Business Opportunity Laws

State Offices Administering Business Opportunity Disclosure Laws Articles -

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 (filing required)
Attorney General’s Office
Commercial and Fair Business Section
1031 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 200
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
(907) 269-5200


California (filing required)
Attorney General's Office
Public Inquiry Unit
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
Toll-free in California only (800) 952-5225
Out-of-state callers (916) 322-3360
E-Mail: piu@doj.ca.gov
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Connecticut (filing required)
Department of Banking
Securities Division
260 Constitution Plaza
Hartford, CT 06103
Phone: (860) 240-8230
Toll-free: (800) 831-7225
Fax: (860) 240-8295
Website: http://www.state.ct.us/dob
E-mail: marcelle.groves@po.state.ct.us


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)


Georgia (no filing required)
Office of Consumer Affairs
No. 2 - Martin Luther King Dr.
Plaza Level, East Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 656-3790


llinois (filing required)
Illinois Securities Department
Lincoln Tower
520 S. Second St. Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701
(217)782-2256


Indiana (filing required)
Indiana Office of Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
302 West Washington Street
IGCS 5th Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6330


Iowa (filing required)
Securities Bureau
Second Floor
Lucas State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-4441


Kentucky (filing required)
Office of the Attorney General
Office of Consumer Protection
1024 Capital Center Drive
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 573-2200 NOTE: DOESN’t Work


Louisiana (bond filing req'd)
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Section
1885 3rd St.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
(225) 326-6460


Maine (filing required)
Banking Bureau
Securities Division
State House - Station 121
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 624-8551


Maryland (filing required)
Attorney General's Office
Securities Division
200 St. Paul Pl. - 20th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202
(301) 576-6360


Michigan (notice required)
Consumer Protection Division
Dept. of the Attorney General
PO Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 373-7117


Minnesota (filing required)
Department of Commerce
Registration Division
133 East 7th Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 296-6328


Nebraska (filing required)
Dept. of Banking & Finance
Commerce Court
1230 “O” Street, Suite 400
PO Box 95006
Lincoln, NE, 68509-5006
1-877-471-3445
Website: http://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: http://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: http://www.securities.ok.gov
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South Carolina (filing required)
Secretary of State's Office
P.O. Box 11350
Columbia, SC 29211
(803) 734-2169
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South Dakota (filing required)
South Dakota Division of Securities
445 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
(605) 773-4823


Texas (filing required)
Secretary of State's Office
Statutory Documents SectionP.O. Box 12887
Austin, TX 78711-2887
(512) 475-1769
Website: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/statdoc/statforms.shtml#BOAF


Utah (filing required)
Consumer Protection Division
160 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 530-6601


Virginia (no filing required)
Consumer Affairs Office
101 North 8th Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 786-0594
(800) 451-1525 (in-state only)


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


Wisconsin
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture
Trade and Consumer Protection
P.O. Box 8911
Madison, WI 53708-8911
(800) 422-7128