Filing Articles of Organization

• Michigan charges a fee of $50 for filing articles of organization for an LLC. Fees in other states can go as high as $300 in Texas, and $500 in Illinois and Massachusetts. The articles of organization are filed with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth (MI-DLEG), and can be filed with an online form.
  
  

Business Name

• Michigan law requires an LLC's name includes the words "limited liability company" or the initials LLC. The name must not include the terms "corporation "or "incorporated," or their abbreviations.
  
  

Types of LLC

• Types of LLCs allowed in Michigan include single-member or single-owner LLCs. Originally, most states did not allow single-member LLCs, but Michigan has joined the rest of these states in accepting the sole owner of a business to organize as an LLC. Not all states, however, provide for a professional service limited liability company (PLLC). Michigan allows the formation of PLCCs in which every member and manager of the company is a licensed practitioner of one or more of the services offered by the company. Licensed professionals include doctors, attorneys, dentists and others who must be legally authorized to perform a service.
  
  

Yearly Filings

• LLCs in Michigan must file an annual statement with the MI-DLEG by Feb. 15. The filing fee is $25, and the form can be filed online through Michigan's FILEonline Service.
  
  

Documents on File

• Michigan law requires an LLC to keep certain documents at the LLC's principal place of business. The documents include: a current list of names and addresses of each member and manager; copy of articles or restated articles of organization, and any amendments; copies of the LLC's federal, state and local tax returns for the three most recent years; financial statements for the three most recent years; operating agreements; records to determine members' relatives shares of the company's distributions and the members' voting rights.