Oregon Articles of Organization

How to File Your Oregon Articles of Organization

Filing your Articles of Organization in Oregon is a straightforward process through the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State provides fillable forms so companies can complete their Articles of Organization and file by mail or through an online portal. 

Some of the key information for business registration of your LLC includes: 

• The name of your LLC
• Duration of your LLC
• The address of the principal place of business (a P.O. Box is not acceptable)
• The name of your registered agent and the registered office address
• How your LLC will be managed
• Description of your business
• The names and addresses of at least one organizer
• The names and addresses of the LLC’s members
• A designated contact person with direct knowledge of the LLC’s operations
• The name and signature of the authorized organizers

This may sound like a lot of information, but we’ll walk you through the steps for getting all your LLC documents properly prepared and submitted.

Step 1: Submit Your LLC’s Official Name 

Some entrepreneurs find choosing the perfect name to be the most challenging part of setting up a new company. In Oregon, you should register your business’s name alongside registering your company. It’s important to search Oregon’s business name database before settling on a name for your new company and filing Articles of Organization in Oregon. While registering your business name isn’t required in Oregon, doing so is a best practice to protect your brand.

Make sure to search the Oregon business name database before falling in love with a business name. In Oregon, you’ll need to have a unique company name for your business if you want to file for name registration.

Additionally, Oregon treats a business name as a trademark. Simply filing for name registration may not be enough to protect your use of a name. You may want to speak with an intellectual property lawyer if you need help understanding what that might mean for you.

Step 2: Provide the Name and Address of Your Registered Agent

When filing your Articles of Organization in Oregon, you’ll need to have a registered agent for your business. A Registered Agent accepts service of process on your behalf. They are also the contact for accepting important business documents on behalf of your LLC. Our Registered Agent Service can help find the right agent for you when you file your State of Oregon Articles of Organization. 

Step 3: Certify Your LLC Has at Least One Organizer and One Member

To complete your Articles of Organization for an LLC in Oregon, you’ll need to certify that you have at least one organizer and one member. Make sure that your Articles of Organization clearly state both who is certifying your Articles of Organization and who your LLC’s members are. You’ll also need to specify a contact person and someone with direct knowledge of the business. If you’re a solo entrepreneur, check with your trusted counsel to confirm whether you can or should fulfill all these roles.

Step 4: Choose a Duration

One great feature of filing your Articles of Organization in Oregon is that you can indicate the length of time you want your LLC registration to be effective. When you submit your filing, make sure to specify whether you want your LLC to be perpetual or to dissolve on a particular date. 

Step 5: Attach Any Needed Statements 

You may want or need to include additional information when filing your Articles of Organization. This information might simply be additional pages to provide names and addresses of organizers or members. Other times, the Secretary of State may need you to provide additional information about how liabilities will be handled, or you may request to keep certain information confidential.

One more reason you may need to file additional statements is to explain being a benefit company. In Oregon, this is a special type of LLC election. A benefit company provides a public social benefit and meets the standards of a third party, like B Lab or Benefit Corporations for Good.

When you file your Articles of Organization in Oregon, you’ll need to explain the reason for your benefit company election. Discuss the issue of supplemental documents with the Oregon Secretary of State before filing your Articles of Organization. 

Where to File Your Oregon Articles of Organization

The easiest way is to file your Articles of Organization in Oregon is to do so online through the Secretary of State’s web portal (registration required). You can pay the filing fees online. You can also print the forms and file them by mail. 

What are the next steps? 

After your form has been sent off to the Secretary of State, you may think your work is complete. However, after filing Articles of Organization for your LLC in Oregon, the work to open a new business has only just begun. There are several other business items you’ll need to consider.

Create an Operating Agreement

Oregon doesn’t require LLCs to file an Operating Agreement with the State. However, to best manage your LLC, you and your co-managers may want to enter into an Operating Agreement as part of your formation documents. An Operating Agreement spells out the rules of how the LLC operates. It also describes the relationships among the LLC members and between the entity itself and the people who manage it. 

If an issue arises between you and your co-managers, the State of Oregon looks to your Operating Agreement to resolve the problem, provided the agreement does not conflict with Oregon law. For the issues that your Operating Agreement doesn’t cover, Oregon law governs. The provisions of the Oregon LLC law may not be a great fit for resolving your disputes. Typically, business owners prefer to have an Operating Agreement in place.

If you don’t know where to start when writing your LLC’s Operating Agreement, you can use our Operating Agreement Template for guidance. By using our template, you can create an Operating Agreement that fits your business’s unique management needs.

Apply for an EIN

After completing business registration in Oregon, applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) is an important next step. The IRS grants the EIN, which is like a social security number for your business. You’ll use it to file federal tax returns and to open bank accounts, as well as hire employees and claim certain federal business benefits.

However, if you’re the only member of your LLC and you don’t obtain an EIN, you have to use your Social Security Number for business purposes. This may require you to post your social security number on public documents. Using your social security number for business purposes can expose you to any number of hassles. Having an EIN can help protect your privacy. Our Employer ID Number Service can save you time and obtain an EIN for you. 

We can help

Once you’re ready to file your LLC paperwork, our Oregon LLC Formation Service helps you complete your business registration quickly and easily. We can even take the paperwork off your plate with any future Oregon LLC Amendments.

Our comprehensive suite of business services takes the paperwork off your plate so you can focus on the work you love. We can even help you easily keep track of your invoices, expenses, and income with our ZenBusiness Money Service. And we can help you keep your business legally compliant with our Worry-Free Compliance Service.