What a publication requirement means for your filings

File proof of publication with the state after the notice has run, because until that proof is on record, the formation may not be treated as complete. Keep the newspaper's receipt with the proof.

Checklist: confirm that your state requires the notice, find a qualifying newspaper, get a written price, note how many weeks it must run, schedule the start, and keep the receipt. When the run ends, send the proof to the state and file the confirmation with your LLC records.

Only 3 states use this rule, and each is quoted below. Where it applies, plan on extra weeks and a cost that no fee schedule gives as one number, and allow for that before you open a bank account or take your first customer.

• Arizona: Publication: a notice runs three times within 60 days unless the statutory agent is in a county of more than 800,000 people, where the Commission posts it instead.
• Nebraska: Publication: a notice runs for three weeks in a local legal newspaper, then proof is filed for $25 online ($30 in office).
• New York: Publication: within 120 days, a notice runs for six weeks in two county newspapers (the papers set their own charges), then a Certificate of Publication is filed for $50.

It matters in these sections: LLC formation checklist for all 50 states, Registered agent checklist by state, Out-of-state registration checklist.