AZ Corporation Commission Archives

Arizona Corporation Commission is Making a New Website

The following is the text of an email I got from Tanya M. Gibson, Director, Corporations Division of the Arizona Corporation Commission on May 1, 2024:

Hi, All! It has been a while since I have reached out. I hope everyone is well and staying cool!

I have good news to share! We have secured a vendor for our new filing system! Yes, we are replacing eCorp. We are excited because the new system is technologically advanced and offers a great deal of features and functionality that will enhance the customer experience, streamline filings, and better protect against fraudulent filings.

In the next month, we will kick-off the project and start outlining requirements and flows. Over the years, we have collected your suggestions but once we get into the project, I will reach out and get additional input from you all. We will also have beta testing prior to the launch which allow some of you to “test drive” the system before we release it….and while we still have time to make changes.

We anticipate going live with the new system around August of 2025.

Richard Keyt2024-05-04T09:14:26-07:00May 4th, 2024|AZ Corporation Commission|0 Comments

Arizona Corporation Commission Creates Authorized Filers

On June 29, 2021, the Arizona Corporation Commission added new features to its online service. These new features are called “owners” and “authorized filers.”

Owner. The owner of an account for an LLC, PLLC or corporation created on the ACC’s online website is the person whose user name and password was used to login to the ACC’s website and who then formed the LLC, PLLC or corporation. Only companies created online after May 21, 2018, have owners. Companies created by filing paper forms do not have owners. ACC staff can add an owner to a company if the company does not have an owner.

Authorized Filer. The owner of the account for an LLC, PLLC or corporation can add one or more people as “authorized filers” for the owner’s company. Authorized filers can login to the ACC’s website then use the ACC’s online services to make changes to the company for which the person is one of its authorized filers.

For all companies created online after May 21, 2018, only the owner of the company’s ACC account and the company’s authorized filers can file changes to the company using the ACC’s website. Companies created by filing paper documents do not have an owner.

Here’s the ACC’s info about authorized filers and owners:

Richard Keyt2021-07-10T11:18:48-07:00July 10th, 2021|AZ Corporation Commission, Forming LLCs|0 Comments

Arizona Corporation Commission Adds 2 Hour & Same Day / Next Day Services

On April 22, 2020, the Arizona Corporation Commission announced that it added 2 hour and “Same Day / Next Day Services.” These filing fees are $400, $200 and $100, respectively. Nevertheless I am still able to file LLC Articles of Organization and get them approved by the ACC on the same day for the $85 expedited filing fee.

The following is the text of the ACC’s notice about its new services and fees.

SAME DAY/NEXT DAY SERVICES

Services offered:

Same Day/Next Service will allow for 2-hour, same day or next day processing for a fee.

Does not guarantee approval of a filing

Only guarantees examination by stated time, not necessarily receipt of the document

***NOTE: Corporations Division will no longer accept “urgency requests”***

Fees:

2-Hour: $400

Must be received by 3:00 p.m.

Will be examined within 2 hours of the time the document was received

Same Day: $200

Must be received by 10:00 a.m.

Will be examined by 5:00 p.m. the same business day

Next Day: $100

Must be received by 5:00 p.m.

Will be examined by 5:00 p.m. the next business day

Fees are in addition to document filing fee.

Restrictions:

Although documents can be filed online on the weekends or the holidays, the same day/next day clock begins the next business day at 8:00 a.m. AZ time.

Document limit may apply to restructuring filings (mergers, domestication, conversions and divisions), foreign entity filings and changes – we will evaluate this on a case by case basis.

We will not accept mailed documents for same day/next day filing. This includes FedEX and other overnight services.

We do not offer pre-clearance. To avoid rejections, please make sure that you know the requirements for the filing and have provided everything that is needed.

Delivery of documents:

We will accept documents online, via fax and by walk-in.

Faxes will only be accepted at 602-542-0900

Walk-ins accepted in Phoenix and in Tucson

One Cover Sheet cannot include both regular processing and expedited/same day-next day processing. One Cover Sheet CAN have multiple types of expedited/same day-next day types included

Nuances:

For restructuring filings, as is the process normally, the same day/next day fee is per document.

Same day/next day clock starts once the document is complete (all necessary items included) and paid for.

If the document is rejected, when you resubmit, your document will be processed according to the initially selected same day/next day service UNLESS you pay for a faster service.

A phone number will be required (in case the team needs to contact you).

Dissolutions must include Certificate of Compliance (if applicable).

Formations and statutory agent changes must include statutory agent acceptance with filing.

Documents not subject to Same Day/Next Day services:

Online auto-approved documents

Global address changes

DB extractions

Refunds

Notice to Claimant

Records requests

Richard Keyt2020-04-23T07:07:20-07:00April 23rd, 2020|AZ Corporation Commission|0 Comments

Arizona’s New LLC Law Is Now Effective (9/1/19)

Today, September 1, 2019, is the day that Arizona’s new LLC law replaces entirely the LLC law that was adopted in 1992. I’ve written extensively about the new law. I think it sucks for two reasons:

It replaced a law that was not broken and did not need to be replaced.

