Perhaps often overlooked, the Iowa Secretary of State Web site is an excellent resource for the Iowa start-up entrepreneur.  In the Iowa business services section of the site a business person can find information about a wide variety of topics including:

1.  A guide to the most commonly formed business organization options.  The guide has information on sole proprietorships, general partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, for profit corporations, nonprofit corporations, professional corporations and limited liability companies.

2.  A frequently asked questions section including information about domestic and foreign corporations in Iowa, registered agents and office, trademarks and service marks, trade names, and whether you should reserve a business name before forming your Iowa corporation.

3.  A section on the most common reasons documents are rejected by the office.

4.  A section on the tax aspects of an Iowa business which links to the Iowa Department of Revenue.

5.  A link to the Iowa business license information center.

And of course the disclaimer:  The information provided on the Iowa Secretary of State’s site is intended to give you a basic understanding of some of the various types of entity formation you may choose for your business or your organization. This information is not complete and is not a substitute for the advice of an Iowa business lawyer or any other professional advisor.

The information on the site was provided with the assistance of respected Drake University Law School Professor Matthew Dore