Rate the charging order protection strength of any US state for asset-protection planning. Charging order is the standard creditor remedy against an LLC member's interest — strong states make it the exclusive remedy; weaker states allow foreclosure. Use the 50-state matrix below to triage candidate states.
Select up to four states to compare side by side. The tool returns each state's tier ranking (Strongest, Strong, Moderate, Weak), statutory cite, and notable case law.
Single-member LLCs receive weaker protection in many states. The tool flags whether each candidate explicitly extends COP to SMLLCs.
We weight statutory clarity, case-law history, and SMLLC posture into a 0-100 score per state. Top three are recommended.
3 of 5 selected. Click to add or remove.
| State | Strength | SMLLC protected? | Score | Statutory basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | Strongest | Yes | 100 | WY Stat. § 17-29-503 |
| Nevada | Strongest | Yes | 100 | NRS 86.401 |
| Delaware | Strong | Yes | 85 | 6 Del. C. § 18-703 |
Static snapshot pulled from current state filing fees, statutes, and pricing data. Updates when source data changes.
| State | Strength | SMLLC protected? | Statutory / case-law basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Moderate | Unsettled | Ala. Code § 10A-5A-5.03 — COP available; SMLLC protection limited |
| Alaska | Strong | Likely | AS 10.50.380 — COP exclusive remedy |
| Arizona | Strong | Likely | ARS § 29-3503 — COP exclusive remedy |
| Arkansas | Moderate | Unsettled | Ark. Code § 4-32-705 — COP available |
| California | Weak (case-law) | Unsettled | Cal. Corp. Code § 17705.03 — COP statutory but courts may compel reverse-veil-piercing remedies |
| Colorado | Moderate | Unsettled | C.R.S. § 7-80-703 — COP available; SMLLC carve-out by case law |
| Connecticut | Moderate | Unsettled | C.G.S. § 34-259 — COP available |
| Delaware | Strong | Yes | 6 Del. C. § 18-703 — COP exclusive; SMLLC question debated but case law favors COP |
| Florida | Weak (SMLLC) | No (Olmstead) | Fla. Stat. § 605.0503 — Olmstead v. FTC (2010) allows foreclosure of SMLLC interest |
| Georgia | Moderate | Unsettled | O.C.G.A. § 14-11-504 — COP available |
| Hawaii | Moderate | Unsettled | HRS § 428-504 — COP available |
| Idaho | Moderate | Unsettled | Idaho Code § 30-25-503 — COP available |
| Illinois | Moderate | Unsettled | 805 ILCS 180/30-20 — COP available |
| Indiana | Moderate | Unsettled | Ind. Code § 23-18-6-7 — COP available |
| Iowa | Moderate | Unsettled | Iowa Code § 489.503 — COP available |
| Kansas | Moderate | Unsettled | K.S.A. § 17-76,113 — COP available |
| Kentucky | Moderate | Unsettled | KRS § 275.260 — COP available |
| Louisiana | Weak | Unsettled | La. R.S. 12:1331 — COP available but courts may permit foreclosure |
| Maine | Moderate | Unsettled | 31 MRSA § 1573 — COP available |
| Maryland | Moderate | Unsettled | Md. Code Corp. & Assn. § 4A-607 — COP available |
| Massachusetts | Moderate | Unsettled | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 156C § 26 — COP available |
| Michigan | Moderate | Unsettled | MCL § 450.4507 — COP available |
| Minnesota | Moderate | Unsettled | Minn. Stat. § 322C.0503 — COP available |
| Mississippi | Moderate | Unsettled | Miss. Code § 79-29-703 — COP available |
| Missouri | Moderate | Unsettled | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 347.119 — COP available |
| Montana | Moderate | Unsettled | MCA § 35-8-705 — COP available |
| Nebraska | Moderate | Unsettled | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 21-141 — COP available |
| Nevada | Strongest | Yes | NRS 86.401 — COP exclusive remedy; explicitly covers single-member LLCs |
| New Hampshire | Moderate | Unsettled | RSA 304-C:122 — COP available |
| New Jersey | Moderate | Unsettled | N.J. Stat. § 42:2C-43 — COP available |
| New Mexico | Strong | Unsettled | NMSA 53-19-35 — COP remedy; no express SMLLC carve-out, statutory ambiguity |
| New York | Weak (case-law) | Unsettled | NY LLCL § 607 — COP available; foreclosure permitted in some cases |
| North Carolina | Moderate | Unsettled | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 57D-5-03 — COP available |
| North Dakota | Moderate | Unsettled | N.D.C.C. § 10-32.1-43 — COP available |
| Ohio | Moderate | Unsettled | Ohio R.C. § 1706.343 — COP available |
| Oklahoma | Strong | Likely | 18 OS § 2034 — COP statutory remedy; SMLLC application uncertain |
| Oregon | Moderate | Unsettled | ORS § 63.259 — COP available |
| Pennsylvania | Moderate | Unsettled | 15 Pa.C.S. § 8853 — COP available |
| Rhode Island | Moderate | Unsettled | R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-37 — COP available |
| South Carolina | Moderate | Unsettled | S.C. Code § 33-44-504 — COP available |
| South Dakota | Strong | Likely | SDCL 47-34A-503 — COP exclusive remedy |
| Tennessee | Moderate | Unsettled | Tenn. Code § 48-249-509 — COP available |
| Texas | Strong | Likely | Tex. Bus. Org. § 101.112 — COP exclusive remedy |
| Utah | Strong | Likely | Utah Code § 48-3a-503 — COP statutory remedy |
| Vermont | Moderate | Unsettled | 11 V.S.A. § 4054 — COP available |
| Virginia | Moderate | Unsettled | Va. Code § 13.1-1041.1 — COP available |
| Washington | Moderate | Unsettled | RCW § 25.15.256 — COP available |
| West Virginia | Moderate | Unsettled | W. Va. Code § 31B-5-504 — COP available |
| Wisconsin | Moderate | Unsettled | Wis. Stat. § 183.0703 — COP available |
| Wyoming | Strongest | Yes | WY Stat. Ann. § 17-29-503 — COP exclusive remedy for SMLLC and MMLLC; no foreclosure |
Strength tiers reflect a combination of statute (whether COP is declared the exclusive creditor remedy) and case law (whether courts have permitted foreclosure of LLC interests). 'Strongest' = WY, NV. 'Strong' = explicit exclusive-remedy statute. 'Moderate' = standard ULLCA-derived COP. 'Weak' = case law allows foreclosure or alternative remedies. Not legal advice — confirm with counsel.
A charging order is a court order directing the LLC to redirect distributions intended for the debtor-member to the judgment creditor instead. In strong-COP states, this is the EXCLUSIVE creditor remedy — the creditor cannot force the LLC to liquidate or transfer the membership interest. In weaker states, courts may allow foreclosure, which gives the creditor the full membership interest.
Most COP statutes were written assuming multi-member LLCs where the non-debtor members deserved protection from a stranger-creditor joining the LLC. With single-member LLCs, there are no other members to protect, so some courts (notably Florida in Olmstead v. FTC, 2010) allow foreclosure of the SMLLC interest. Wyoming and Nevada explicitly closed this gap by statute. Other strong-COP states left it ambiguous.
Real estate holding LLCs, professional liability exposure (doctors, lawyers, contractors), high-net-worth founders separating business from personal assets. Less relevant for everyday operating businesses where the LLC itself is the asset being defended (the inside-liability shield, not outside-liability).
5-minute WhatsApp intake. 5-10 day turnaround.
Curated next reads, sibling explainers, and service paths from across the Anonymousllc.co library.