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Newspaper Publication Requirements for LLCs in Arizona
The Arizona LLC publication requirement is more annoying than it is useful, but it is still Arizona law.
Almost every* LLC formed in Arizona is required to notify the public of its formation by publishing an ad in one newspaper for 3 consecutive publications (“runs”). 3 runs usually take 1-2 weeks.
The newspaper must be located in the same county as your LLC’s Statutory Agent address.
Your ad must be published within 60 days of your LLC’s approval.
Exception: If the address of your Arizona Statutory Agent is located in Maricopa County or Pima County, you don’t have to run any newspaper ads. This is because the Arizona Corporation Commission publishes these LLC formations – at no charge – in their Public Notice database. This happens automatically (you don’t have to do anything for this to occur). Source: House Bill 2447, which amended Section 10-130 of the Arizona LLC Act.
Notice of Publication Form
As a part of your Arizona LLC approval, the state will send you a form called the Notice of Publication.
You will simply fill out the Notice of Publication with your LLC information (file number, LLC name, address, and membership information) and send it to the newspaper with your payment.
Average newspaper fees will be $60 – $120, but you will have to call a couple newspapers to check their rates.
List of Approved Newspapers & Fees
The publication fees vary by newspaper based on the county where they are located.
We recommend calling 2-3 newspapers and checking their fees and payment instructions.
Note: Some newspapers don’t have a lot of staff in the “Legals” section of the paper, so you may need to leave a message and wait a day for your answer. Also, some counties may only have 1 or 2 approved newspapers.
Here is what you can say when you call:
“Hello, I’d like to check the publication costs for my new LLC and running my Notice of Publication for 3 runs.”
Most newspapers will accept your Notice of Publication by email or regular mail.
They will take payment over the phone with a credit card, or you can mail them a check. Some newspapers may take payment online.
The following newspapers have been provided by the Arizona Corporation Commission and they meet the statutory requirements for publishing LLC documents.
Click the link below for newspaper contact information in all 15 counties:
Arizona LLC Approved Newspapers
Affidavit of Publication
After your ads have run for 3 publications, the newspaper will send you back an Affidavit of Publication, certifying that the ads have successfully run.
Tip: Make a copy of this document and keep it with your business records.
Most newspapers send the Affidavit of Publication after the “3 runs” (usually in 2-4 weeks), but if yours does not, you will need to call them to request it.
Recording your Affidavit of Publication with AZCC
Recording your Affidavit of Publication with the AZCC used to be a legal requirement, but it no longer is.
You are only legally required to keep a copy of the Affidavit of Publication with your business records.
Having said that, we recommend you record the document (at no charge) with the Arizona Corporation Commission so that if the question ever arises as to whether or not you met the legal publishing requirements, your proof is on file with the state.
How to Record Affidavit of Publication with AZCC
You can record your Affidavit of Publication with the AZCC by email or by mail. Both are free.
Record by email:
Use this link to automatically generate an email template.
Alternatively, you can copy and paste the following information into an email and send to filings.corp@azcc.gov:
Re: Request to Record Affidavit of Publication
File number: (your LLC file number starts with L)
LLC name: (your LLC name)
Hello,
Please place our attached Affidavit of Publication on record with the AZCC.
If you have any questions, please contact us by phone or email below.
Thank you,
Name: (your full name)
Phone: (your phone number)
Email: (your email address)
Make sure to attach your Affidavit of Publication in the email.
Record by regular mail:
Download this Request to Record Affidavit of Publication form, fill in the blanks, and then mail to:
Arizona Corporation Commission
1300 W. Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
To Verify:
It can take 1-2 months for the Affidavit of Publication to be recorded by the AZCC. To check to see if it’s been recorded, you can search for it in the AZCC database: Arizona Corporation Commission: Search.
Search your LLC, name scroll down and click “Document History“, and you should see the Affidavit of Publication in the list.
Penalty for not publishing
Failure to comply with the Arizona publication requirements can result in the dissolution of your LLC.
Once you have published your ad for 3 runs, received back an Affidavit of Publication, and filed the Affidavit of Publication with the AZCC, you can then apply for Arizona LLC Business Licenses and Permits.
