Colorado LLC at a glance
For an LLC, Colorado is one of the cheapest states to form and run: $50 to file and $25 a year for the periodic report, both online. Colorado’s Secretary of State accepts these business filings online only, so there is no paper route.
| Item | Colorado rule |
|---|---|
| Formation document | Articles of Organization |
| State fee to form | $50, online only |
| Yearly filing | Periodic Report, $25 |
| Penalty-free window | Two months before to two months after the periodic report month |
| Late filing penalty | $50 |
| Registered agent | Required, with a Colorado street address; must consent |
| Certificate of good standing | Free online |
| Where to file | Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division website |
All of these fees come from the Secretary of State’s business organizations fee schedule, revised 1 July 2024. You can compare them against other states in our LLC state fee comparison tool.
How to start an LLC in Colorado
To create an LLC in Colorado you check the name, appoint a registered agent who has agreed to serve, and file Articles of Organization online for $50. These are the steps in order.
- Check the name. Use the Secretary of State’s name availability search first. If you are not ready to file, a name reservation costs $25 online.
- Appoint a registered agent. The agent needs a Colorado street address and must agree to act for the LLC. You can serve yourself if you qualify (see the registered agent section) or use a registered agent service.
- File the Articles of Organization online and pay $50. You complete the form on the Secretary of State’s website and pay online. Our articles of organization guide explains each field.
- Sign an operating agreement. It is not filed with the state, but it proves who owns and runs the LLC, and banks often ask for it.
- Get an EIN. The Secretary of State’s business FAQs point out that the IRS, not the state, issues EINs. The EIN is free. Owners without an SSN or ITIN apply by fax, mail or phone under the IRS EIN rules; our EIN application service handles that route.
- Register with the Department of Revenue. The same FAQs say to register with the Colorado Department of Revenue for a state tax number and for sales tax licensing if you need them.
- File a trade name if you use one. If the LLC trades under a name other than its legal name, file a Statement of Trade Name ($20) from the LLC’s record, as the Secretary of State’s new business checklist explains.
- Diary the periodic report. Find the LLC’s periodic report month on its summary page and add it to your calendar or our compliance deadline calendar.
Would you rather our filing team handled it? We check the name and agent consent, file the Articles, and keep the approved documents in your portal. The general process for any state is in our how to start an LLC guide.
Colorado LLC cost
A Colorado LLC costs $50 to form and $25 a year to keep, so the state fees for the first two years total $75. Most other items are optional.
| Fee | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | $50 | At formation |
| Reservation of name (optional) | $25 | Before filing |
| Periodic Report | $25 | Every year |
| Periodic Report late filing penalty | $50 | If filed after the penalty-free window |
| Statement of Change (registered agent, address or name) | $10 | When details change |
| Amend Articles of Organization | $25 | If you change the Articles |
| Trade Name Statement (optional) | $20 | If you use another trading name |
| Statement Curing Delinquency | $100 | Only if the LLC becomes Delinquent |
| Dissolve a Limited Liability Company | $10 | When closing |
| Certificate of good standing | Free | Any time |
The arithmetic for a typical small LLC: $50 in the year you form it, then $25 each year for the periodic report. Five years of state fees come to $50 + (4 × $25) = $150 if each report is on time. Add a commercial registered agent if you do not act as your own, and any city or county licenses your business needs.
Colorado LLC annual report (the periodic report)
Colorado’s annual report is the periodic report: it costs $25, is filed online every year, and can be filed from two months before to two months after the LLC’s periodic report month without penalty. The Secretary of State’s periodic report FAQs explain how it works.
- Your report month: shown on the LLC’s summary page in the business database under "Periodic report month".
- How to file: search for the LLC, choose "File a Periodic Report", confirm or update the details and pay online. The report must be filed electronically.
- Reminders: if you sign up for email notification, the Secretary of State emails you the month before your report month. The FAQs stress that each entity is responsible for filing whether or not a notice arrives.
- Late: the fee schedule lists a $50 late filing penalty.
- Delinquent: the delinquency FAQs give an example: with a January report month, the due date is 31 March, and if the report is not filed by the late deadline of 31 May the status changes to Delinquent.
A Delinquent LLC keeps its name for only 400 days. On the 401st day, the Secretary of State changes the name to include the word "delinquent" and the date of delinquency, and the original name becomes available to others. Filing a Statement Curing Delinquency ($100) restores good standing; after five or more years of delinquency you also need an affidavit and government-issued photo ID.
You can update the registered agent while filing the periodic report, which saves a separate filing. Our LLC annual report service files the report and reminds you before the window opens.
