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State Offices Administering Franchise Disclosure Laws

Fifteen states have franchise investment laws that require franchisors to provide pre-sale disclosures, known as "offering circulars," to potential purchasers. Thirteen of these state laws treat the sale of a franchise like the sale of a security. They typically prohibit the offer or sale of a franchise within their state until a franchise offering circular has been filed on the public record with, and registered by, a designated state agency. Two of the fifteen states do not require a filing of offering circulars, as noted in the list of state offices below.

These state laws give franchise purchasers important legal rights, including the right to bring private lawsuits for violation of the state disclosure requirements. We encourage potential franchise purchasers who reside in these states to contact their state franchise law administrators for additional information about the protection these laws provide.


California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin


California (filing req'd)
Franchise Division
Department of Corporations
1115 11th St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 445-7205

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Hawaii (filing req'd)
Franchise & Securities Division
State Department of Commerce
P.O. Box 40
Honolulu, HA 96813
(808) 586-2722

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Illinois (filing req'd)
Franchise Division
Office of Attorney General
500 South Second Street
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-4465

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Indiana (filing req'd)
Franchise Division
Office of Secretary of State
One N. Capitol St. - Suite 560
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6576

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Maryland (filing req'd)
Franchise Office
Division of Securities
200 St. Paul Place - 20th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 576-6360

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Michigan (only notice req'd)
Antitrust and Franchise Unit
Office of Attorney General
670 Law Building
Lansing, MI 48913
(517) 373-7117

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Minnesota (filing req'd)
Franchise Division
Department of Commerce
133 East Seventh St.
St. Paul, MN 55101
(612) 296-6328

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New York (filing req'd)
Franchise & Securities Division
State Department of Law
120 Broadway
23rd Floor
New York NY 10271
(212) 416-8211

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North Dakota (filing req'd)
Franchise Division
Office of Securities Commission
600 East Boulevard - 5th Floor
Bismarck, ND 58505
(701) 328-2910

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Oregon (no filing)
Corporate Securities Section
Dept. of Insurance & Finance
Labor & Industries Bldg.
Salem, OR 97310
(503) 378-4387

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Rhode Island (filing req'd)
Franchise Office
Division of Securities
233 Richmond St. - Suite 232
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 277-3048

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South Dakota (filing req'd)
Franchise Office
Division of Securities
910 E. Sioux Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501
(605) 773-4013

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Virginia (filing req'd)
Franchise Office
State Corporation Commission
1300 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 371-9276

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Washington (filing req'd)
The Department of Financial Institutions
Securities Division
P.O. Box 9033
Olympia, WA 98507-9033
Voice: (360) 902-8760
Fax: (360) 586-5068

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Wisconsin (filing req'd)
Franchise Office
Wisconsin Securities Commission
P.O. Box 1768
Madison, WI 53701
(608) 266-3364

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Last Updated: Thursday, August 27, 1998

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