Best Alabama LLC Services of February 2026 (Reviewed by ZenBusiness)

We invite you to take a look at our guide to forming a limited liability company in Alabama. This article walks you through the LLC formation process in this state step by step, helping ensure that you don’t miss any crucial elements.

One of the most important steps in forming an Alabama LLC is choosing and reserving a business name. Unlike most states, Alabama actually requires you to reserve your business name when you submit your Certificate of Formation. Once you come up with ideas for your name, you should search through the Secretary of State’s business name availability search to make sure your desired name is available. For more information on conducting a business name search in Alabama, check out our Alabama business search page.

You can find the Alabama Certificate of Formation on the Secretary of State’s website.

All LLCs operating in the state of Alabama are required to submit a Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report with the Department of Revenue in the first three and a half months of the LLC’s taxable year.

The Business Privilege License, administered by the Alabama Department of Revenue, is required for all LLCs; other licenses and permits may be required, as well. For more information about business licenses and more in this state, check out Alabama’s business licensing page.

Alabama has some of the nation’s fastest turnaround times for business filings. In most cases, the state will process LLC formations within just 24 hours of receiving your documents when you file online. Mailed filings are usually processed in 1 to 2 business days after being received.

If you want more details about what these companies can offer in this state, or you’d like to take a look at some other options, check out our guide to the best Alabama registered agent services.

Unfortunately, not all businesses last forever. If the time comes when you need to close your LLC’s doors, you’ll need to do so in a manner consistent with the state’s regulations. That’s why we wrote our guide to Alabama LLC dissolutions, so you can complete the process in a compliant manner.

If your LLC already exists in another state, you don’t actually need to “form” it in Alabama. Instead, you’ll need to foreign-qualify the business in this state. This process is somewhat similar to LLC formation, but there are some crucial differences, as well. Take a look at our guide to foreign qualifications in Alabama for more information.