FLORIDA AREA
Form an LLC in Miami, Florida
Starting a Miami business: the LLC is the easy part
Miami runs on small business — hospitality, trades, real estate, import-export, and services of every kind. Forming the LLC is quick. What trips up new Miami owners is the local layer, which is one of the stricter setups in the state.
The state step (fast)
Your LLC is created when the Florida Division of Corporations approves your Articles of Organization — a $125 state fee, typically approved in one to three business days.
The Miami-Dade layer (where people get caught)
- A business inside Miami city limits needs two local business tax receipts (BTRs): one from the City of Miami and one from Miami-Dade County. The county requires a separate receipt for each location and each business classification.
- The City of Miami also requires a Certificate of Use (CU) — and you generally have to get the CU approved before your city BTR is issued. The CU runs through Miami-Dade's environmental review (DERM), so it's not instant.
- The county receipt is handled online through the BTExpress system.
- The tax year runs October 1 to September 30. Renew by September 30 or the receipt goes delinquent.
- Operating without a paid local business tax carries a 25% penalty under the county code — so the order matters: Certificate of Use → City BTR → County BTR.
How we help
We file your Florida LLC correctly and hand you a clear map of exactly what Miami and Miami-Dade require next — the certificate of use, both receipts, and the sequence — plus the website, business phone, and Google Business Profile that make you findable across Miami-Dade. So you open legal and visible, not surprised by a penalty notice.
Related guides
Serving owners throughout Miami-Dade County. Local fees and requirements change — confirm current details with the City of Miami and Miami-Dade before filing. MyFloridaLLC is a private filing service, not a law firm.