Arizona Corporation Commission Contact Info
If you have any questions, you can contact the Arizona Corporation Commission (AZCC) at 602-542-3026.
Their hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, Mountain Standard Time.
References
Arizona Corporation Commission: Public Notice
Arizona Corporation Commission: eCorp
Arizona Legislature: House Bill 2447
Arizona LLC Act: Section 29-3201
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.
I am not a citizen of USA but i want to form LLC in arizona because of its less rates and no annual fee. Is it still necessary to publish ad in news papers if my agent doesnt live in the Maricopa County or Pima County?
Hi Azfar, yes, your LLC still needs to meet the publication requirement.
my partner forgot to publish his article in the paper within the time period, can it be done after the required time period?
Hi Sam, yes, you can meet the publication requirement after the deadline in order to bring your Arizona LLC back into good standing. Hope that helps.
I’m currently waiting for my LLC for my photography business, am I able to publish a website/social media accounts while I wait for completion?
Hi Alexis, I wouldn’t worry about waiting for final LLC approval before beginning building out your website and social media profiles. Hope that helps!
Hi Matt,
I just wanted to thank you for this information. I just started a new position at an Accounting firm, and although I have extensive experience in Administrative Assistance, I did not on LLC’s which my employer wants me to handle. She being quite busy I Googled on my own and found your site. How informative!! -Jen
Hey Jen, you’re very welcome! So glad to hear we are able to help :) Thanks for your comment!
Hi Arvel, Since my LLC will be located in Maricopa country, will I just omit the publication requirements once I receive approval?
Hi TJ, if your Arizona Statutory Agent is located in Maricopa County or Pima County, you don’t have to publish any ads in the newspaper. The Arizona Corporation Commission takes care of the LLC’s requirement to “notify the public” by publishing a notice directly on their website. You don’t have to do anything.
Matt, do you know if there’s a way to get proof of the notice? (re: The Arizona Corporation Commission takes care of the LLC’s requirement to “notify the public” by publishing a notice directly on their website) I would like to send it in to the ACC as an officially scanned “notice of publication” to be found in the files section under my LLC’s listing on the ACC website, for “proof”. But when I go to search for my notice, it appears they only let one search for notices that occurred within the last 90 days, but my LLC was approved in the beginning of 2017. RE: (https://ecorp.azcc.gov/PublicNotice/Index)
Hi Julie, this is a great question. I’m not sure as we haven’t ran into this yet. I’d have someone from our time call the state and look into this for you, but it’s after hours currently. I recommend calling the Arizona Corporation Commission during business hours and asking them. I’m curious to hear what you come up, so feel free to keep me posted. Thanks.
Hi Matt,
I spoke with the ACC and the representative stated there was no need for me to publish a notice since my LLC resides in Maricopa County so it would’ve been published on their website; however there was no way to get proof of it if since it’s past the 90 days. She said if there was ever any question as to if my LLC is “real,” I could just show the acknowledgement letter I received along with the HB2447 literature.
Hi Julie, thanks for this followup. It’s very helpful! I’m thorough like you, so I think your original idea of getting the publication proof recorded on file with the AZCC was an excellent idea… but it’s a bummer that that proof is only available for 90 days. Thanks again!
Morning Arvel, If I fail to post my LLC in the newspaper in the 60 day time limit, what do I do then? I totally spaced this detail and need to know what I need to do to get it posted under state guidelines. Hopefully this will not null any decision on my LLC status? If you could answer that it would be great. Thanks for your help.
Hey Logan, no, it will not null any decision on your LLC’s status. Technically, your LLC is not in “good standing” status with the state, but to remedy this and to get the LLC in good standing status, just proceed as normal and publish your newspaper ad. Hope that helps.
Is it the same requirement for a non-profit corp. in AZ? Why do the instructions for the cover letter for the Articles of Incorporation say “Be sure and send the Newspaper list w/the RP”?
Thanks
Hi Arvel, apologies, but we only cover LLCs, so I’m not 100% sure. The AZCC is quite friendly though, so if you give them a call (602-542-3026), they can help answer your question.