Arizona Publishing Requirement Guide

This guide will walk you through the Arizona business publishing requirement. Whether your company is brand new, or you’re making an amendment to an existing company, this guide provides the resources you need to get published and keep your business in good standing with the state.

• Requirements for Publishing
• Steps to Get Your Business Published
• How to Send Proof of Publication to the ACC
• FAQs for Arizona Business Publishing

Did you know that businesses listing a Statutory Agent located in Maricopa or Pima county can skip the publishing requirement? Hire us today to use our Maricopa county address and avoid the expense and hassle of publication!

Requirements for Arizona Business Publishing

Most new Arizona businesses are required to complete the “Notice of Publication.” This is a legal notice published in an Arizona newspaper that informs the public about new business formations.

Acceptable publications must meet the following criteria:

• The Notice of Publication ad must start within 60 days of your entity approval date (formation date)
• The notice must run for three consecutive publications (about 1-2 weeks)
• The notice must appear in a qualifying newspaper located in the same county as your LLC’s statutory agent, or your corporation’s listed “known place of business” address.

Businesses that list a statutory agent or “known place of business” address in Maricopa or Pima counties are exempt from the publication requirement. In these two counties, the state makes the publication automatically, free of charge.

Avoiding the hassle of publication is a big reason why many businesses choose Arizona Statutory Agent Service. Our building is located in downtown Phoenix, the beating heart of Maricopa County.

Steps to Get Your Business Published

If you choose to use an Arizona address outside of Maricopa or Pima county, you will need to fulfill the publication requirement.

Completing your Arizona publication involves filling out the Notice of Publication, submitting it to a qualifying newspaper for three consecutive runs, and securing the Affidavit of Publication. Details for each step are below:

Notice of Publication

When your entity is approved by the state, you will receive a blank copy of the Notice of Publication with your approval letter. Fill it out with the following information:

• The LLC or corporation name (as it appears on state record)
• ACC File Number (your entity I.D. number)
• Name and address of the statutory agent
• LLC principal place of business address, or corporation “known place of business” address
• LLC management type: Member-managed or Manager-managed
• Names and addresses of LLC members/managers
• Corporation director/officer names and addresses

Find a Qualifying Newspaper

The ACC has provided a list of qualifying newspapers in the Arizona counties where business owners are required to complete the publication themselves. It’s best to contact a few of them and compare their pricing. Remember: you must choose a publication located in the same county as your LLC’s statutory agent or corporation’s “known place of busines” address. Ask each newspaper the following questions:

• How much does it cost to publish my new LLC for 3 consecutive runs?
• How do you accept my Notice of Publication with payment? Email? Over the phone? By mail?
• Just to verify, what county is your newspaper based out of?
• How long after my publication run is finished will I receive the Affidavit of Publication?

The cost to publish will vary from county to county. The publication will be public information, so think carefully about the address you use. Once it’s used in the publication or on state record, it’s there for good.

Affidavit of Publication

Once the three consecutive runs are over, the newspaper will send you the Affidavit of Publication. This document is proof that you completed the publication requirement. Most newspapers will only retain a copy of the affidavit for 90 days after publication. So, it’s important to keep this document in a safe place. You may need to produce the Affidavit of Publication to:

• Prove compliance of the publication requirement to the Arizona Secretary of State or Arizona Corporation Commission (if requested)
• Show proper legal notice of publication for your business to the court during a lawsuit
• Prove your entity’s address to banks, loan officers, or whoever may need to see it

Pro-tip: make a digital copy of your Affidavit of Publication and email it to yourself, the ACC, or to your statutory agent for safe keeping.

How to Send Proof of Publication to the ACC

While the ACC no longer requires businesses to send them the Affidavit of Publication, they will still accept them and store them safely for you online. The ACC will accept your Affidavit via mail, in person at their office, or uploaded as a .pdf through your eCorp business account. The ACC no longer accepts Affidavits of Publication via email.

The advantage to sending your Affidavit of Publication to the ACC for safe keeping is that it will never get lost or destroyed, and you can access anytime, anywhere online through your eCorp account. As your statutory agent, we will also accept and upload your Affidavit to your online account.

To ask the ACC to record a copy of your Affidavit of Publication by mail, attach it to a document with the following information:

• Today’s date
• Business name and Arizona file number
• Statement of purpose, for example: “Please place our attached Affidavit of Publication on record with the AZCC.”
• Your name, signature, and contact information (phone number and email recommended)
• Send it to: Arizona Corporation Commission, 1300 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007

The ACC may take up to 15 days to get your Affidavit uploaded to your account. You can check the processing times for your submitted documents on the eCorp website.

Arizona Business Publishing FAQs

Do I need to publish my LLC or corporation in Arizona?

All Arizona LLCs and corporations must publish notice of formation in a newspaper for 3 consecutive weeks. You have 60 days from the date of your formation to begin the publication process. The newspaper you use must be located in the same county as your Statutory Agent address reported on your Articles of Organization. The cost of publication varies from county to county, ranging from $60 to $300 total.

Want to avoid this requirement? There are two counties that don’t require you to make the LLC publication: Maricopa and Pima. When you hire us to be your registered agent or to form your Arizona LLC, you get to use our Maricopa county address. So, this would be one requirement you could skip!

Do I need to publish my business’s foreign registration in Arizona?

All entities submitting foreign registration applications will also need to complete the publishing requirement. Same rules apply: if you are using a statutory agent located in Maricopa or Pima county, the state will do the publishing for you free of charge.

Will I need to repeat the publishing requirement if I make changes to my business?

Some kinds of changes or amendments will require re-publication. For example, if you change the name of your business or make changes to the list of officers/directors, then the state will send you a request to re-publish these changes for three consecutive weeks in your county.

However, if you are listing an LLC principal address or corporate “known place of business” address in Maricopa or Pima county, then the state will make the necessary publication for you free of charge.