Section A — Licensing Application Forms ~25 min

HCS 309 Form Guide — Organization/Entity Ownership (California HCO)

The HCS 309 requires you to list anyone who owns 10% or more of your agency, your official corporate officers, and your Agent for Service of Process. This form only applies if you formed an LLC, Corporation, or Partnership. Sole Proprietors do not file an HCS 309.

Breaking Down the HCS 309

This form relies heavily on the official documents you received back from the Secretary of State when you first formed your company. Have your Articles of Organization/Incorporation and your Operating Agreement/Bylaws handy.

Agent for Service of Process

This is the person or company designated to receive official legal mail on behalf of your business. If you used a service like LegalZoom or Northwest Registered Agent to form your LLC, they are likely your Agent. If you filed it yourself, it might just be you at your home or office address. This must exactly match what is on file with the Secretary of State.

The 10% Ownership Rule

The state requires the names and addresses of anyone who holds a 10% or greater "beneficial ownership interest" in your company.

  • If you are a single-member LLC, you just list yourself with 100%.
  • If ownership is held indirectly (e.g., your agency is owned by a parent holding company), the state requires you to attach a visual diagram showing the chain of ownership.

[Image of corporate ownership structure diagram]

Officers vs. Managers
  • Corporations: You must legally have a President/CEO, Secretary, and Treasurer (though one person can often hold all three titles).
  • LLCs: Many LLCs are "Member-Managed" and do not use formal officer titles like "Secretary" or "Treasurer." If your LLC does not have officers, you can skip the Officers section (Fields 11-12 on the form) and just list your Managers/Managing Members in Section 10.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • 1Guessing your Entity Number or Registration Date. You must look this up on the Secretary of State website to ensure it is 100% accurate.
  • 2Forgetting to attach your Articles of Incorporation/Organization and Bylaws/Operating Agreement when you submit this to the state (the form explicitly requires these attachments).
  • 3Listing a PO Box for the Agent for Service of Process. The state requires a physical street address for the Agent.

Tips

  • If one person holds multiple officer titles (e.g., you are the President, Secretary, and Treasurer of your own Corporation), simply enter your name in all three spots.
  • Keep this form updated! If a partner leaves or you change your corporate officers in the future, you are legally required to submit an updated HCS 309 to the CDSS.

What You Need to Do

  1. 1
    Verify your exact Registration Date and Entity Number on the CA Secretary of State website
  2. 2
    Complete corporate data fields above
  3. 3
    Generate, print, and sign the HCS 309
  4. 4
    Gather your Articles of Organization/Incorporation and your Operating Agreement/Bylaws to include in your final mailing packet

    The CDSS requires physical copies of these legal documents attached to your HCS 309.

Information You Will Need

Have these details ready before you sit down to fill this out:

Name (As Filed with Secretary of State)
Required
Chief Executive Officer or Equivalent

For a single-member LLC, this is usually you (the Managing Member).

Required
Incorporation / Registration Date

The exact date your entity was approved by the state (found on your stamped Articles).

Required
Place of Incorporation / Registration
Required
Corporation / LLC Number

The 7 or 12 digit entity number issued by the CA Secretary of State.

Required
7b. Agent for Service of Process (Name)

The person or registered agent company designated to receive legal mail.

Required
Agent for Service of Process (Address)

Must be a physical street address in California. No PO Boxes.

Required
Primary Owner (10%+ Interest) Name
Required
Primary Owner Percentage
Required
Second Owner (10%+ Interest) Name

Leave blank if you are a 100% owner.

Second Owner Percentage
10a. Number of Directors / Managers

How many people sit on your Board of Directors (Corp) or act as Managing Members (LLC)?

Required
President / Chairman

For Corporations, or LLCs that have elected officers. Leave blank if your LLC does not use these titles.

Secretary
Treasurer / Chief Financial Officer

Documents Needed

  • HCS 309 — Organization Structure (pre-filled)
    RequiredPDF · Max 10MB

Official Resources

Want us to handle this for you?

Our licensing team knows this form inside and out. For $999, we fill out every form, check every box, and submit the whole packet to CDSS on your behalf. You just answer a few simple questions.

Get Full Licensing Help — $999 Do It Yourself (Free)
Previous
HCS 308 Form Guide — Designee Responsibility
Next Step
LIC 508 Criminal Record Statement