It replaces Arizona’s limited liability company act with what I call the liability company act because the new law creates many new ways that members and managers of an Arizona LLC can be sued.

One Example of a New Way a Member of an Arizona LLC Can be Sued

New Arizona Revised Statutes Section 29-3409.B.4 gives a member of an Arizona LLC the right to sue another member as a result of a the members’ vote on a company matter. Section 29-3409.B.4 states:

B. The fiduciary duty of loyalty of a member in a member-managed limited liability company includes the following duties:

4. to disclose to each of the other members that are considering or voting on a decision or transaction regarding the company or one or more of the members’ interests in the company both of the following:

(a) any material conflict of interest on the part of the disclosing member with respect to the decision or transaction.

(b) if a material conflict of interest exists, all material facts relating to the decision or transaction that are within the disclosing member’s knowledge and not known or reasonably available to the affected members.

Fortunately most of the liability creating provisions in the new LLC act can be eliminated or minimized by a well drafted Operating Agreement signed by all of the members.

What You Need to Know About Arizona’s New LLC Act

The good news is that new LLC act does not significantly affect single member LLCs or PLLCs or companies that are owned by a married couple because the single member won’t sue himself or herself and the married couple won’t sue themselves. The new LLC act has major negative consequences to multi-member LLCs and PLLCs other than those owned solely by a married couple.

Bottom Line

All multi-member Arizona LLCs and PLLCs ~~should~~ must have an Operating Agreement that is written to eliminate or minimize some or all of the liability creating provisions in the new LLC act.

Effective Date of the New Law

Arizona’s new LLC law applies to all Arizona LLCs and PLLCs created on or after September 1, 2019. Prior Arizona LLC law applies to all Arizona LLCs and PLLCs created before September 1, 2019, but the new law will apply beginning of September 1, 2020.

My Three Types of Operating Agreements

I give people a choice between three different Operating Agreements unlike almost all other Operating Agreement preparers who offer a one size fits all Operating Agreement. My three types of Operating Agreements are:

$$297 for a one member LLC or an LLC owned solely by a married couple.

$$797 for multi-member LLCs other than an LLC owned solely by a married couple.

How to Purchase an Operating Agreement for an Arizona LLC

To hire us to prepare an Operating Agreement for your Arizona LLC complete and submit our online Operating Agreement questionnaire. You may also call me, Arizona LLC attorney Richard Keyt (480-664-7478) or my son Arizona LLC attorney and former CPA Richard C. Keyt (480-664-7472) if you have questions (we don’t charge to answer) and give us your LLC information over the phone.

Richard Keyt2020-10-17T10:41:08-07:00September 1st, 2019|AZ Corporation Commission, New Arizona LLC Act|0 Comments

Arizona Corporation Commission’s Website Broken Again

On June 28, 2019, the Arizona Corporation Commission’s website stopped displaying documents associated with entities and that problem exists today, July 1, 2019. When you look up a company on the ACC’s website you can click on the icon on the bottom right that says “Document History” and the site will display documents associated with the company. However, when you click on the link to a document you get an error message “No Documents To Display.”

The ACC is aware of the problem. Let’s hope the problem is fixed soon.

Richard Keyt2019-07-01T09:32:02-07:00July 1st, 2019|AZ Corporation Commission|0 Comments

Arizona Corporation Commission’s eCorp Website Is Broken

On March 28, 2019, and again on April 1, 2019, I filed Articles of Organization on the Arizona Corporation Commission’s website using its online filing system. All the data that I entered was displayed correctly on the ACC’s review screen so I paid the $85 expedited filing fee and saved the invoice. So far so good. I went to my dashboard and accepted the nomination to be the statutory agent of each LLC.

What should have happened next was the ACC’s system should have approved the Articles of Organization and given me links to the actual Articles of Organization and the ACC’s approval letter so I could download and save the documents. I got a link to each each document, but when I opened a document it did not contain any information about the newly formed LLC. Nor could I find the LLC in the ACC’s system when I searched for the LLC by its name.

The Articles of Organization for each of the LLCs looked like this:

When this happened on March 28, 2019, I contacted the ACC and reported the problem. It notified its website vendor of the problem and the vendor fixed it the following day.

When I got the blank Articles of Organization on April 1, 2019, I notified the ACC of the problem, but as of writing this article the ACC has not approved the Articles of Organization and the LLC is pending. We’ve sent several email messages to the ACC without any response. Calling the ACC is a waste of time because we are on hold for 45 – 60 minutes and then get a person who cannot solve the problem.

Bottom line: The ACC’s online LLC formation system is broken. Do not use it because you risk having your data lost in cyber-space and not being able to get any help from the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Richard Keyt2019-04-03T11:22:05-07:00April 3rd, 2019|Articles of Organization, AZ Corporation Commission|0 Comments

We Now Offer Same Day LLC Formation & Arizona Corporation Commission Approval

We will form your new Arizona LLC or PLLC and get its Articles of Organization approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission the same day you hire us (including Saturdays and Sundays) if you:

Pay the entire fee for your LLC or PLLC plus an additional $97 for same day approval service, and
Confirm that the information you submit to us in our LLC Formation Questionnaire is correct.

