How to Start a Business in Louisiana

Louisiana Business Facts

With its unique cultural identity, an affordable cost of living and a recent economic transformation that led Forbes to rank it as “America’s New Frontier for Business,” the Bayou State of Louisiana is an attractive environment for entrepreneurs and working professionals. Louisiana was also ranked among the Top Five States for Business by Area Development Magazine as recently as December 2017.

Major Companies in Louisiana

CenturyLink, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Superior Energy Service are among the major companies headquartered in Louisiana.

Startup Environment

Louisiana’s excellent educational opportunities, solid infrastructure and startup incentives unite to form a competitive environment that enables long-term progress for small businesses across the state.

Step 1: Decide on a Business Structure

There are 3 basic options: a Corporation, LLC or DBA. Click here to learn more about business entities.

• A Corporation is a separate entity (provides liability protection to the owners) with a structure that includes shareholders, directors and officers. It’s more complex than a DBA but the entity of choice for large companies and startups that intend to raise funding. Some professions are required to choose what is known as a “Professional Corporation” or PC (doctors, lawyers, architects, etc.).
• An LLC or “Limited Liability Company” is a newer type of business that is both a separate entity and provides very easy management (doesn’t require directors or officers) and taxation. The LLC has largely replaced the DBA and Corporation in popularity recently as it provides liability protection but with much less complexity (and taxation) than a Corporation.
• A DBA or “Doing Business As” (also known as a “Fictitious Business Name” or FBN) is not really a separate structure, but just a different name that an individual or partners use as their business name.

Step 2: Choose a Business Name

Choosing a business name is easier said than done – many legal and business problems can arise from picking the wrong name (you can always change it later but the less times you have to do that the better). In Step 3 we’ll show you how to search for the name in Louisiana, but we highly recommend you do the following before searching Louisiana state databases:

• Make sure you’ve covered the basics: unique, easy to understand/pronounce (practice saying it out loud: “Thanks for calling XYZ”) and can survive over time (“DVD World” is not timely). Here are some of our tips on business identity including logo and trademarks.

• Search the web for your proposed name. Search Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo as a “first sweep” for any potential conflicts, especially in your state or local jurisdiction. NOTE: If you intend to operate nationally or even internationally it will be even more important that your name be unique. This should cover many cases where a company name is being used but not officially trademarked (see next tip).

• Do a trademark search with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This will be a very good indicator if your name will have any conflicts. There’s an art to trademark searches (trademark specialists will charge you handsomely to do a thorough search) but in our experience if you can use Google at a fairly advanced level you can reasonably clear a name yourself. Tip: search misspellings, plurals, variations of spelling, sound-alikes and other versions of your chosen name to be sure it’s not already registered.

• Make sure your company name choice is available by searching the Louisiana Business Entity Database. NOTE: Make sure to search variations of spelling, plurals and misspellings as the state may reject a name that is too similar (then you have to start all over again, wasting valuable time).

NOTE: Familiarize yourself with the Louisiana naming guidelines.Louisiana requires companies to have unique names. LLC entity names need to contain the words Limited Liability Company or the abbreviation LLC, and certain words are restricted or prohibited. Louisiana corporation names may be followed by a number of approved designations including Co., Company, Corp., Corporation, Inc., Incorporated, Limited or Ltd. Restricted designations include Architect.

Step 3: Register the Business

Each state has its own requirements for registering a business. Now that you’ve chosen a business structure and selected your business name, here are the requirements to register your business in Louisiana.

How to form an LLC in Louisiana

• File the “Articles of Organization” with the Louisiana Secretary of State.
• Once the articles are filed and approved you will then need to properly organize the LLC (this also applies to “1-person LLC’s”) by holding an “Organizational Meeting” which takes contributions from the members, issues Member Certificates, adopts the company Operating Agreement and more.

How to Incorporate in Louisiana

• File the “Articles of Incorporation” with the Louisiana Secretary of State.

• Hold an “Organizational Meeting” to determine the percentage of ownership for each shareholder as well as resolve to do tasks like open a company bank account, pay back pre-incorporation expenses, elect S-Corporation status and more.
• Corporations can elect S-Corporation status with the IRS by filing IRS Form 2553. Click here to learn more about S-Corporations.

NOTE: When registering a new company the Secretary of State can take several weeks to file the paperwork. You can expedite the process by hand delivering the documents directly to them or one of their field offices and paying an additional fee.

