North Dakota — statewide
North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division
In short
North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division issues 7 permits we publish for North Dakota — statewide, last verified 2026-09-04. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $100 one-time filing, domestic | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Corporation Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $25 a year; late fees escalate to $45 within 90 days and $85 after | annual — domestic corporations due before August 2, foreign corporations before May 16 | 2026-09-04 |
| LLC Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $50 a year; a late filing adds a further $50 | annual — due before November 16 every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $135 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| General Contractor License | North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $100–$450 initial, by class — Class D (jobs up to $100,000) $100, Class C (up to $300,000) $225, Class B (up to $500,000) $300, Class A (over $500,000) $450; renewal runs $30 to $90 | annual — renews on or before March 1 | 2026-09-04 |
| Auto Repair Licensing — State of North Dakota positiononly if it applies to you | North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — State of North Dakota positiononly if it applies to you | North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Articles of Incorporation
A hundred dollars to incorporate domestically; a foreign corporation's certificate of authority costs $145 instead.
Corporation Annual Report
Twenty-five dollars a year, a quarter of the LLC annual report fee, though a domestic and foreign corporation face different due dates entirely. Reinstatement after involuntary dissolution costs $135, the identical figure an LLC pays for the same fate.
LLC Annual Report
Fifty dollars, due before November 16th, doubling to $100 once it's late. An LLC that stays unfiled for six months past the deadline is terminated by operation of law outright, and reinstating it afterward costs a further $135.
Articles of Organization (LLC)
A hundred and thirty-five dollars to file, thirty-five more than a corporation's $100 base incorporation fee.
General Contractor License
North Dakota sorts contractor licenses into four classes purely by the size of job they cover, not by trade — a Class A license, good for any job over $500,000, costs $450 up front and $90 a year to renew, while the smallest Class D license is $100 and $30. Per the Secretary of State's contractor page, a contractor license is required when the cost, value or price of a job exceeds $4,000 (NDCC ch. 43-07).
Auto Repair Licensing — State of North Dakota position
No fee: per the North Dakota Century Code, the motor vehicle and sales titles (39 and 51) provide a motor vehicle dealer license, which applies only to a business that sells or exchanges vehicles, and provide no license for a business that only does repair or body work. An unusual shop configuration should be confirmed with the state Department of Transportation.
General Business License — State of North Dakota position
No fee: the Secretary of State's own Start a Business guide says a license or registration from a state agency or board may be required 'if you are involved in certain occupations,' and moves directly from entity registration to activity-specific licenses such as sales tax, with no general license step anywhere in between.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- North Dakota — statewide
- Phone
- (701) 328-2900
- Website
- www.sos.nd.gov/business
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- North Dakota Century Code chapter 10-19.1 — corporation formation fee and annual report fee and deadlineNorth Dakota Legislative Branch · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- North Dakota Century Code chapter 10-32.1 — LLC formation fee and annual report fee and deadlineNorth Dakota Legislative Branch · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- North Dakota Secretary of State — general contractor license classes, fees, and the $4,000 minor-work thresholdNorth Dakota Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- North Dakota Secretary of State — starting a business, with no general license step in the processNorth Dakota Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Other North Dakota statewide offices
- North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Lodging Division
- North Dakota Board of Barber Examiners
- North Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
- North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Early Childhood Services
- North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner
- North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology
- North Dakota State Board of Plumbing
- North Dakota State Electrical Board
North Dakota jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.