If you satisfy both of the above requirements before 4 pm Arizona time any day of the week we will form your company and get the ACC approval the same day otherwise we may form the company the next day. We will also email to your company’s contact person a copy of the ACC approved Articles of Organization the same day we get its approval.

Bottom line: With same day service it is possible to open a bank account for your new LLC or PLLC the same day you hire us to form your company.

[bctt tweet=”Arizona LLC attorney Richard Keyt who has formed 6,300+ LLCs now offers same day LLC formation and state approval.” username=”azattorney”]

Richard Keyt2019-03-15T05:35:50-07:00March 15th, 2019|Articles of Organization, AZ Corporation Commission, Forming LLCs|0 Comments

How to Open a Bank Account for an Arizona LLC Before the ACC Approves Its Articles of Organization

Because the Arizona Corporation Commission’s new database is broken and apparently can’t be fixed the time the ACC takes to review and approve the Articles of Organization filed to create a new Arizona LLC or PLLC has sky-rocketed through the roof. To see how long it will take for the Arizona Corporation Commission to review and approve your company’s Articles of Organization go to the ACC’s processing times web page. See also my article called “Arizona Corporation Commission’s New Database System Sucks.”

This delay is preventing people from opening a bank account in the name of the newly formed company. Most of the large national banks and some smaller banks in Arizona will not open a bank account for a newly formed LLC or PLLC until after the Arizona Corporation Commission approves the company’s Articles of Organization. If you cannot wait until the ACC approves the Articles of Organization of your newly formed Arizona LLC or PLLC you can open a bank account before the Articles are approved if you go to one of the banks listed below.

1. First Western Trust. Call Anna Popova, Assistant Vice President, at 602-224-7616 or email her at [email protected]. Her office is at 2425 E Camelback Road, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85016. To open an account this bank needs the company’s EIN, Articles of Organization with the ACC stamp on it and the company’s Operating agreement. LLC owners can open a new business account as early as the day they file the Articles of Organization with Arizona Corporation Commission. They bank also has an office at 7025 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 8525.

2. Trust Bank. Call Angela M. Chavira, Arizona Banking Manager, at 480-883-6819 or email her at [email protected]. Her office is at 2375 E. Camelback Road, Suite 155, Phoenix, AZ 85016. Trust Bank has four offices in Arizona. See its list of locations.

Richard Keyt2019-07-04T07:58:40-07:00October 3rd, 2018|AZ Corporation Commission, Forming LLCs|0 Comments

Arizona Corporation Terminates Its Email Address for Problems

We got the following message in an email we received from the Arizona Corporation Commission today, October 1, 2018:

“THE DOCUMENT INTAKE MAILBOX IS BEING DISCONTINUED, EFFECTIVE AT 5:00 P.M. MST, OCTOBER 5, 2018. We will continue to accept documents emailed to [email protected] through October 5, 2018 at 5 pm MST. After that point, the mailbox will be closed and will not accept any additional emails. We strongly encourage you to use online filing available at http://ecorp.azcc.gov. We will continue to accept paper documents mailed or walked in to 1300 W. Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85007. If you have any questions, please call Customer Service at 602-542-3026.”

This is very troubling. We have sent problems that needed fixing for LLCs and corporations to this email address for a very long time. Now instead of continuing a reliable method of communication the Arizona Corporation Commission wants people to use its broken online ecorp system.

Richard Keyt2018-10-01T16:37:06-07:00October 1st, 2018|AZ Corporation Commission|0 Comments

How to Get a Certificate of Good Standing for an Arizona LLC

Question: How can I get a Certificate of Good standing for my Arizona LLC from the Arizona Corporation Commission?

Answer: The first thing you need to know is you should not follow the instructions on the Arizona Corporation Commission’s website because those instructions are wrong. Second, the process is complicated, which is why I created an instructional video that shows you what you must do to purchase the COGS for $45 and immediately download a Certificate of Good Standing.

Watch my video below called “How to Get a Certificate of Good Standing from the ACC” then you will be able to get the COGS in 5 – 10 minutes using the Arizona Corporation Commission’s online ecorp system.

Richard Keyt2023-10-24T10:01:48-07:00September 27th, 2018|ACC How to Videos, AZ Corporation Commission, FAQs|0 Comments

Arizona Corporation Commission Responds to My ACC Sucks Article

Last month I wrote a blog post called “Arizona Corporation Commission’s New Database System Sucks.” The article alerts the public to some of the many problems created by the ACC switching to a new software system on May 20, 2018. Here is the Arizona Corporation Commission’s response to my blog post:

“Commissioner Olson forwarded your e-mail to me and asked me to investigate the progress that the Corporations Division has made so far on their new database system. Here are some of the updates:

1. They are familiar with Rick Keyt’s complaints which have mostly been resolved, but they will be following up. Some of the customers who made filings during the first 3 months of rolling out the new program still have some minor issues which are being resolved.