TIP: Check our order form to see how long North Dakota is currently taking to process regular and expedited orders.

How to File a DBA in Louisiana

• Louisiana trade names are filed at the parish level by the local Clerk of Court. You can find your local Clerk of Court by searching “YOURPARISH Clerk of Court”.
• Obtain and file the correct forms with your parish to register your DBA. NOTE: Some parishes require the form to be notarized.

Optional Considerations when registering a Louisiana business

• Hire a professional Registered Agent. Many people list their home or business address on the Articles of Organization or Incorporation. This can cause issues because it becomes public record (you’ll get lots of junk mail). A professional Registered Agent will provide their address and forward any important documents to you. This is also convenient if you have to move (you don’t have to file forms or pay fees, just update your address with your agent).

Ready to register a business in Louisiana?

• We specialize in registering businesses in Louisiana.

Step 4: Obtain your Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN or “EIN”)

Your EIN is like your Social Security Number for your company. It’s required for Corporations and LLC’s and optional for DBA’s (if you don’t have any employees, then it’s required). However, if you are a DBA and don’t obtain an EIN you will be forced to use your Social Security Number on many documents so it’s typically recommended you obtain the EIN to prevent identity theft. To obtain an EIN you can apply online with the IRS or via IRS Form SS-4.

TIP: We can obtain your EIN for you if you we form your company.

Step 5: Open Company Accounts: Bank and Credit Cards

To keep business and personal expenses separate, you should open a separate account for your business. In addition, getting business credit cards is how you begin to build a company credit profile (corporation or LLC required) and can later qualify for larger loans and lines of credit. To open the account simply call your chosen bank and inquire on the steps to open a business bank account. Typically you’ll need a) your filed paperwork b) your EIN c) a company resolution authorizing your company to open the account (signed by the owners, members, officers or directors, etc.).

TIP: Our business formation service includes a free banking resolution for your use.

Step 6: Obtain Business Licenses and Permits

Now that you’ve registered your business name you need to obtain a business license for your company – this authorizes your company to do business in your city or county. Typically this also involves registering for state taxes and permits (the city may require them as part of the business licensing process).

TIP: We work with a company that can obtain and prepare business licenses and permits for you. Click here to learn more.

Step 7: Annual and Ongoing Requirements

DBA: Your Fictitious Business Name should be valid for 5 years (unless you change your company name or other information listed on the FBN) at which point you’ll need to renew it with your parish.

LLC: Louisiana LLCs are required to file an annual report every year by the anniversary of the date the LLC was formed. The annual report can be filed online at the Secretary of State’s geauxBiz portal.

Corporation: Louisiana corporations are required to file an annual report each year by the anniversary of the date you incorporated. File your annual report online at the Secretary of State’s geauxBiz portal. LLCs and Corporations will pay a filing cost of $35.

Important Louisiana Contacts

Louisiana Secretary of State

geauxBiz (for Corporation and LLC filings)
8585 Archives Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Louisiana Taxation Departments

• Louisiana Department of Revenue

Louisiana Labor and Employment Departments

• Louisiana Workforce Commission

Louisiana Startup Resources

Small Business Administration (SBA) Louisiana

• Louisiana District Office

SCORE Louisiana – providing mentorship, counseling and advice for new businesses

• Northwest Louisiana SCORE
• Southwest Louisiana
• Northeast Louisiana
• Baton Rouge Area
• New Orleans SCORE

Louisiana Legal Statutes

• Louisiana Corporations Code – the broad code that includes various other topics including partnerships and associations.
• Louisiana Revised Statutes Limited Liability Company – the specific act that applies to Louisiana LLC’s.
• Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (LACCE) – a Louisiana Accredited Chamber Program to highlight those chambers that demonstrate best practices within their organizations.  

Louisiana geauxBIZ – geauxBIZ is your one-stop site for launching your new business in the state of Louisiana.

Louisiana Small Business Development Center

Louisiana Economic Development – Small Business

Angel.co Louisiana Startups – A list of Louisiana Startups registered with Angel.co.

Louisiana Business News

• Louisiana Business Journal
• New Orleans & Louisiana Local Business News – NOLA.com

Louisiana Green Business

• US Green Building Council – Louisiana Chapter
• LifeCity New Orleans
• Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality