California Secretary of State office — contact, fees, and licensing

Official Resource

The California Secretary of State's Business Programs Division registers business entities, processes filings, and maintains public records for corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, and other entity types formed or registered in California. Over 140 filing types are available online through its bizfile Online portal; the division also accepts documents by mail and in-person drop-off at the Sacramento office.

Updated August 2026

Office contact and hours

Street address: 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Business Entities phone: (916) 657-5448
Main SOS phone: (916) 653-6814
Office hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (excluding California state holidays)
Online portal: bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov
Business entities homepage: sos.ca.gov — Business Entities

Los Angeles satellite office

A Los Angeles satellite office provides limited services for corporations. For that office's address and the services it handles, see the Los Angeles Office page on the SOS website.

Mailing addresses by filing type

Statements of Information go to a different P.O. box than most other filings. Using the wrong address causes processing delays.

Statement of Information (corps and LLCs): P.O. Box 944230, Sacramento, CA 94244-2300
LLC filings: P.O. Box 944260, Sacramento, CA 94244-2600
Corporate filings: P.O. Box 944260, Sacramento, CA 94244-2600
Limited partnership filings: P.O. Box 944260, Sacramento, CA 94244-2600
Records requests (copies, status reports, certificates): P.O. Box 944260, Sacramento, CA 94244-2600
Name reservations: 1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814

Source: Business Entities Contact Information, California Secretary of State.

County and city business licenses

County and city business licenses are separate from state requirements and vary by jurisdiction. Check with the city or county in which the business operates for local permit requirements.

Entity formation and filing fees

The fees below come from the California Secretary of State's official Business Entities fee schedule. The LLC Articles of Organization fee ($70) and Statement of Information fee ($20) are confirmed as current per the SOS website (August 2026). Verify all current amounts at sos.ca.gov — Forms, Samples and Fees before filing.

Filing	SOS fee
LLC — Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1)	$70
LLC — Statement of Information (biennial; Form LLC-12)	$20
Stock corporation — Articles of Incorporation	$100
Stock corporation — Statement of Information (annual; Form SI-200)	$25
Nonprofit corporation — Articles of Incorporation (no shares)	$30
Name reservation (corporation, LLC, or LP)	$10
Certificate of Status	$5

In-person drop-off at the Sacramento office adds a non-refundable special handling fee of $15 per filing request, on top of the standard filing fee. Expedited services are available for documents delivered or submitted online: 24-hour filing runs $350 extra; same-day filing (document must arrive by 9:30 a.m.) costs $750 extra. Mail submissions do not qualify for special handling or expedited fees.

These are Secretary of State filing fees only. California's minimum annual franchise tax for LLCs and corporations is a separate obligation administered by the Franchise Tax Board, not the Secretary of State.

Key California state licensing agencies

Registering a business entity with the Secretary of State satisfies the state formation requirement. It does not replace local business licenses, sales tax registration, employer registration, or professional licenses. The following agencies handle the most common additional requirements:

Agency	What it covers	Website
California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA)	Seller's permits, sales and use tax, excise taxes	cdtfa.ca.gov
Franchise Tax Board (FTB)	State income and franchise taxes for businesses and LLCs	ftb.ca.gov
Employment Development Department (EDD)	Employer registration, payroll taxes, unemployment insurance	edd.ca.gov
Contractors State License Board (CSLB)	Contractor and subcontractor licenses for construction work	cslb.ca.gov
Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA)	Professional licenses across more than 30 boards and bureaus — healthcare providers, cosmetology, engineering, funeral services, and others	dca.ca.gov
California Department of Insurance (CDI)	Insurance producer, broker, and adjuster licenses	insurance.ca.gov

California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA)

What it covers: Seller's permits, sales and use tax, excise taxes
Website: cdtfa.ca.gov

Franchise Tax Board (FTB)

What it covers: State income and franchise taxes for businesses and LLCs
Website: ftb.ca.gov

Employment Development Department (EDD)

What it covers: Employer registration, payroll taxes, unemployment insurance
Website: edd.ca.gov

Contractors State License Board (CSLB)

What it covers: Contractor and subcontractor licenses for construction work
Website: cslb.ca.gov

Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA)

What it covers: Professional licenses across more than 30 boards and bureaus — healthcare providers, cosmetology, engineering, funeral services, and others
Website: dca.ca.gov

California Department of Insurance (CDI)

What it covers: Insurance producer, broker, and adjuster licenses
Website: insurance.ca.gov

This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the California Secretary of State's office or any state agency listed above. Contact information and fees verified against official California Secretary of State sources, August 2026. Verify current fees at the official state website. Last verified: August 2026.

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