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What event does each state require?
The table compares the named statutory or agency mechanisms, not every state or every exemption. Registration is not an endorsement of the offering, its document accuracy or likely profit.
| State | Named filing mechanism | Actual effect or condition | What the filing does not prove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | Annual Notice of Intent under 445.1507a/AG guidance | Required before covered offers/sales; repeat annually | AG says it does not review FDD compliance and does not endorse the offering |
| Indiana | Registration by notification under current Division guidance | Initial effectiveness on receipt if no stop order; one-year registration | Agency expressly says no review of offering merits; registration is not a finding documents are true/complete |
| Maryland | Registration under 14-214/218 | Absent stop order, noon on 30th business day after application or last amendment, or earlier Commissioner-set time | A receipt alone is not that effectiveness event or a complete exemption determination |
| North Dakota | Registration under 51-19-03/07 | Filing plus Commissioner’s entry in register, with no stop order; amendments have their own effective date | 51-19-11 prohibits portraying filing/registration as a merits or document-truth finding |
Disclosure and later changes have separate clocks
Michigan’s annual notice does not replace its ten-business-day disclosure package under section 445.1508. Indiana’s guidance separately requires material-change filing within 30 days and the updated-FDD filing before delivery as described there. Maryland and North Dakota have their own amendment and renewal conditions.
The federal 14-calendar-day disclosure rule remains independent where it applies. Business days and calendar days are not interchangeable. Check document delivery, meetings, signature and consideration alongside the relevant filing and any stop order before launching the covered sales activity.
Scope
- Selected four-state mechanisms only. Definitions, state connections, exemptions, complete-filing facts, relevant orders and other states still need their actual application.
Next step
Establish the applicable state filing event and independent disclosure timing before the proposed offer or sale.
Sources & review notes
Michigan Legislature / Attorney General
Passage, dates and research notes
official-guidance · Franchisors; FDDs
The DAG does not review Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) for compliance with state or federal laws.
Narrow cited passages reviewed. This is not a complete jurisdictional survey.
Michigan Legislature / Attorney General
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · 445.1507a(1)–(2)
Prior to offering for sale or selling a franchise in this state, a person annually shall file a notice
Narrow cited passages reviewed. This is not a complete jurisdictional survey.
Indiana Secretary of State Securities Division
Passage, dates and research notes
official-guidance · General information; exemptions; requirements
As a notice filing state, Indiana does not review franchises for the merits of the offering
Narrow cited passages reviewed. This is not a complete jurisdictional survey.
Maryland General Assembly
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · Complete 14-218
noon on the 30th business day
Read complete section: automatic effectiveness conditioned on no stop order and date measured from application or last amendment; commissioner can set earlier time.
North Dakota Legislative Branch
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · 51-19-02–03,06–08,11–12,16–18; complete cited provisions
upon entry by the commissioner into the register of franchises
Read full definitions, registration/application/renewal/amendment/disclosure, prohibited practices, anti-waiver and related context. Ordinary renewals/extensions without interruption are excluded from offer/sale definition; do not infer that filing-registration renewal disappears. Registration effectiveness and amendment approval are distinct. Not a full exemption application or relationship-law opinion.
Federal Trade Commission
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · section-436.2
at least 14 calendar-days
Current eCFR displayed through 2026-11-09; eCFR is authoritative but not the official legal edition.
Maryland General Assembly / Division of State Documents
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · Business Regulation 14-214(a)
a person must register the offer of a franchise with the Commissioner before the person offers to sell
Narrow cited passages reviewed. This is not a complete jurisdictional survey.
Michigan Legislature / Attorney General
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · 445.1508(1),(3)
at least 10 business days before the execution by the prospective franchisee of any binding franchise or other agreement
Narrow cited passages reviewed. This is not a complete jurisdictional survey.
Maryland General Assembly
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · Complete 14-219
at least 15 business days before
Read complete section: anniversary term, possible different term/order, filing condition and renewal effectiveness. Fee and exception are not generalized to other filings.
Maryland General Assembly
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · Complete 14-220
file promptly with the Commissioner
Read complete section: prompt application, verification, fee and commissioner-set effective date of approved amendment; no invented 30-day amendment period.
Detailed rule records (1)
Record statutory/agency filing type, covered-offer trigger, effectiveness/entry or stop-order conditions, renewal/amendment process and separate disclosure. A filing is not state endorsement or permission under every relevant law.
Franchises MCL - Section 445.1507a - Michigan Legislature Franchise Maryland Business Regulation 14-218 — registration effectiveness North Dakota Century Code Chapter 51-19 — Franchise Investment Law 16 CFR §436.2: Federal disclosure timing Laws - Statute Text MCL - Section 445.1508 - Michigan Legislature Maryland Business Regulation 14-219 — renewal Maryland Business Regulation 14-220 — material changesKeep this reading in your learning library.
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