LLC Formation in Colorado (2026): 7 Moves and the 3 Best LLC Services
Our 2026 marks for starting an LLC in Colorado: CO Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Colorado Registered Agent.co ($199), highest first. 7 moves, $50 to the state, then the periodic report every year.
Pulled from each company's pricing page on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Colorado's $50 fee.
The primer, move by move
Move 1
Make sure the name is yours to use
A taken name can get the Colorado filing bounced. Run the business search at the Colorado Secretary of State before you do anything else.
Look up the matching domain at the same time.
Move 2
Put a registered agent in place
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.
Every pick above takes the registered agent role.
Where this comes from: Official page: sos.state.co.us (October 2026)
Move 3
Do it yourself, or not
Without a service you pay the state $50, nothing more. Any of our picks adds $199 and handles the paperwork.
Move 4
Fill in and send the Articles of Organization
Send the Articles of Organization and $50 to the Colorado Secretary of State. That brings the LLC into being.
Where this comes from: Official page: coloradosos.gov (October 2026)
Move 5
Sort out the EIN
After approval, the IRS can give the LLC a federal tax ID, and the business bank account hinges on it. Hire Mainstay Filing and the EIN application is handled.
Move 6
Draft the operating agreement
Who owns what, who decides what: that lives in the operating agreement, an internal paper outside the Colorado filing.
Move 7
Keep the LLC active
What repeats is the periodic report ($25, every year, by last day of the entity's anniversary month). Late filings add $50.
Where this comes from: Official page: coloradosos.gov (October 2026)
What you will pay
Cost item
Pay to
Figure
Setting up the LLC
The state
$50
Periodic report
The state
$25 every year
Late report
The state
$50
Service fees (optional)
Service company
$199 in year one
State fees, years one to three
The state
$100
State amounts are Colorado's official fees (sources below); service prices come from each company's site. Three years of state cost is the filing, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.
How the marks came out
won on founder outlay over three years (27% of the mark), with close behind.
Three years with CO Registered Agent.org come to $397, $200 under Mainstay Filing.
Colorado questions
How big is the Colorado formation fee?
$50, per the official fee schedule. Services we rank charge $199 on top.
Which form creates the LLC?
The destination for the Articles of Organization is the Colorado Secretary of State.
Is a registered agent required?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
What does Colorado require each year?
The repeating item is the periodic report ($25, every year, due last day of the entity's anniversary month).
Can I form the LLC without a service?
A service is optional. Founders can file with the $50 fee as long as they appoint a registered agent.
Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?
CO Registered Agent.org, since a Colorado formation at $199 with year one of the agent covered, agent renewal $99. Then Mainstay Filing and Colorado Registered Agent.co.