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Pennsylvania formation packet
Download the Pennsylvania certificate of organization packet used to create an LLC with the state. This is the public formation filing — not the operating agreement banks usually also ask for.
A Pennsylvania formation packet with support and lifetime updates. Where the state publishes an official blank, we package that form plus any companion files shown below.
Articles or a certificate of formation create the LLC. They do not set ownership percentages or member voting rules.
One $9.99 purchase covers instant access, email support, and updated files if this packet is refreshed.
Most customers also need a member-managed or manager-managed operating agreement after they file.
This state packet includes 3 documents in print-ready PDF format. Labels describe each file's role, not the internal filename.
Articles vs operating agreement
The certificate of organization is the public document that creates an LLC in Pennsylvania. It is filed with the state. It is not the operating agreement.
Where Pennsylvania publishes an official blank, this packet is meant to give you that form plus instructions or companions.
Most customers also need a member-managed or manager-managed operating agreement. Banks often ask for both the stamped formation document and that internal agreement.
Need the internal rulebook too? After you file, most customers also download a member-managed or manager-managed operating agreement for Pennsylvania.
Researched filing overview
Pennsylvania uses official Form DSCB:15-8821, Certificate of Organization for a Domestic Limited Liability Company. Pay the $125 state filing fee separately to Pennsylvania.
A paper or online filing must also include docketing statement DSCB:15-134A. Pennsylvania requires a registered office street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider, not designation of a registered agent.
What happens before, during, and after the state filing. This product is the public formation document, not a filing service.
Choose a distinguishable Pennsylvania name and a registered office street address in the Commonwealth, or the name and county of a Commercial Registered Office Provider. Pennsylvania does not require designation of a registered agent.
File Certificate of Organization DSCB:15-8821 with docketing statement DSCB:15-134A. The $125 state fee is paid separately. This product does not file for you.
Most customers then adopt an operating agreement and apply for an EIN if they need a federal tax ID. Banks often ask for both the stamped formation document and the agreement.
Read the filing notes and statute excerpts here. The official certificate of organization preview follows below.
Quick answer
In order to establish an LLC in Pennsylvania, one must submit a certificate of organization form to the state.
In order to establish an LLC in Pennsylvania, one must submit a certificate of organization form to the state. This document includes the proposed company's name, its registered office or Commercial Registered Office Provider, and any other required information. Any additional provisions included in the form must comply with Pennsylvania state law.
Pennsylvania accepts the filing of a certificate of organization form via U. S. mail or electronically via the Department of State's online system for e-filing documents.
Under 15 Pa.C.S. §§ 202(b) and 204(c), an LLC name must contain “company,” “limited,” or “limited liability company,” or an abbreviation, and must be distinguishable on Department records from another covered association, subject to statutory exceptions. The name of the LLC must contain the term "company," "limited" or "limited liability company," or an abbreviation such as "L. L. C."; "LLC"; "L. C."; or "LC". The name may not infringe on any active trademark or service mark registered with the commonwealth or the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office. One may search online the USPTO's trademark database. The commonwealth does not offer an online searchable database of trademarks.
One may determine the availability of a proposed business name for use within Pennsylvania by querying the commonwealth's official Business Entity Search tool. Confirm current name availability on the Department of State’s official search; Pennsylvania does not use a first-two-words rule.
In Pennsylvania, there is a $125 fee for filing a certificate of organization form. A qualifying veteran- or reservist-owned small business may claim the formation-fee exemption if the statutory ownership, control, size, signature, and proof requirements are met. Same-day expedited service costs an additional $100. The request must be received before 10 a.m.; expedited requests are not accepted by mail.
The statutory authority for an LLC within the commonwealth is the Pennsylvania Uniform Limited Liability Company Act of 2016 (15 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 8811 et seq.).
The requirements for a Certificate of Organization are codified in 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821. The text of the statutes read as follows:
§ 8821 . Formation of limited liability company and certificate of organization. (a) Formation.--One or more persons may act as organizers to form a limited liability company by delivering to the department for filing a certificate of organization. (b) Required contents of certificate.--A certificate of organization must state: (1) the name of the limited liability company, which must comply with Subchapter A of Chapter 2 (relating to names); and (2) subject to section 109 (relating to name of commercial registered office provider in lieu of registered address), the address, including street and number, if any, of the company's registered office. (c) Optional contents of certificate.--A certificate of organization may contain statements as to matters other than those required by subsection (b), but may not vary or otherwise affect the provisions specified under section 8815(c) and (d) (relating to contents of operating agreement) in a manner inconsistent with that section. (d) Substitute certificate of authority.--A statement in a certificate of organization with respect to a matter described in section 8832(a)(2) or (3) (relating to certificate of authority) is effective as a certificate of authority and the statement is subject to the provisions of section 8832 in the same manner as a certificate of authority. (e) Effect of certificate of organization.--A provision of the certificate of organization shall be deemed to be a provision of the operating agreement for purposes of any provision of this title that refers to a rule as set forth in the operating agreement. (f) Time of formation.--A limited liability company is formed when its certificate of organization becomes effective.
§ 8823 . Signing of filed documents. (a) Required signatures.--Except as provided in this title, a document delivered to the department for filing under this title relating to a limited liability company must be signed as follows: [...] (2) A company's initial certificate of organization must be signed by each organizer. [....]
Ready to download the Pennsylvania packet? Checkout delivers the formation files immediately. The operating agreement is a separate product if you need ownership and management rules.
Get the Pennsylvania Packet — $9.99Illustrative sample layout for review before purchase — the licensed packet contains the current filing document and instructions.
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION
If you are not 100 percent satisfied after purchase, contact us for a full refund. Lifetime updates apply if we replace this packet. This guarantee is about the product and support, not a promise that a particular filing will be accepted.
No. The certificate of organization is the public filing that creates the LLC. An operating agreement is a separate internal contract that sets ownership, voting, profit splits, and management. Most customers need both.
Where Pennsylvania publishes an official certificate of organization, this packet is intended to include that blank plus any companion files listed on this page.
When the state publishes a free official form, that blank is still free on the government site. This product packages the current form we carry, any companion files listed on this page, email support, and lifetime updates if we replace the packet. It is not a filing service and it does not pay the state’s filing fee.
This packet currently includes 3 documents in print-ready PDF format. The list on this page is the customer-facing inventory.
Pennsylvania generally does not file the operating agreement with this certificate, but banks, lenders, and multi-member LLCs almost always want one. Choose member-managed if every owner will run the company, or manager-managed if appointed managers will run it.
No. ILRG provides self-help forms and information. You complete the documents and file them with the state, or use the official online portal where that is required. Consult a licensed attorney for tax elections, professional-license entities, or unusual ownership structures.
Yes. Pennsylvania requires docketing statement DSCB:15-134A with Certificate of Organization DSCB:15-8821. The $125 fee is for the certificate filing.