Colorado registered agent
Every Colorado LLC needs a registered agent who has agreed to serve and has a Colorado street address. The Secretary of State’s registered agent FAQs set out who qualifies.
- An individual: over 18, with either a primary residence in Colorado or a usual place of business in Colorado.
- An entity: in good standing with the Colorado Secretary of State and with a usual place of business in Colorado.
- Address: a PO box or commercial mail address cannot be used as the agent’s physical street address, although a separate mailing address can be a PO box.
- The LLC itself: can serve as its own agent only after it is registered and in good standing. It must first name an eligible individual or entity when forming, then file a change to select itself.
To change the agent later, update it on the periodic report or file a Statement of Change for $10. The Secretary of State also publishes a page on changes to registered agent requirements. Founders who live outside Colorado, or who want their home address off the public record, usually appoint a commercial agent.
State taxes that affect a Colorado LLC
Colorado’s yearly Secretary of State charge is the $25 periodic report; taxes are handled by the Colorado Department of Revenue. The main ones for a small LLC are sales tax and income tax.
- Sales tax: the state rate is 2.9%, according to the Department’s sales tax guide, and local taxes can apply on top. A retailer that must collect sales tax needs a license before making any sales, with a $16 license fee (prorated by issue date) and a $50 deposit.
- Remote sellers: the same guide says a retailer with no physical location in Colorado is exempt from state sales tax licensing and collection while its Colorado sales are under $100,000 in both the current and previous calendar years. Our sales tax registration service can file the application once you cross that line.
- Income tax: an LLC taxed the default way passes its profit through to its owners, and Colorado-source income can be taxed in Colorado even for owners who live elsewhere. Ask a licensed tax professional about your own position.
Forming a Colorado LLC as a non-resident
You can form a Colorado LLC from outside the state or outside the US. The in-state requirement is the registered agent, which must have a Colorado street address. The formation filing is online only, which suits founders abroad.
Colorado’s low fees make it a reasonable choice if you have Colorado customers, staff or property. If you have no connection to Colorado, compare Wyoming and New Mexico, which many founders outside the US choose for their privacy rules and low running costs, in our Wyoming vs Delaware vs New Mexico LLC comparison and best state for an LLC guide. If you form elsewhere but actually do business in Colorado, the LLC may also need to register in Colorado as a foreign entity.
- Form 5472: a single-member LLC wholly owned by a foreign person files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 every year, even with no income. The penalty for not filing is $25,000, and it is sent by fax or mail. See our Form 5472 guide.
- BOI: US-formed LLCs, including those owned by non-US persons, no longer file beneficial ownership reports with FinCEN under the final rule published 14 August 2026.
- Address: banks and payment providers usually want a business address separate from the agent’s. Our US business address service provides one.
How to dissolve an LLC in Colorado
To dissolve a Colorado LLC you file a Statement of Dissolution online with the Secretary of State, and the fee is $10. The Secretary of State’s dissolution FAQs say a dissolution must be filed electronically through its website.
- Before you file: settle debts, collect what the LLC is owed and distribute what is left under your operating agreement.
- Taxes: close any sales tax license and withholding accounts with the Department of Revenue and file final state and federal returns.
- EIN and federal filings: a foreign-owned single-member LLC files a final Form 5472 for its last year.
An LLC that just stops filing becomes Delinquent rather than closed, and its record stays open. Our LLC dissolution service files the Statement of Dissolution and handles the final steps.
Doing it yourself vs using Borderless Filings
You can create an LLC in Colorado yourself online for $50 and file the $25 periodic report each year. The Secretary of State’s site is clear and the forms are short.
What our service adds is a check of the name, agent consent and addresses before filing, preparation and submission by our filing team, tracking and document storage in your portal, the EIN without an SSN for founders outside the US, and reminders before your periodic report window opens. Prices are on our pricing page with the state fee at cost. You can start your order or see other states on our US LLC states page.
Sources
- Colorado Secretary of State: Business organizations fee schedule
- Colorado Secretary of State: Periodic report FAQs
- Colorado Secretary of State: Delinquency FAQs
- Colorado Secretary of State: Registered agent FAQs
- Colorado Secretary of State: Changes to registered agent requirements
- Colorado Secretary of State: Dissolution FAQs
- Colorado Secretary of State: Starting a business FAQs
- Colorado Secretary of State: Checklist for new businesses
- Colorado Secretary of State: Name availability search
- Colorado Department of Revenue: Sales tax guide
- IRS: Get an employer identification number
- IRS: Instructions for Form 5472
- FinCEN: Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting
Fees, deadlines and rules on this page were last checked on 27 September 2026.