2. They do have a system in place to accommodate urgent requests from customers who reach out to the Commission Offices, so as soon as Commissioner Olson’s office hears about a specific issue, we inform the Corporations Division and they are able to resolve the issues pretty quickly on an individual basis.

3. Overall, the early issues they experienced with the new system during the first two months are much, much better. The little things, like the search date/time that Mr. Keyt pointed out, are resolved. The bigger things, like dates, have seen substantial improvements, but they are still working out a few bugs. They just entered the warranty phase of the contract with the vendor, and the remaining bugs should be fixed over the next 90 days, per the contract.

4. Unfortunately, they are still struggling with processing times right now. Some of that was due to a back-log that built up during the initial phase of the transition, but they have now gotten through all the documents that migrated from the old system, and are now examining documents filed during the first 2 months in the new system. These documents require a lot of corrections, and that takes time. The Corporations Division is working with the Executive Director, Matt Neubert, on potential solutions to improve the processing times, since it usually boils down to additional resources.

That is the update so far, we are hopeful that more information and progress will be forthcoming and we will continue to update the interested parties as we are given new information.

Thank-you for reaching out to Commissioner Olson, we are keeping a close eye on this issue. Also thank-you for the article you shared, if you know of anyone else having similar issues, please send them our way!

Thank-you,

Jacqueline Parker, Esq.
Deputy Policy Advisor to Commissioner Olson
Arizona Corporation Commission
1200 W. Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
(602) 542-0745 (office)
(602) 542-4144 (direct line)
[email protected]
www.azcc.gov

We have noticed that the ACC is making fewer errors. Hopefully it will be able to work out all of the kinks and get the new software system working smoothly.

Richard Keyt2018-09-07T08:48:03-07:00September 7th, 2018|AZ Corporation Commission|0 Comments

Arizona Corporation Commission’s New Database System Sucks

This article explains a very serious problem that affects most Arizona LLCs and PLLCs that have filed paper (not online filed) Articles of Organization or amendments to Articles of Organization after May 19, 2018. If you have a company that filed paper articles or amended articles with the Arizona Corporation Commission after that date you need to read this article so you will understand the problems the ACC probably created for you and your company.

ACC Adopts New Software System that Is Crap

On May 20, 2018, the Arizona Corporation Commission stopped using the database and related software that served the public well for many years and switched to a new database system that is broken and may not be fixable. Before the new software went live the ACC was reviewing expedited filings in 3 – 5 business days and non-expedited filings in 20 – 25 business days. According to the ACC’s processing time report dated July 30, 2018, the new and improved software system enables the ACC to review expedited filings in 15 -20 business days and non-expedited filings in 54 – 59 business days.

Here’s an example of the broken software system. I did a search for an Arizona LLC. Note the date and time of the search, which was 1/1/0001. My search did not occur in the year after Jesus was born. How is it possible the software programmers were unable to program the software to display the date and time of a search? Very troubling.

The Biggest Problem is the ACC Cannot Put Correct Information on Approved Filings

The new software system prevents the Arizona Corporation Commission from compiling and disseminating accurate and correct information. Between May 24, 2018, and July 13, 2018, we filed Articles of Organization for SIXTY-FIVE LLCs that the ACC has approved, but whose approval documents contain ACC created errors that the ACC is unable to fix. Despite our many requests to fix incorrect dates and text the ACC put on approved documents the ACC has been unable to correct a single item of bad information it stamped on the companies’ approval documents. Update 8/14/18: On this date we got the first entirely correct approved Articles of Organization, ACC approval letter and ACC website information of the 110 Articles we filed after May 20, 2018.

When the ACC approves new Articles of Organization there are three ACC created sources of information about the new company. Information about the new company is found in the following locations:

the top of the first page of the filed Articles of Organization returned to the company
the ACC’s approval letter given to the company
the ACC’s website

Not one of the 65 companies we formed between May 20, 2018, and July 13, 2018, that have been approved by the ACC has the correct filing date and correct information on all three of the above sources. Despite repeated requests given to ACC personnel asking them to correct the ACC errors it has not corrected a single company’s incorrect data.

Illustrations of ACC Created Problems

The images below contain numbers in circles that refer to areas of Articles and approval letters and the website that have un-fixable errors. The numbers in circles will be explained below.

Articles of Organization Problems

The information next to numbers in a circle above is imprinted on the Articles of Organization by the ACC and then given to the company after it approves the filing of the Articles of Organization or amendment to the Articles of Organization. The significance of each type of information shown above that has a number in a circle:

Circle 1: The “received” date. This is supposed to be the date the ACC received the Articles of Organization or the amendment. This line may or may not be the actual date the ACC received the document.

