Wyoming DAO LLC
A Wyoming DAO LLC is a filing, not a white paper.
Wyoming gave decentralized autonomous organizations a statutory home. We form the entity, serve as registered agent, and keep it in good standing. The legal questions stay with counsel.
What a Wyoming DAO LLC actually is
A Wyoming DAO LLC is a limited liability company whose articles of organization state that it is a decentralized autonomous organization. Management can be member-managed in the ordinary sense, or algorithmically managed by referencing a public identifier for the smart contracts that run the entity. The Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act still applies, with the DAO Supplement filling in the gaps.
That is less exotic than the marketing around it. You still need a registered agent with a physical Wyoming address. You still file Articles with the Secretary of State. You still file an annual report. Smart contracts do not replace the Secretary of State, and they do not replace a person who can accept service of process during business hours.
What Wyoming actually requires
The filing, not the white paper
- Articles of Organization on the DAO form, including a statement that the organization is a decentralized autonomous organization under W.S. 17-31-104.
- A public identifier for any smart contract used to manage the entity, where the DAO is algorithmically managed.
- A registered agent in Wyoming, continuously maintained.
- One or more members. The person who files the Articles does not have to be a member.
Wyoming does not require you to file an operating agreement. You should still have one, especially if the smart contracts omit anything the members later need to prove. An operating agreement can supplement the contracts; it cannot contradict a statute. That drafting, if you need it, is legal work.
DAO LLC, ordinary LLC, or DUNA
Three Wyoming vehicles get talked about as if they were interchangeable. They are not.
Ordinary Wyoming LLC
The default. Flexible, private at the Secretary of State, well understood by banks and counterparties. If you do not actually need on-chain governance, this is usually the cleaner filing.
Wyoming LLCDAO LLC
An LLC that discloses its DAO status and, if algorithmically managed, its smart-contract identifier. Useful when the project really does run on-chain and needs a U.S. legal wrapper. More explanation at the bank, not less.
DUNA (2024)
A decentralized unincorporated nonprofit association, a separate statute from the DAO LLC. Different tax posture, different purpose. We will not file one because someone used the word “DAO” in a deck. That choice is legal work.
What it costs
Wyoming DAO LLC formation
$1,495
Same published rate as our Wyoming LLC, first-year state filing fees included. Additional Secretary of State DAO-article requirements, if any, are billed at cost. Expedited filing within one business day is $1,545.
After you check out, tell us in the follow-up that this is a DAO LLC so we file the DAO articles, not the ordinary LLC form. If you are unsure which one you need, call before you pay. We would rather take the extra day than file the wrong document.
Ongoing: a Wyoming DAO LLC still needs a registered agent and an annual report. Our compliance packages start at $21/month and include nationwide registered agent service.
What a DAO LLC will not do
Be clear-eyed about this
A Wyoming DAO LLC does not make securities law go away, does not make tax reporting go away, and does not make the people who designed the protocol disappear from a courtroom. It does not create anonymity. Banks running know-your-customer checks will still ask who is behind it. Tresp Corporate Services forms the entity and keeps it in good standing. We do not opine on whether the token, the treasury, or the governance module is legal.
If the project needs legal structuring, that work is done by the independent firm Tresp, Day & Associates, Inc., not by us.
Not sure a DAO LLC is the right filing?
Call and describe the project in plain English. If it is an ordinary LLC, we will say so.
Common questions
Frequently asked
Can Tresp Corporate Services form a Wyoming DAO LLC?
Yes. We file Wyoming DAO LLC Articles of Organization, act as registered agent, and run ongoing compliance. Formation is priced at our published Wyoming LLC rate of $1,495 including first-year state fees. Whether a DAO is the right vehicle is a legal question we do not answer.
Is a Wyoming DAO LLC anonymous?
No. Wyoming does not publish member names in the ordinary entity record, which is real privacy from a scraped public database. Banks, the IRS, and courts with jurisdiction still require accurate ownership information. A DAO wrapper does not change that.
Do you also form a DUNA?
A DUNA is a different statute from the DAO LLC, with a different purpose. We will discuss the corporate-filing side. Whether you should use a DUNA is legal advice, which we do not give.
What do you need from us to file?
The company name, who the members/managers will be, whether the DAO is member-managed or algorithmically managed, the public identifier of any managing smart contract, a registered agent (we can serve), and payment. Call 307.800.1088 if any of that is still being decided.
Tresp Corporate Services, LLC provides corporate, registered-agent, and compliance services and does not provide legal advice. For legal matters, we work in tandem with the independent law firm Tresp, Day & Associates, Inc. This page is general information only.
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