Articles of Incorporation Overview
There a number of compelling reasons to incorporate your small business: to issue stock, to protect personal assets from business liability, to obtain tax benefits, the list goes on and on. While incorporating may be more expensive to establish than a sole proprietorship or partnership, business owners enjoy limited liability for the business's debts, judgments and other liabilities.
If you are considering incorporating your small business, you'll need to know the laws and procedures in the state in which you intend to incorporate. While speaking to an attorney is always a good first step, educating yourself on your state's rules is equally important.
Below are forms for Articles of Incorporation (for a domestic corporation) for each of the 50 states and Washington, DC. A complete set of business organization forms can be found here.
Note: Most of the documents listed below are in PDF format.
| Alabama | Articles of Incorporation |
| Alaska | Articles of Incorporation |
| Arkansas | Articles of Incorporation |
| Arizona | Articles of Incorporation |
| California | Organization of California Stock Corporations (includes instructions and articles of incorporation) |
| Colorado | Articles of Incorporation |
| Connecticut | Certificate of Incorporation |
| Delaware | Certificate of Incorporation |
| DC | Articles of Incorporation Guidelines |
| Florida | Articles of Incorporation (includes instructions) |
| Georgia | Corporation Filing Procedures (includes guidelines and sample articles of incorporation) |
| Hawaii | Articles of Incorporation (Form DC-1) |
| Idaho | Articles of Incorporation |
| Illinois | Articles of Incorporation |
| Indiana | Articles of Incorporation |
| Iowa | Articles of Incorporation (guidelines only) |
| Kansas | Articles of Incorporation |
| Kentucky | Articles of Incorporation |
| Louisiana | Articles of Incorporation (with transmittal form) |
| Maine | Articles of Incorporation |
| Maryland | Articles of Incorporation for a Stock Corporation |
| Massachusetts | Articles of Organization |
| Michigan | Articles of Incorporation |
| Minnesota | Articles of Incorporation |
| Mississippi | Articles of Incorporation |
| Missouri | Articles of Incorporation (including instruction sheet) |
| Montana | Articles of Incorporation |
| Nebraska | Filing Articles of Incorporation (guidelines only; no sample) |
| Nevada | Articles of Incorporation |
| New Hampshire | Articles of Incorporation (includes instructions) |
| New Jersey | Articles of Incorporation |
| New Mexico | Articles of Incorporation |
| New York | Certificate of Incorporation |
| North Carolina | Articles of Incorporation |
| North Dakota | Articles of Incorporation |
| Ohio | Initial Articles of Incorporation |
| Oklahoma | Certificate of Incorporation (includes instructions) |
| Oregon | Articles of Incorporation |
| Pennsylvania | Articles of Incorporation |
| Rhode Island | Articles of Incorporation |
| South Carolina | Articles of Incorporation |
| South Dakota | Articles of Incorporation |
| Tennessee | Charter / Articles of Incorporation |
| Texas | Articles of Incorporation (includes instructions) |
| Utah | Articles of Incorporation |
| Vermont | Articles of Incorporation |
| Virginia | Articles of Incorporation |
| West Virginia | Articles of Incorporation |
| Washington | Application to Form a Corporation (includes Articles of Incorporation) |
| Wisconsin | Articles of Incorporation |
| Wyoming | Articles of Incorporation |
How a Lawyer Can Help
The laws of incorporation can be complicated. As a busy entrepreneur, you likely wear many hats, but being a lawyer may not be one of them. If you have legal questions about how to file articles of incorporation in your state, let a legal expert take the wheel. Speak to business and commercial law attorney in your jurisdiction today to learn more.
Additional Resources
