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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · Colorado

Starting an LLC in Colorado (2026): 7 Tasks and the 3 Best LLC Services

Our 2026 Colorado picks for setting up an LLC, strongest to weakest, are CO Registered Agent.org ($199), Colorado Registered Agent.co ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199). Colorado wants $50 when you file and the periodic report every year; the 7 tasks below walk through all of it.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Read this first

Fee to form
$50
Source: coloradosos.gov, read in October 2026
Periodic report
$25 a year
Filing window as stated: last day of the entity's anniversary month
Three years of state fees
$100
Without any service fee
How many tasks
7
Each one explained

Course objectives

  • How setting up an LLC works in Colorado
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • What happens once the LLC exists
  • Which services we recommend and why

If you want someone else to file

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we grade), and three-year cost and assignments completed count most.

Top of the class

1. CO Registered Agent.org: best for Colorado LLCs on a shoestring

Start with this oneFormation $199, renewal $99 yearly

Our first pick is CO Registered Agent.org; the formation costs $199 beyond the state fee, and the agent renews at $99.

A smaller three-year total than Mainstay Filing earns it first place; cost counts 34%.

Filing the periodic report every year is your own homework.

What the price covers

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 and the state fee

What to weigh

  • No periodic report service on offer
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Colorado Registered Agent.co: best for LLCs that stay in Colorado

Focused on ColoradoFormation $199, renewal $99 yearly

Colorado Registered Agent.co is a solid second-place option: the formation costs $199 beyond the state fee, and the agent renews at $99.

Filing the periodic report every year is your own homework.

CO Registered Agent.org and this service cost the same.

What the price covers

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 and the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one

What to weigh

  • No periodic report service on offer
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with very little homework

Works in every state$199 per year, with $249 at checkout to cover the state fee

Our third choice, Mainstay Filing: for $199 each year you get the formation filed, a registered agent in place and the periodic report sent in.

CO Registered Agent.org comes in $200 lower across three years, which holds this one back from first.

Each periodic report is submitted for you, and the $25 state fee comes at cost.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Periodic report filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee passed through at cost

What works

  • The EIN application is in the price
  • A single $199 yearly price, periodic report included
  • The renewal holds at $199

What to weigh

  • A yearly premium of $100 over CO Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Grades and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1CO Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Colorado Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Add the $50 state fee to every row.

How a Colorado LLC gets formed

  1. Task 1

    Make sure nobody else has the name

    Open the business search run by the Colorado Secretary of State before anything else; it shows whether the name already sits on the Colorado register.

    If the first name fails, you want another ready.

  2. Task 2

    Pick your registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A person 18 or older whose home or usual place of business is in Colorado (since July 1, 2025 the person has to hold a Colorado driver's license or ID or otherwise verify residency), or a business entity in good standing with a usual place of business in Colorado. The agent has to consent.

    The address has to be a physical address in Colorado, either a home or a usual place of business. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Every service we recommend here can be your registered agent.

    Source: Source: sos.state.co.us, read in October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Decide who submits the filing

    You can file yourself for $50, or pay $199 more for a service. Our recommended services sit at the top of this unit.

  4. Task 4

    Fill out and send in the Articles of Organization

    Send the Articles of Organization to the Colorado Secretary of State along with $50 to bring the LLC into existence.

    Source: Source: coloradosos.gov, read in October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Obtain an Employer Identification Number

    The IRS hands out EINs, not Colorado. Apply once the state approves you, then give the number to your bank. If you hire Mainstay Filing, the EIN application is taken care of.

  6. Task 6

    Draft your operating agreement

    Owners sign it to settle shares, voting and what happens when a member leaves. It is a private document and never gets filed.

  7. Task 7

    Stay in good standing in Colorado

    Put the periodic report on your calendar: $25, every year, deadline last day of the entity's anniversary month. A late one costs $50.

    Source: Source: coloradosos.gov, read in October 2026

Colorado costs by task

Line itemGoes toSum
Formation feeThe state$50
Periodic reportThe state$25 every year
Missing the deadlineThe state$50
Paid helpYour service$199 in year one
State fees for the first three yearsThe state$100
Three years of state cost equals the filing fee, plus the reports in years two and three, plus any minimum tax. The sources are listed below.

Why the list runs this way

On course fee across three years (34% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Three years with CO Registered Agent.org add up to $397, which is $200 under Mainstay Filing.

Check your Colorado answers

How much does Colorado charge to set up an LLC?

Expect $50 to file. A recommended service adds $199 in year one.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Colorado Secretary of State takes the Articles of Organization, the paper that creates the company.

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Colorado require each year?

What repeats is the periodic report ($25, every year, due last day of the entity's anniversary month).

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you: the state asks $50, and you also have to name a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

CO Registered Agent.org, Colorado Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing, from highest grade to lowest.

Reading list and sources

  1. Hand-in notes for Colorado Secretary of State. Each statement rests on sos.state.co.us, last opened August 2026.
  2. Hand-in notes for Colorado Secretary of State. Each statement rests on sos.state.co.us, last opened August 2026.
  3. Hand-in notes for Colorado yearly filing: Periodic report, official source. Each statement rests on coloradosos.gov, last opened October 2026.
  4. Hand-in notes for Colorado report due date. Each statement rests on colorado.public.law, last opened August 2026.
  5. Hand-in notes for Colo. Each statement rests on sos.state.co.us, last opened August 2026.
  6. Hand-in notes for Colorado formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Each statement rests on coloradosos.gov, last opened October 2026.
  7. CO Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  8. Colorado Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. Mainstay Filing Colorado service page, opened November 13, 2026