Arizona Articles of Incorporation
Arizona articles of incorporation form a corporation by filing Form C010 with the Arizona Corporation Commission for $60, setting the name, agent, and shares. Attorney review available.
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Introduction
Arizona routes incorporation through the Arizona Corporation Commission rather than the Secretary of State, and filing the Articles of Incorporation (Form C010) there creates a for-profit corporation as a separate legal entity. Filing brings the corporation into existence so it can own property, sign contracts, and give its owners limited liability for the corporation debts. Arizona law requires the articles to set forth the corporation name, the name and address of a statutory agent, the corporation known place of business, and the shares the corporation is authorized to issue (A.R.S. 10-202). The filing fee for regular processing is $60, and the articles are filed together with a Statutory Agent Acceptance (Form M002) and a Certificate of Disclosure. The statutory agent accepts service of process for the corporation (A.R.S. 10-501). After the Commission approves the filing, a new Arizona corporation must publish a notice of incorporation in a newspaper for three consecutive publications within 60 days, unless its statutory agent address is in Maricopa or Pima County, where the Commission posts the notice on its database instead. Arizona does not charge a franchise tax; corporations pay Arizona corporate income tax on income, but there is no flat minimum. To stay in good standing, an Arizona for-profit corporation files an Annual Report with a $45 fee by its designated annual due date. DocDraft builds your Arizona articles of incorporation from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
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Arizona is one of the few states that require a newly formed corporation to publish a notice of incorporation in a newspaper, though it is the founding document that creates the corporation as a separate legal entity. You form a for-profit corporation by filing the Articles of Incorporation (Form C010) with the Arizona Corporation Commission.
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You file the articles with the Arizona Corporation Commission and pay a $60 fee for regular processing. The Corporation Commission is the filing office for forming an Arizona corporation.
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Arizona requires the articles to set forth the corporation name, the statutory agent name and address, the known place of business, and the authorized shares (A.R.S. 10-202). The articles are filed with a Statutory Agent Acceptance (Form M002) and a Certificate of Disclosure.
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The statutory agent named in the articles accepts service of process for the corporation, and the corporation must continuously maintain a statutory agent in Arizona (A.R.S. 10-501).
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After the Commission approves the filing, a new Arizona corporation must publish a notice of incorporation in a newspaper for three consecutive publications within 60 days, unless its statutory agent address is in Maricopa or Pima County, where the Commission posts the notice on its database instead.
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Arizona does not charge a franchise tax or a minimum annual entity tax. Corporations pay Arizona corporate income tax on income, but there is no fixed minimum entity tax.
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An Arizona for-profit corporation must file an Annual Report with the Corporation Commission, with a $45 fee, by its designated annual due date. It updates the state on the corporation officers, directors, and address.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Articles of Incorporation in Arizona, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Articles of Incorporation guide walks through them.
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Arizona Requirements for Articles of Incorporation
An Arizona for-profit corporation is formed by filing the Articles of Incorporation (Form C010) with the Arizona Corporation Commission. The fee for regular processing is $60. The corporation legally exists once the Commission files the articles.
The articles must name a statutory agent with an Arizona address who accepts service of process, and a Statutory Agent Acceptance (Form M002) is filed with the articles. The corporation must continuously maintain a statutory agent (A.R.S. 10-501).
The articles must set forth the corporation name, known place of business, statutory agent, directors and incorporators, and authorized shares (A.R.S. 10-202). A Certificate of Disclosure is filed with the articles.
The articles must state the total number of shares the corporation is authorized to issue. If more than one class is authorized, the articles must state the classes, the number of shares in each, and their rights and limitations (A.R.S. 10-202).
After the Commission approves the filing, a new Arizona corporation must publish a notice of incorporation for three consecutive publications within 60 days, unless its statutory agent address is in Maricopa or Pima County, where the Commission posts the notice instead.
An Arizona for-profit corporation must file an Annual Report with the Corporation Commission, with a $45 fee, by its designated annual due date. It can be filed up to 90 days early, and missing it can lead to penalties and administrative dissolution.
Arizona does not charge a franchise tax or a minimum annual entity tax on corporations. A corporation may owe Arizona corporate income tax based on income, but there is no flat minimum entity tax.
Articles of incorporation form a corporation. To form an Arizona limited liability company you file articles of organization instead. Corporate bylaws are a separate internal document the corporation keeps rather than files with the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Arizona, articles of incorporation are the founding document you file with the state to create a corporation. Filing them makes the corporation a separate legal entity that can own property, sign contracts, and shield its owners from personal liability for the corporation debts. A for-profit corporation is formed by filing the Articles of Incorporation (Form C010) with the Arizona Corporation Commission, which sets out the corporation name, its statutory agent, its known place of business, and the shares it is authorized to issue (A.R.S. 10-202).
In Arizona, articles of incorporation create a corporation, which has shareholders, directors, and shares of stock and files Form C010. Articles of organization create a limited liability company, which has members instead of shareholders and issues no stock. Both are filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission and both form a separate legal entity, but they create different kinds of entities under different parts of Arizona law. Choose the one that matches the entity you want.
You file the Articles of Incorporation (Form C010) with the Arizona Corporation Commission, and the fee for regular processing is $60. You file the articles together with a Statutory Agent Acceptance (Form M002) and a Certificate of Disclosure. Expedited service is available for an added fee. Once the Commission files the articles, the corporation legally exists in Arizona.
Arizona requires the articles to set forth the corporation name; the name and address of the statutory agent; the corporation known place of business; the names and addresses of the directors and incorporators; and the shares the corporation is authorized to issue (A.R.S. 10-202). If more than one class of shares is authorized, the articles must state the classes and the number of shares in each with their rights and limitations.
In most of Arizona, yes. After the Corporation Commission approves the filing, a new Arizona corporation must publish a notice of incorporation in a newspaper in the county of its known place of business for three consecutive publications within 60 days. If the statutory agent address is in Maricopa or Pima County, the Commission posts the notice on its database instead, and the corporation does not have to publish. Missing the publication step can lead to administrative dissolution.
No. Arizona does not charge a franchise tax or a minimum annual entity tax on corporations. An Arizona corporation may owe Arizona corporate income tax based on its income, but there is no flat minimum franchise tax that every corporation must pay regardless of income. This is general information about Arizona filings, not tax advice for your corporation.
An Annual Report updates the Arizona Corporation Commission on the corporation officers, directors, and address. An Arizona for-profit corporation must file it with a $45 fee by its designated annual due date, which the Commission assigns and lists on the corporation record. It can be filed up to 90 days early. Filing on time keeps the corporation in good standing; a for-profit corporation that misses the deadline accrues penalties and can be administratively dissolved.
In Arizona, articles of incorporation are the short public document you file with the Corporation Commission to create the corporation. Bylaws are a longer internal document the corporation adopts and keeps in its own records, not filed with the state, setting the rules for how the corporation is run, such as how directors are elected and how meetings are held. You need the Arizona articles to exist as a corporation and the bylaws to govern it day to day.