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

Official Resource

The Ohio Secretary of State's Business Services division handles entity formations, amendments, statutory agent designations, and related filings. Ohio is notable for not requiring annual reports for most entity types — LLCs and corporations have no recurring report obligation, which meaningfully reduces ongoing compliance costs compared to most states.

Updated August 2026

Office contact

Address: Client Service Center, 180 Civic Center Dr., Columbus, OH 43215
Toll-free phone (Business Filings): 1-877-767-3453
Direct phone (Business Filings): 614-466-3910
Email: business@OhioSoS.gov
Office hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Online filing portal: Ohio Business Central (bsportal.ohiosos.gov)
Entity search: businesssearch.ohiosos.gov

Entity formation and filing fees

Ohio uses a flat $99 formation fee for LLCs, nonprofit corporations, and profit corporations at the minimum share tier. For-profit corporations with higher authorized share counts incur higher fees — the $99 applies to the lowest tier only. No annual report fees apply for LLCs or corporations. Verify current amounts at ohiosos.gov before filing.

Filing	Fee
Domestic LLC — Articles of Organization	$99
Domestic LLC — Annual Report	None required
Domestic For-Profit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation (minimum tier)	$99
Domestic For-Profit Corporation — Annual Report	None required
Domestic Nonprofit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation	$99
LLP — Biennial Report	$25
Name Reservation (online)	$39
Certificate of Good Standing	$5

Key Ohio state licensing agencies

Agency	What it covers	Website
Ohio Department of Taxation	Sales and use tax, employer withholding, commercial activity tax (CAT), Ohio business registration	tax.ohio.gov
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services	Unemployment insurance registration, employer accounts, workforce programs	jfs.ohio.gov
Ohio Department of Commerce — Division of Industrial Compliance	Contractor licensing, construction trades, building and fire codes compliance	com.ohio.gov
eLicense Ohio	Professional, occupational, and business licensing and verification across 24 Ohio state agencies, boards, and commissions (healthcare, real estate, cosmetology, accountancy, architecture, and more)	elicense.ohio.gov

Ohio Department of Taxation

What it covers: Sales and use tax, employer withholding, commercial activity tax (CAT), Ohio business registration
Website: tax.ohio.gov

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services

What it covers: Unemployment insurance registration, employer accounts, workforce programs
Website: jfs.ohio.gov

Ohio Department of Commerce — Division of Industrial Compliance

What it covers: Contractor licensing, construction trades, building and fire codes compliance
Website: com.ohio.gov

eLicense Ohio

What it covers: Professional, occupational, and business licensing and verification across 24 Ohio state agencies, boards, and commissions (healthcare, real estate, cosmetology, accountancy, architecture, and more)
Website: elicense.ohio.gov

This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the Ohio Secretary of State's office or any state agency listed above. Contact information and fees verified against official Ohio Secretary of State sources, August 2026. Corporation fees scale with authorized share count — verify the applicable tier before filing. Verify current fees at the official state website. Last verified: August 2026.

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