Minnesota requires a registered office for an LLC, but naming a registered agent is optional. An active LLC’s annual renewal is free; reinstatement after a missed renewal is a separate paid process.
This guide covers forming a new Minnesota LLC. If your LLC already exists in another state or country, use the foreign-registration process instead.
Minnesota LLC at a glance
- Official filing website
- Minnesota Secretary of State
- Business name check
- Search business namesA name search does not reserve or approve the name.
- Formation document
- Articles of Organization
- State filing fee
- $155$155 for online or in-person filing; $135 by mail.
- Processing time
- OnlineExpedited online: typically 3–5 business daysPaperGuide estimate: 11–12 business days, plus mailAgency information + guide estimate · Additional guide source. The current SOS fee/service page describes online return times. The separate paper estimate is from the cited guide.
- Ongoing report or tax
- Annual Renewal
- Report / renewal charge
- $0The fee schedule lists no charge for the normal annual renewal. Reinstatement after a missed renewal is a separate paid filing.
- Frequency / due date
- Annually
- Sales tax base rate
- 6.875%Local rates may apply. July 1, 2026 snapshot; not an address-specific rate. The precise general state rate is 6.875%; a two-decimal summary may display 6.88%.Official tax agency ↗
- Names in formation records
- No management roster requiredThe ordinary articles identify organizers and a registered office, without a member/manager roster. Professional-firm attachments have additional requirements. Other filings and private bank/tax records may identify owners.
Before you file in Minnesota
Prepare the name, Minnesota registered-office street address and organizers. If you will name an agent, arrange that appointment first.
File the Articles of Organization
- Start domestic LLC Articles of Organization online or use the paper form.
- Enter the registered office, any named agent and the organizers. Sign the articles.
- Pay the fee for your filing method and save the accepted articles and file number.
What to enter in the form
- Registered office
- This Minnesota address is required even when no agent is named.
- Named agent
- Complete the optional agent field only if you have appointed someone to serve.
- Organizer
- Identify the people signing the articles. Keep the membership record in the operating agreement.
- Professional firm
- A professional firm needs the additional professional-entity information; ordinary articles alone do not grant a professional license.
After approval in Minnesota
- Set an annual-renewal reminder even though the normal renewal costs nothing.
Annual Renewal
- Find the LLC in the Secretary of State’s business search and choose annual renewal.
- Confirm or update the registered office, named agent and other requested business information, then submit.
- If the record is already inactive after a missed renewal, use the reinstatement process shown for that entity. It is a separate paid filing.
Compare the filing cycles in our annual report and recurring-fee table.
Next steps: operating agreement · get an EIN · starting checklist.
Sources and filing links
Sources checked . Confirm the state’s current fees and instructions before filing.
- Minnesota Secretary of State: Business Filing and Certification Fee Schedule
- Minnesota Secretary of State: LLC Articles of Organization
Research and walkthrough references
These references provide background and filing walkthroughs. Follow current state instructions if an older walkthrough differs.
See our editorial policy for the research process and contact page for correction information.