Circle 2: The “pending” or “filed” date. Some times this line says “pending” followed by a date. Some times it says “filed” followed by a date. The filed date should always be the date the ACC received the Articles of Organization or the amendment. Note: If the ACC approved the document this line should say “filed” (not “pending”) followed by the date the ACC received the Articles of Organization or the amendment. This line may or may not be the actual date the ACC received the document, which date is the actual date the document was filed.

Circle 3: I don’t have a clue what this long number is, but the ACC stamps it on the top right of each page of the approved document.

Circle 4: The approved document may or may not have this stamp under the first two lines the ACC puts on the top left of the first page. In the good old days when the ACC was doing its job it always stamped its “Filed” stamp on the top of the first page of the document. The stamp include the ACC’s file number given to the company. Now the ACC never stamps its “Filed” stamp or the company’s file number on the approved document. Sometimes the document may display the “Received” stamp, which is a good thing because the Received stamp always displays the correct date the document was received and filed.

ACC Approval Letter Problem

Circle 5: This image is the top of the ACC’s letter given to companies when it approves the filed Articles or Organization or amendment to the Articles of Organization. The document received date should be the date the ACC received the document. This date may not be the actual date the ACC received the document.

ACC’s Company Web Page

Circle 6: The formation date should be the date the ACC received the Articles of Organization or the amendment to the Articles of Organization. This date is frequently wrong.

Circle 7: The Original Incorporation Date is the Formation Date. These two dates should be the same and should be the date the ACC received the Articles of Organization or the amendment to the Articles of Organization. This date is frequently wrong.

Circle 8: The Entity Status should say “Active,” which means the company exists.

Circle 9: The Reason for Status should say “In Good Standing.”

Important Note: If a third party asks for proof that your company exists show the ACC’s web page for the company and point out that the Entity Status is “Active” and the company is “In Good Standing.”

Bottom Line

When your company’s paper filed (not filed online) Articles of Organization have been approved by the ACC the date the ACC received the document should be the same as the filed date. The received/filed date should be the same on each of the following locations:

Circle 1
Circle 2: This should say filed, not pending.
Circle 4: If this stamp is on your document it should show the date the document was received by the ACC
Circle 5
Circle 6
Circle 7

If your approved Articles of Organization, ACC approval letter or ACC website listing contain errors and you want to fix the errors call the Arizona Corporation Commission at 602-542-3026.

Richard Keyt2019-07-04T07:58:38-07:00July 15th, 2018|AZ Corporation Commission, Forming LLCs|0 Comments

Arizona Corporation Commission Way Behind on LLC Reviews

Just a few weeks ago the Arizona Corporation Commission was reviewing Articles of Organization filed with the $85 expedited filing fee in 3 – 9 business days. We had many Articles reviewed and approved in three business days.

That was the good old days. Since the ACC’s new online filing system went live on May 20, 2018, the ACC is taking 20 – 26 business days to review Articles of Organization filed with the expedited filing fee and 60 – 66 business days to review Articles filed with the regular $50 filing fee. When the Articles are approved the effective date (birth date) of the LLC is the date the Articles of Organization was received by the ACC unless the Articles provide for a later date.

This delay in approvals creates the following problems:

Some banks will not open a bank account for the LLC until its Articles of Organization are approved. If you can’t wait to open a bank account go to a bank that doesn’t require that the Articles be approved by the ACC before opening a bank account.

Real estate closings. A title insurance company will not issue title insurance when the buyer is an LLC until the ACC approves its Articles of Organization. Several years ago when the ACC had a 60+ day delay, it had a proceed that enabled a pending LLC to move to the front of the review line and get approved so that a real estate transaction could close. I don’t know if this procedure is still available, but call me if you need to expedite for a closing.

Moral of this story: Always pay the additional $35 and file using the $85 expedited filing fee when you form a new LLC or PLLC.

Richard Keyt2018-05-31T09:10:18-07:00May 31st, 2018|Articles of Organization, AZ Corporation Commission|0 Comments

Changes to Arizona LLC Law Effective August 9, 2017

The Arizona legislature passed SB1272, which was signed into law by the Governor or Arizona. This new law makes minor changes to Arizona’s LLC and corporate laws. These new laws are effective on August 9, 2017. A summary of the changes is below.

NEW LEGISLATION SUMMARY

SB1272 was passed this last session. It was a corporation omnibus bill, and it affects several filing requirements for both corporations and LLCs. The changes are summarized below in the order in which they appear in the bill. To read the entire bill, click on the bill number.

MOD accounts:

The bill grants the Commission the discretion to allow the use of MOD (money-on-deposit) accounts. Previously, the statute did not give the Commission any discretion. (See changes to A.R.S. § 10-122(K).) For the foreseeable future, the ACC will continue current procedure with MOD accounts.

Approval of documents:

The Commission is no longer obligated to return a copy of an approved document to the customer; the obligation now is to provide notice of the approval. (See changes to A.R.S. § 10-125.) Effective August 9, 2017, the Commission will no longer send out a copy of the document with the approval letter; only the approval letter will be returned to the submitter. Approved documents are available on our website.

