State-by-State Business Registration Guide (All 50 States + DC)

Description

Each US state runs its own registration process, with different agencies, fees, naming rules and annual reports. This reference guide gives you a one-page profile for every state and the District of Columbia: the filing agency and website, LLC and corporation formation steps, registered agent requirements, typical processing times, annual report and franchise tax obligations, and whether a DBA (doing business as) must be filed at the state or county level. An Excel lookup sheet lets you filter states by cost, privacy protections and reporting burden. Fee figures reflect published schedules at the time of writing
and should be confirmed on the official site before filing.