Quick answer
- Pricing basis
- Per business, at every provider listed
- 5 LLCs for 5 years at $49
- $1,225
- 5 LLCs for 5 years at $125
- $3,125
- Each LLC needs
- Its own appointment on file
What several LLCs cost over five years
List prices, first year plus four renewals, for each number of Ohio LLCs.
| Provider | 1 LLC | 3 LLCs | 5 LLCs | 10 LLCs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $49 Ohio agents | $245 | $735 | $1,225 | $2,450 |
| Northwest ($125) | $625 | $1,875 | $3,125 | $6,250 |
| InCorp ($129) | $645 | $1,935 | $3,225 | $6,450 |
| Harbor Compliance ($99, then $159) | $735 | $2,205 | $3,675 | $7,350 |
These are published per-entity prices. Some national providers negotiate volume rates that are not on their Ohio pages, so ask if you hold many entities.
Why investors use a separate LLC per property
Holding each property in its own LLC keeps a claim against one property from reaching the others. The cost of that structure in Ohio is low because the state charges no annual report fee. The filing fee is paid once, and the statutory agent is the recurring cost. That is why the agent's price matters more to an investor with eight LLCs than to an owner with one.
One agent, many appointments
One agent can serve all of your LLCs, and using one is easier: one portal, one place lawsuits arrive, one renewal to track. Each LLC still needs its own appointment on the state record. If you move a portfolio to a new agent, that is one Form 521 and one $25 state fee per LLC.
What to look for with a portfolio
- Per-entity price at renewal. Multiply it by your entity count and by five years.
- Documents sorted by entity. A notice for one LLC should be labeled as that LLC's, not dropped in a shared inbox.
- Adding an entity quickly. When you close on a property, you want the new LLC's agent in place the same day.
- Privacy. A commercial agent's address goes on each LLC's public record in place of your home address.
- Out-of-state ownership. If you live outside Ohio you cannot serve as agent yourself. See agents for out-of-state companies.
Our pick
For Ohio-only portfolios, a $49 agent. Among the three, we would choose based on notice handling: our service scans the same business day and calls if a lawsuit goes unacknowledged. If your holdings span several states, Northwest keeps every state in one account.