[ take the helm home ]
A step-by-step guide you can print and mark up
Every state has one. It holds the same steps as this site, written for a kitchen table: what to decide together, what to file, and who takes the filing.
[ what is inside ]
Four parts, in the order you will need them
[ part 1 ]
Who is aboard
Space to write down every member and what each one brings.
[ part 2 ]
Papers, in filing order
The statute, the filing office, and what to file first.
[ part 3 ]
Questions to settle at the table
The decisions to make together before anything is filed.
[ part 4 ]
What to carry to a lawyer
A short list so a paid hour is spent on your questions.
[ get yours ]
Choose a state and download
In a hurry? These two are written out in full:
Checked September 2026. A friend's read, not legal advice. For states we have not read statute by statute, the guide gives the office that takes the filing and nothing we have not verified.
[ free help exists ]
You do not have to do this alone
USDA Rural Development runs cooperative development programs, and many regions have a cooperative development center that helps at no cost.