Franchise Registration States vs Filing States (2026 List)

Registration and filing requirements are a state layer alongside federal franchise disclosure rules. The statutory label tells you what must be submitted, but does not by itself tell you whether a regulator reviews the disclosure. Start with how to read an FDD if you are new to the document.

Franchise registration and filing states, verified at each state’s statute

State	What the statute requires	Statute	Statute text (short exact quote)	Checked date
California	registration	Corp. Code §31110	“On and after April 15, 1971, it shall be unlawful for any person to offer or sell any franchise in this state unless the offer of the franchise has been registered under this part or exempted under Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 31100) of this part.”	2026-10-14
Hawaii	filing of offering circular	HRS §482E-3	“(c) There shall be filed with the director a copy of the offering circular required under subsection (a) or the amended offering circular required under subsection (b) at least seven days prior to the sale of a franchise.”	2026-10-14
Illinois	registration	815 ILCS 705/5(1)	“Sale of unregistered franchise unlawful. It is unlawful for any person to offer or sell any franchise required to be registered under this Act unless the franchise has been registered under this Act or is exempt under this Act.”	2026-10-14
Indiana	registration	IC 23-2-2.5-9	“No person may offer or sell any franchise: (1) unless the franchise is registered under this chapter or is exempt from such registration under sections 3 through 5 of this chapter; …”	2026-10-14
Maryland	registration	Bus. Reg. §14-214(a)	“Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, a person must register the offer of a franchise with the Commissioner before the person offers to sell, through advertisement or otherwise, or sells the franchise in the State.”	2026-10-14
Michigan	annual notice filing	MCL 445.1507a	“Prior to offering for sale or selling a franchise in this state, a person annually shall file a notice with the department along with the fee required in section 40.”	2026-10-14
Minnesota	registration	Minn. Stat. §80C.02	“No person may offer or sell any franchise in this state unless there is an effective registration statement on file in accordance with the provisions of sections 80C.01 to 80C.22 or unless the franchise or transaction is exempted under section 80C.03.”	2026-10-14
New York	registration	Gen. Bus. Law §683(1)	“It shall be unlawful and prohibited for any person to offer to sell or sell in this state any franchise unless and until there shall have been registered with the department of law, prior to such offer or sale, a written statement to be known as an “offering prospectus” concerning the contemplated offer or sale, …”	2026-10-14
North Dakota	registration	NDCC §51-19-03	“It is unlawful for any person to offer or sell any franchise in this state unless the offer of the franchise has been registered under this chapter or exempted under section 51-19-04.”	2026-10-14
Rhode Island	registration	R.I. Gen. Laws §19-28.1-5	“It is unlawful for any person to offer or sell a franchise unless the offer is registered under this act or is exempt from registration under § 19-28.1-6.”	2026-10-14
South Dakota	notice filing	SDCL §37-5B-4	“It is unlawful for any person to offer or sell a franchise in this state unless the franchise has properly notice filed under this chapter or is exempt from notice filing pursuant to §§ 37-5B-12 to 37-5B-15, inclusive.”	2026-10-14
Virginia	registration	Va. Code §13.1-560	“It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or offer to sell a franchise in this Commonwealth unless the franchise is registered under the provisions of this chapter or exempted from registration by rule or order of the Commission.”	2026-10-14
Washington	registration	RCW 19.100.020(1)	“It is unlawful for any franchisor or subfranchisor to sell or offer to sell any franchise in this state unless the offer of the franchise has been registered under this chapter or exempted under RCW 19.100.030.”	2026-10-14
Wisconsin	registration	Wis. Stat. §553.21	“No person may sell in this state any franchise unless the franchise has been registered under this chapter or is exempted under s. 553.23, 553.235 or 553.25.”	2026-10-14

Oregon’s franchise statute (ORS chapter 650) has no pre-sale registration or notice filing.

This table lists states whose own statute was checked on October 14, 2026; it is not legal advice, and exemptions and amendments apply.

What the federal rule actually requires

Under 16 CFR 436.2(a), the franchisor must furnish its current disclosure document at least 14 calendar days before a prospective franchisee signs a binding agreement with, or makes any payment to, the franchisor or an affiliate in connection with the proposed franchise sale. This provision sets a disclosure deadline, not a state registration requirement.

Registration, where required, is a state-level layer added on top of that federal disclosure requirement. Franchise registration exemptions are a separate question from the filing requirement itself; the table identifies the statutory rule, not whether a particular offer qualifies for an exemption.

Two states, two different versions of registration

California allows a stop order before automatic effectiveness. Corp. Code §31110 requires registration unless an exemption applies. Under §31116(a), subject to subdivision (b), registration automatically becomes effective at 12 p.m., California time, on the 30th business day after filing a complete application or the last preeffective amendment, unless a §31115 stop order is in effect or the commissioner determines an earlier time. Under §31115, the commissioner may issue a stop order denying, suspending or revoking effectiveness on the listed grounds, including failure to comply with the law or rules.

California DFPI states: “The Franchise Investment Law governs the offer and sale of franchises in California.” (checked October 14, 2026). Its franchises page links to FRANSES, DFPI’s franchise filing system (checked October 14, 2026).

Wisconsin’s registration takes effect on filing. Wisconsin’s Department of Financial Institutions states: “an application for registration becomes effective upon filing; no review as to the adequacy of the disclosure is made by the division.” (checked October 14, 2026). That explains why Wisconsin belongs in the registration category even though its regulator does not review disclosure adequacy.

The distinction is between California’s statutory stop-order and automatic-effectiveness provisions and Wisconsin’s effectiveness upon filing without disclosure review. Calling both registration states does not make those processes identical.

What this actually changes for a buyer

The full pre-signing checklist, including the 14-day FDD clock

Our free due-diligence checklist walks the FDD items, the receipt date and the state-registration check in order. Plus the due-diligence kit.

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Registration alone does not establish disclosure adequacy. Wisconsin expressly makes no adequacy review, so treating registration as proof that a regulator checked the FDD is a costly mistake, and an easy one to make. California’s statute also allows automatic effectiveness under the conditions above; the registration label alone does not describe what happened to an individual filing.

Registration is separate from the disclosure clock. The 14-calendar-day requirement in 16 CFR 436.2(a) concerns delivery of the current FDD before a binding agreement or payment to the franchisor or an affiliate in connection with the proposed sale. A state filing date does not establish when the buyer received that document. See FDD Item 23 and the receipt date for the receipt and timing distinction.

Use the linked statute to identify the filing requirement and the relevant exemption provisions. Keep that state question separate from when you received the FDD and what its contents say about the opportunity.

For the document itself, continue with how to read an FDD; for exceptions to the state filing layer, see franchise registration exemptions.