Rejection of documents:

The Commission will continue to return a copy of a rejected document along with the letter explaining the rejection. (See changes to A.R.S. § 10-125.)

Electronic transmission and Notice:

Definitional changes were made, and other references throughout the corporation and LLC statutes have been modified to refer to “electronic transmission” where appropriate, and that definition links back to the definition of “electronic record” found in the electronic transactions statutes, A.R.S. § 44-7001, et seq. This is an attempt to codify the use of email as an allowable means of communication and for giving Notice between the Commission and entities. (See, e.g., A.R.S. §§ 10-140(21), 10-141, and 10-504.) The Commission now can send official notices, such as a Notice of Pending Administrative Dissolution, via email. Please note that this will NOT be implemented until the new computer system is up and running. When the new system is in use, the Commission will ask for the entity to consent to receive such notices by email. If the entity does not consent, notices will be sent via the U.S. Post Office.

Change documents:

The requirements for Statements of Change have been simplified. Only the new information for address and agent will be required. We are revising our forms to reflect the minimal requirements and will have those available as of August 9.

Annual Reports:

The dissolution and withdrawal statutes have been revised to allow for a six-month suspension of the annual report requirement for corporations that file for a voluntary dissolution/withdrawal. (See, e.g., changes to A.R.S. § 10-1403.) Corporations have six months after submission in which to complete a dissolution or withdrawal. Often, corporations will try to complete the dissolution/withdrawal but find that they now owe their annual report and/or owe penalties for not filing it on time. This bill provides that the annual report requirement is suspended for six months from the date the dissolution/withdrawal is submitted. Note: once the six months passes, the annual report is due and so are penalties, if enough time has passed since the due date. TIP – obtain the tax clearance certificate before submitting the dissolution. That way, you will never run into a penalty situation with the annual report. This change is being programmed into the current system and should be implemented by August 9. The new law applies only to dissolutions or withdrawals delivered to the ACC on or after August 9, 2017.

Foreign nonprofit corporations:

The gap left by last year’s SB1356 is now closed – foreign nonprofit corporations no longer have to file applications for new authority when they amend their articles. A foreign nonprofit corporation that amends its name, duration, or state of jurisdiction will now file Articles of Amendment to Application for Authority (along with a certified copy of the amendment) – a significant cost savings ($25 fee instead of $175). This change is already in effect for foreign for-profit corporations, from last year’s SB1356. The ACC’s form will apply to both for-profit and nonprofit corporations as of August 9, 2017.

Nonprofit corporations:

Another gap was closed – nonprofit corporations can sue for false filings. For-profit corporations and LLCs were granted this right of action in last year’s SB1356. Note – this is a private right of action and is not something the ACC will do for the corporation.

LLC administrative dissolution:

LLCs whose latest date to dissolve has passed will now be administratively dissolved. (See changes to A.R.S. § 29-786.) The LLC does have an option of amending its articles, or, if it is administratively dissolved, of reinstating and then amending its articles. There are several thousand LLCs that will be administratively dissolved pursuant to this provision, beginning on or after August 9, 2017.

Richard Keyt2017-07-08T08:07:24-07:00July 8th, 2017|AZ Corporation Commission, LLCs & Corporations, Miscellaneous|0 Comments

Imposter Signs & Files False Articles of Termination & ACC Terminates the LLC

This week I learned about a now defunct Arizona LLC that was terminated by the Arizona Corporation Commission (the “ACC”) without the prior knowledge or consent of the sole member and manager of the LLC. The Articles of Organization filed with the ACC to create the LLC named Homer Simpson (not the member’s real name) as the member and manager of the manager managed LLC called World Wide Widgets, LLC (not real LLC’s name).

Sometime in 2015 somebody filed Articles of Termination to terminate World Wide Widgets, LLC. The document was not signed by Homer Simpson. It was signed by Bob Faker (not the real name of the signer) who signed as the manager of the LLC. The ACC approved the filing and terminated World Wide Widgets despite the fact Bob Faker was not listed on the records of the ACC as a member or a manager of the LLC.

I notified the ACC about the fraudulent termination of the LLC and this is its response:

“We accept filings at face value, and do not request any verification of authority to act. As you know, we are just a filing agency, not an enforcement agency. We do not investigate or have any authority to enforce any laws with respect to allegations of fraud. We are unable to assist with reinstating this entity. If you were to get a court order requiring reinstatement, we would follow that order”

The fraudulent termination of an LLC could have extremely negative consequences for the members of the terminated LLC. Here are just a few problems that the termination causes:

The termination would cause the IRS to take the position that the termination caused all of the assets of the terminated LLC to be distributed to the members in the year of the termination. If the value of the distributed assets exceeds the member’s tax basis in the LLC the member has taxable income equal to the value of the distributed assets minus the tax basis. For example, if the LLC’s only asset is a parcel of real property valued at $200,000 and the sole member of the LLC has a tax basis of $100,000, the member has taxable income of $100,000 in the year of the fraudulent termination.

