State Offices Administering Business Opportunity Disclosure Laws
Twenty-six states have business opportunity laws. Most of these laws prohibit sales of business opportunities unless the seller gives potential purchasers a pre-sale disclosure document that has first been filed with a designated state agency.
State business opportunity laws typically cover every imaginable type of business opportunity that might be offered. If a business opportunity seller is not required to provide pre-sale disclosures by the Franchise Rule, these disclosures will almost always be required by the laws of the states listed below.
The disclosures required by state business opportunity laws differ, and usually provide more abbreviated information than the FTC’s Franchise and Business Opportunity Rule requires. However, most of these laws provide important rights and remedies for business opportunity investors, including required security bonds to cover investor losses.
If you are considering purchasing a work-at-home or other business opportunity, and reside in a state with a business opportunity law, we encourage you to find out more about the protection provided by your state statute before you invest.
Alaska, California,Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina,
Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
Alaska (filing required)
Attorney General’s Office
Commercial and Fair Business Section
1031 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 200
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
(907) 269-5200
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California (filing required)
Attorney General's Office
110 West A Street, Suite 1100
San Diego, CA 92101
Toll-free in California only (800) 952-5225
Out-of-state callers (619) 645-2050
Website: www.doj.ca.gov
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Connecticut (filing required)
Department of Banking
Securities Division
260 Constitution Plaza
Hartford, CT 06103
Phone: (860) 240-8299
Toll-free: (800) 831-7225
Fax: (860) 240-8295
Website: http://www.state.ct.us/dob
E-mail: marcelle.groves@po.state.ct.us
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Florida (filing required)
Dept. Agri. & Consumer Services
407 S. Calhoun St.
Finance & Accounting Section
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 488-2221
(800) 342-2176 (FL only)
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Georgia (no filing required)
Office of Consumer Affairs
No. 2 - Martin Luther King Dr.
Plaza Level, East Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 656-3790
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llinois (filing required)
Illinois Securities Department
Jefferson Terrace
300 West Jefferson St., Suite 300A
Springfield, IL 62702
(217)782-2256 Fax (217) 782-8876
Website: www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/securities/business_opportunities/home.html
www.ilsos.net
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Indiana (filing required)
Indiana Office of Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
302 West Washington Street
IGCS 5th Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6330
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Iowa (filing required)
No longer requires filing but requires a full franchise document with audited financials and disclosure prior to sale
Securities Bureau
Second Floor
Lucas State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-4441
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Kentucky (filing required)
Office of the Attorney General
Office of Consumer Protection
1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 200
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 696-5389
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Louisiana (bond filing req'd)
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Section
1885 3rd St.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
(225) 326-6460
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Maine (filing required)
Banking Bureau
Securities Division
State House - Station 121
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 624-8551
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Maryland (filing required)
Attorney General's Office
Securities Division
200 St. Paul Pl.
Baltimore, MD 21202
(301) 576-6360
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Michigan (notice required)
Consumer Protection Division
Dept. of the Attorney General
PO Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 373-7117
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Minnesota (filing required)
Department of Commerce
Registration Division
133 East 7th Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 296-6328
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Nebraska (filing required)
Dept. of Banking & Finance
Commerce Court
1230 “O” Street, Suite 400
PO Box 95006
Lincoln, NE, 68509-5006
402-471-2171 1-877-471-3445
Website: www.ndbf.org/
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New Hampshire (filing required)
Attorney General's Office
Consumer Protection Div.
State House Annex
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-3641
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North Carolina (filing required)
North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State
P.O. Box 29622
Raleigh, NC 27626-0622
(919) 807-2000
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Ohio (no filing required)
Attorney General's Office
Consumer Protection Section
25th Floor, State Office Tower
30 E. Broad Street - 14th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 466-8831
800-282-0515 (in-state only)
Website: www.ag.state.oh.us
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Oklahoma (filing required unless exempt)
Oklahoma Department. of Securities
Suite 860, First National Center
120 N. Robinson
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
(405) 280-7700 (voice)
(405) 280-7742 (fax)
Website: www.securities.ok.gov
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South Carolina (filing required)
1205 Pendleton St., Suite 525
Columbia, SC 29201
P.O. Box 11350
Columbia, SC 29211
(803) 734-1958
Website: www.scsos.com
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South Dakota (filing required)
South Dakota Division of Securities
445 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
(605) 773-4823
Website: www.state.sd.us/drr2/reg/securities/franchise.htm
e-mail: drr.securities@state.sd.us
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Texas (filing required)
Secretary of State's Office
Statutory Documents Section
1019 Brazos St. (78701)
P.O. Box 12887
Austin, TX 78711-2887
(512) 475-1769
Website: www.sos.state.tx.us/statdoc/statforms.shtml#BOAF
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Utah (filing required)
Consumer Protection Division
160 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 530-6601
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Virginia (no filing required)
Consumer Affairs Office
101 North 8th Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 786-0594
(800) 451-1525 (in-state only)
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Washington (filing required)
The Department of Financial Institutions
Securities Division
P.O. Box 9033
Olympia, WA 98507-9033
Voice: (360) 902- 8760
Fax (360) 902-0524
Website: www.dfi.wa.gov
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture
Trade and Consumer Protection
P.O. Box 8911
Madison, WI 53708-8911
(800) 422-7128
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