ndlegis.gov (observed October 2026)

  3. Procedure 3: File directly or engage help

    Without a service the whole bill is the state's $135. Each of the ranked services adds $199 and handles the paperwork.

  4. Procedure 4: Prepare the Articles of Organization

    the North Dakota Secretary of State forms the LLC once it accepts the Articles of Organization with $135, under N.D. Cent. Code § 10-32.1-20.

    Specimen: sos.nd.gov (observed October 2026)

  5. Procedure 5: Obtain an EIN

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

  6. Procedure 6: Document the owners' agreement

    An operating agreement is the owners' rulebook. The company retains it; the state does not collect it.

  7. Procedure 7: Plan the second year

    Recurrence is governed by the annual report ($50, every year, by November 15). Filing late adds $50.

    Specimen: sos.nd.gov (observed August 2026)

What will be paid

ProcedurePaid toTotal
Filing feeState office$135
Annual reportState office$50 every year
Late feeState office$50
A service, if usedThe engaged service$199 up front
Three years of state feesState office$235
Every state amount here can be verified against the specimens below. The three-year row combines formation, two later reports and a minimum tax where one exists, and it never includes service prices.

How the North Dakota results were ordered

Procedures the price performs accounts for 28% of the reading, and it is where pulled ahead in North Dakota.

ND Registered Agents.org costs less, yet the annual report stays with the owner.

Common questions

What will a North Dakota LLC cost at the start?

$135 goes to the state. Service fees among the ranked services run $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Formation is complete when the North Dakota Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does North Dakota require each year?

Every year the LLC files the annual report, at $50, due November 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

A service is optional. An owner can file with the $135 fee, provided a registered agent is appointed.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, ND Registered Agents.org and North Dakota Registered Agent.co, in descending order of reading.

Further reading

Specimens and records

  1. Notebook entry for North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division: the observations rest on sos.nd.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  2. Notebook entry for North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division: the observations rest on sos.nd.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  3. Notebook entry for North Dakota report due date: the observations rest on ndlegis.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  4. Notebook entry for North Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: the observations rest on sos.nd.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  5. Notebook entry for North Dakota registered agent statute: the observations rest on ndlegis.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  6. Observation of Mainstay Filing's North Dakota service page, November 13, 2026
  7. Observation of ND Registered Agents.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  8. Observation of North Dakota Registered Agent.co's pricing page, November 13, 2026