If the LLC owns assets that have a title, there is no document that evidences a transfer of ownership from the LLC to the member. In the example above, the member would be the beneficial owner of the real estate, but there is no deed signed by the terminated LLC that transfers the title to the land to the member. Because the LLC was terminated, it is not possible for it to sign a deed that transfers title. The member will be forced to file a quiet title lawsuit to get the title changed from the LLC to the member.

If the terminated LLC has intellectual property such as patents or trademarks those assets will be in limbo.

The financial history of the terminated LLC will be lost. The member can form a new LLC with the same name, but could not say that the new LLC has been in business since 1995.

I am sure there are many additional problems a fraudulent termination can cause.

Consequence of Filing a False Document with the ACC

Arizona LLC law provides that it is a felony to file a false document with the ACC. Arizona Revised Statutes Section 29-613.A states:

“A person who . . . signs any articles, statement, report, application or other document filed with the [Arizona Corporation] commission that is known to the person as false in any material respect is guilty of a class 4 felony.”

Solution to the Problem

The issue becomes what, if anything, can the members of the terminated LLC do to correct the problem. The answer alluded to by the ACC’s response above is for the members of the LLC to file a lawsuit and ask the superior court to issue an order to the ACC that the ACC reinstate the existence of the terminated LLC and correct its records to reflect that the fraudulent termination of the LLC never occurred.

This sad story reinforces something I have been telling my LLC clients for years: YOU MUST CHECK THE ACC’S WEBSITE AT LEAST ONCE EVERY THREE MONTHS TO CONFIRM THAT ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR LLC IS CORRECT. If you find that your LLC was fraudulently terminated then you can file your lawsuit to correct the problem sooner rather than later.

If your LLC was fraudulently terminated, call me at 480-664-7478 or send me an email message at [email protected]

Go the the ACC’s ecorp website to search for your LLC and confirm it exists and all information is correct.

Richard Keyt2021-12-04T11:01:11-07:00January 15th, 2017|AZ Corporation Commission, Lawsuits, Miscellaneous|0 Comments

Arizona Benefit Corporations Update

On January 1, 2015, Arizona’s benefit corporation law became effective. This new law allowed people to form a new type of Arizona corporation called the “benefit corporation.” An Arizona benefit corporation is a corporation whose Articles of Incorporation states that the corporation is a benefit corporation. The benefit corporation may have a general public benefit goal, i.e., to have a material positive impact on society and the environment, taken as a whole, assessed against a third-party standard, from the business and operations of a benefit corporation.

Yesterday I asked the Arizona Corporation Commission how many benefit corporations have been formed under Arizona’s relatively new benefit corporation law. The answer is twelve! Yes. Twelve benefit corporations formed in Arizona in two years. Of the twelve Arizona benefit corporations ten of them became b corps in 2015 and two became b corps in 2016. Here are the only corporations in Arizona that are benefit corporations:

Goodmans, Inc.
Sechler, CPA, P.C.
Desert Sky – Music, Art & Sustainability Festival, Inc.
Elevate by Will Claye Inc.
Spirit of Esther Incorporated
Individualized Pool Care, Inc.
Spex: Sedona Philosophy Experience Corporation
Nail Art Club, Inc.
Good Market Inc.
Upcycle Tucson Inc.
The Bull Market, Inc.
Envusion, Inc.

You might ask “why would anybody form an Arizona benefit corporation?” My answer is I don’t know. If you can think of a good reason to form a benefit corporation rather than a form a for profit corporation, a nonprofit corporation or a limited liability company, leave a comment and tell me.

Richard Keyt2018-05-20T14:07:25-07:00December 15th, 2016|AZ Corporation Commission, LLCs & Corporations, Miscellaneous|0 Comments

ACC Procedure Change

On July 15, 2016, Patricia Barfield, Director, Corporations Division, of the Arizona Corporation Commission, announced the following change in procedures of the Arizona Corporation Commission:

“This is notice that we are changing the procedure for requesting copies and certificates of good standing. The change is being made as part of our ongoing effort to improve the document processing times. We will be channeling all copy or certificate requests to our Records Section.

Beginning Monday, July 18, 2016, you will no longer be able to request plain or certified copies of documents or certificates of good standing on the Cover Sheet. We are removing these options on the Cover Sheet. Instead, we suggest using our Records Request Form to request copies or certificates, and that will be sent directly to the Records Section.

IMPORTANT — FEES: If you submit your own cover sheet or letter and you request copies or certificates at the time you submit the document for filing, you must pay the correct fees. If the correct fees are not paid or the correct amount is not authorized to be deducted from the MOD account, the document will be rejected.

The fees for copies are as follows:

Certified copy – corporations (per document): $5.00 + $.50/page

Certified copy – LLCs (per document): $15.00 + $.50/page

Certificate (any type that is not for copies): $10.00

Uncertified or plain copy – corporations (per document): $.50/page

Uncertified or plain copy – LLCs (per document): $5.00 + $.50/page

*Expedited processing is available by adding $35.00 to the fee for any request or service.

