Article: The type of document you will need to file with the Secretary of State will depend on the business structure you chose. All of the documents and forms can be found on the Secretary of State's website. Use the following forms for the following types of businesses:  Articles of incorporation if you are starting a corporation. This form will ask you to provide the Secretary of State with the business's name, purpose, registered agent, and corporate address. The various forms can be found at http://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/forms/#cacorp. Articles of organization if you are starting an LLC. This form will ask you for the LLC's name, address, registered agent, and how the LLC will be managed. The form can be found at http://bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov/llc/forms/llc-1.pdf. In addition to filing articles of organization, you will also need to have on file, but you will not need to submit, an operating agreement.  Statement of partnership authority if you are creating a general partnership. This form will ask you for the partnership's name, address, names of partners, and appointed agents. The form can be found at http://bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov/gp/forms/gp-1.pdf. If you are forming a sole proprietorship, you do not need to file any documents at all. In California you must either mail in your required forms or drop them off with the Secretary of State in person.  To mail your documents, send them, along with the required fee, to "Secretary of State, Business Entities, P.O. Box 944260, Sacramento, CA 94244-2600." To drop your forms off in person, take them to "1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814." Each type of filing requires you to pay a fee.  If you are filing articles of incorporation, the fee is $100. If you are filing articles of organization, the fee is $70. If you are filing a statement of partnership authority, the fee is $70. A fictitious business name must be registered if you are a sole proprietorship doing business under a name not containing your legal name; a partnership; or a corporation doing business under a name that is not its legal name. You do not register this name with the Secretary of State. Instead, you must contact your city or county clerk or recorder where the primary place of business is and ask how to do this.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Prepare your required documents. File your documents. Pay the required fees. Register your fictitious business name.