If you want to register a new business in Arkansas, first you have to decide on a legal structure for your business. Your options include sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or corporation. Once you have decided on the business structure, you must pick a name. Run your options through the Arkansas Secretary of State website to make sure that there are no existing businesses with the same name. It is also best to register a domain name for your business if you plan on building a website.
At this point, you can register your business entity with your chosen name. If you are operating as a sole proprietorship or partnership, you do not need to provide organizational documents. You need to file Articles of Organization if you want to register an LLC in Arkansas. And for corporations, you must file an Article of Incorporation to the Arkansas SOS.
The next step is tax registration. Go to Arkansas Taxpayer Access Point to register for tax numbers for withholding tax, sales tax, or any other types of business taxes. If you have employees, you need to obtain Employer Identification Number. This can be applied for via the Internal Revenue Service website . There is no filing fee to obtain EIN.
After that, you must apply for a zoning permit, depending on the chosen location for your website. You should also obtain business insurance since it is required for getting a business license.
The state of Arkansas has 75 counties, 10 of which have two county seats. Each county is governed by a quorum court of 9 to 15 justices; each is elected in a two-year term. The county judge that presides the election does not have a vote but has a veto power that may be overridden via a three-fifths vote of the total number of members.
Other members of county officials include a sheriff, coroner, assessor, treasurer, and county supervisor. They are also elected on a two-year term.
As of 2002, the state of Arkansas has 499 municipalities, governed via mayor-council or city-manager type of government. The state also has 310 public schools and 704 special districts.
See the main Arkansas Page for county links.© State & Local 1995-2023