Mecklenburg County · county seat Charlotte
Mecklenburg County business formation: LLCs, corporations and assumed names in Charlotte and beyond
Banking and fintech uptown and in Ballantyne, motorsports suppliers up the I-77 corridor around Huntersville and Cornelius, and a deep bench of construction and logistics firms. Your company is filed once with the NC Secretary of State ($125); a trade name is recorded with the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds for $26.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Your local license in Mecklenburg County
Charlotte and the Mecklenburg towns stopped selling general privilege licenses after the General Assembly repealed that local tax in 2015. What you deal with locally is zoning: a home-based business in Charlotte still has to meet the home occupation rules, and a storefront needs a zoning-compliant certificate of occupancy before it opens.
Cities we see most
Charlotte · Huntersville · Matthews · Mint Hill · Cornelius · Davidson · Pineville
City guides: Charlotte business license
What Mecklenburg owners should know
- If the brand on the van is not the exact LLC name, record an assumed name in Mecklenburg before you sign contracts. One certificate covers every county you work in.
- Lake Norman towns (Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville) run their own zoning desks, separate from Charlotte's.
- South Carolina residents working across the line in Charlotte can be members of an NC LLC; the company just needs an NC registered agent.
Worked example: Two partners starting a commercial cleaning company in south Charlotte that will bid on property-manager contracts under a short brand name
Entity: North Carolina LLC (G.S. Chapter 57D)
| Corp USA Pro package | $349 |
| NC Secretary of State filing fee | $125 |
| Assumed business name certificate (county recording fee) | $26 |
| Day-one total | $500 |
Next year: a $200 annual report (plus $3 online) due April 15. North Carolina cities no longer sell general privilege licenses, so there is no city business license line here; trade permits and zoning approvals are separate.
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Recording a Mecklenburg County assumed business name
If you will trade under a name other than the exact legal name, North Carolina requires an assumed business name certificate filed with the Register of Deeds in a county where you do business (G.S. 66-71.4). One filing covers the whole state. Assumed name certificates are recorded for $26 for a one-page document; the office also takes them by mail with a check or money order payable to the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds.
- Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds
- County Courts & Office Building, 720 East Fourth Street, Suite 103, Charlotte, NC 28202
- Phone
- 704-336-2443
Heads up: we are an independent company that prepares and submits North Carolina filings for owners. We are not the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State and we do not give legal advice. Every state and county charge passes through at the exact amount billed, and anyone can file directly with the Business Registration Division for no service fee.
Mecklenburg questions
Do I register my LLC with Mecklenburg County?
No. The LLC is filed once with the NC Secretary of State. The county Register of Deeds only records assumed business names and other instruments.
SourceHow much is a DBA in Mecklenburg?
$26 to record a one-page assumed name certificate. Additional pages are $4 each.
Source