On May 17, 2016, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed Arizona Legislature House Bill 2447.  This new law is a tremendous victory for the people and a huge defeat for Arizona newspapers.  HB 2447 eliminates the long standing rip off known as the publication of legal notices when corporations or limited liability companies are formed in Arizona.  Unfortunately, publication was eliminated only for entities with known places of business in Maricopa or Pima counties.

Beginning December 31, 2016, new Arizona LLCs and corporations with a known place of business in Maricopa and Pima Counties will not have to publish Articles of Incorporation (corporations) or Notices of Publication (LLCs) in a newspaper.  Instead, the Arizona Corporation Commission will enter information about the newly formed entities into a database it is obligated to create.

HB 2447 states that publication is eliminated only for entities that have a known place of business in a county that has a population greater than 800,000.  Currently only Maricopa County and Pima County have populations that exceed 800,000.

Entities that have known places of business in counties other than Maricopa and Pima must continue to donate money to the few Arizona Corporation Commission approved newspapers in the eleven counties with less than 800,000 people.  Publication is a total rip off.  For example, a few years ago we published Articles of Incorporation for a nonprofit corporation in a newspaper in a less populated county and it cost my client $600 after a 10% discount for the nonprofit corporation.  Outrageous!