Plain or certified copies of documents that have been filed can be obtained directly from our Records Section, by submitting a Records Request Form.

Certificates of Good Standing for active entities can be obtained online after the entity is formed, or by submitting Records Request Form.

We greatly appreciate your cooperation with our efforts at improving our customer service by improving our processing times!

Patricia L. Barfield

Richard Keyt2016-07-23T16:29:38-07:00July 18th, 2016|AZ Corporation Commission|0 Comments

Member Fraudulently Amends Articles of Organization to Remove Other Member

From time to time a member of an Arizona LLC calls and tells me that another member of the LLC filed an amendment to the Articles of Organization with the Arizona Corporation Commission that removed the caller as a member of the LLC without the caller’s knowledge or consent. There was no legal basis to file the amendment.

The caller always asks “what can I do?” The simple answer is the caller should prepare and file another amendment to the Articles of Organization to correct the removal of the caller as a member. This solution, however, is only a temporary band aid. It does not solve the fundamental problem which is the members cannot get along.

Unfortunately this scenario is an all too common problem. The Arizona Corporation Commission is, in actuality, a mere filing service. If a person submits a document for filing and it satisfies the ACC’s filing requirements, the ACC will file the document. The ACC does not confirm or verify that the information set forth in a document is correct. Many times when members of an Arizona LLC can not agree on the management of the LLC one of the members will file an amendment to the Articles of Organization that removes another member without any legal basis for the removal.

People who file false documents with the ACC are usually unaware that they could be committing a felony. Arizona Revised Statutes Section 29-613.A states:

“A person who . . . signs any articles, statement, report, application or other document filed with the [Arizona Corporation] commission that is known to the person as false in any material respect is guilty of a class 4 felony.”

The bottom line is that when this happens the members need to consummate a “company divorce,” i.e., a legal termination of their relationship as members of the same LLC. The best solution occurs if the members agree on the terms and conditions of their company divorce and they sign documents that evidence their agreement. If the members cannot agree, they have two options:

Continue their relationship as members of the LLC, which means ongoing disputes, problems and stress.

File a lawsuit in an Arizona Superior Court and ask the court to dissolve the LLC. This option takes time and causes both members to pay large amounts of money to their lawyers.

As a result of this latest call, I revised my multi-member Operating Agreement (yes I have a single member and husband and wife owned Operating Agreement that is about 20 pages shorter) to include a section that obligates a member who causes a fraudulent amendment to the Articles of Organization to be filed with the ACC to pay each other member liquidated damages in the amount of $10,000. If the liquidated damages are not paid within 30 days of the filing date the unpaid amount accrues interest at the rate of 10% per annum. If the entire amount is not paid within one year of the filing date, the offending member’s membership interest in the LLC will be forfeited on the first anniversary of the date the false amendment to the Articles of Organization was filed with the ACC and the unpaid portion of the liquidated damages will be forgiven.

For more on this topic read my blog post called “Can One Member of an Arizona LLC Expel Another Member?“

Richard Keyt2017-01-15T11:00:19-07:00June 23rd, 2016|Articles of Organization, AZ Corporation Commission, Lawsuits, Member Disputes|0 Comments

Arizona Legislature’s HB 2447 Eliminates Newspaper Publication

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!

Richard Keyt2016-11-16T08:23:41-07:00May 24th, 2016|AZ Corporation Commission, Forming LLCs|0 Comments

How Can I See If My Desired LLC Name is Available?

Question: I intend to form a new Arizona limited liability company. I know that the Arizona Corporation Commission will reject my Articles of Organization if my desired LLC name conflicts with the name of an existing Arizona entity or an Arizona trade name issued by the Arizona Secretary of State. How can I insure that my desired LLC name will not be rejected by the ACC?

Answer: Actually, the latest version of the ACC’s online database has an easy to use name checker that will tell you if your desired name will be accepted or rejected. Here’s how to check a prospective LLC name.

Go the the Arizona Corporation’s name checker website.
Enter the desired name in the field called Entity Name:
Click on the Name Availability Check icon on the bottom center of the page to start the search.

The ACC’s database will then tell you if the desired name is available.

Name Reservation Warning: I don’t recommend that you waste $45 to reserve a name unless there is a lot of money riding on the name. Before purchasing a name reservation ask yourself this question: Given that the desired name has been available from the beginning of time up to the moment you checked the name, what are the chances somebody will use your desired name before you file your Articles of Organization?

Hire Us to Form an LLC

We’ve formed 9,300+ and have 373 five star reviews on Google and Birdeye because people love our low-priced LLC formation services. See the prices and contents of our three LLC packages. To hire us submit our online LLC formation questionnaire.

For free answers to questions about forming and operating Arizona LLCs and PLLCs call LLC attorneys Richard Keyt (the father) at 480-664-7478 or his son Richard C. Keyt at 480-664-7472.

Richard Keyt2020-06-06T10:14:03-07:00January 28th, 2016|Articles of Organization, AZ Corporation Commission, FAQs, Forming LLCs, How Do I|0 Comments

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