State Charitable Solicitation Registration & Exemption Information
Educational State-by-State Reference Guide
Educational Disclaimer
This webpage is maintained by No-Kill International™ Inc as an educational and operational transparency resource concerning state charitable solicitation laws. It does not constitute legal advice, and it is not a representation that No-Kill International™ Inc is registered, exempt, or authorized to solicit in every jurisdiction listed below.
State laws, regulations, exemptions, filing procedures, monetary thresholds, disclosure requirements, and agency interpretations can change. No-Kill International™ Inc should verify its current status in a jurisdiction before conducting solicitation activity there.
Charitable fundraising is regulated primarily at the state level. A charitable organization may be required to register before soliciting residents of a state, while another state may provide a statutory exemption, require an exemption filing instead of full registration, impose only limited requirements, or maintain no general charitable-solicitation registration program.
The purpose of this page is to distinguish those different regulatory structures. A dollar threshold does not always mean that an organization can simply ignore the state filing system. In some states an exemption is automatic if the statutory conditions are satisfied; in others, the organization must file a notice or exemption request even though it qualifies for reduced or exempt status.
Important distinction:
“Exempt from registration” and “no filing required” are not always the same thing. Some states require a charity to file an exemption request, notice, or small-organization application before relying on an exemption.
Before Making a Substantial Donation
If you are considering making a substantial donation to No-Kill International™ Inc, please contact No-Kill International™ Inc via this email first, before making the contribution. Charitable registration, exemption, filing, and reporting requirements vary by state, and in some jurisdictions registration or another filing may be required before a contribution can be accepted or before certain fundraising activity can occur.
Advance notice will allow No-Kill International™ Inc to review the requirements applicable to your state and, when necessary, complete any required registration, exemption filing, notice, or other compliance step before the contribution is made.
Please do not make a substantial contribution until No-Kill International™ Inc has confirmed that any necessary state charitable compliance requirements have been addressed.
This advance notice helps us direct charitable contributions in accordance with applicable state requirements while avoiding unnecessary registrations and filing expenses in jurisdictions where No-Kill International™ Inc is not currently conducting fundraising activity.
Current National Framework
Most states regulate charitable solicitation. The Internal Revenue Service notes that approximately 40 states have enacted charitable solicitation statutes and that state laws commonly require registration before solicitation, while providing exemptions for particular categories of organizations.
A current nationwide compliance reference identifies ten states as having no general charity-registration requirement: Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming. Arizona and Texas have more limited or specialized charitable-registration regimes. The remaining states generally maintain some form of charitable solicitation registration, although exemptions vary substantially.
Selected Small-Organization Rules Verified Against Current State Sources
Georgia
General rule: Charitable organizations soliciting funds in or from Georgia must register with the Georgia Secretary of State unless exempt under the Georgia Charitable Solicitations Act.
Small-organization exemption: Georgia law provides an exemption for a charitable organization that has no agreement with a paid solicitor and whose total revenue from contributions has been less than $25,000 during both the immediately preceding and current calendar years.
Filing distinction: This is an exemption from charitable-organization registration while the statutory requirements are satisfied; it is not the same type of small-charity filing procedure used by states such as Florida.
Current No-Kill International™ Inc status: No-Kill International™ Inc currently qualifies for the Georgia charitable-organization registration exemption provided by O.C.G.A. § 43-17-9(a)(5). The organization has received less than $25,000 in total revenue from contributions during both the immediately preceding and current calendar years and has no agreement with a paid solicitor. Accordingly, while these statutory conditions continue to be satisfied, No-Kill International™ Inc is exempt from Georgia charitable-organization registration and may solicit and accept charitable contributions from Georgia residents without obtaining the otherwise-required charitable solicitation registration.
Regulatory authority: Georgia Secretary of State, Charities Division.
Connecticut
General rule: Organizations soliciting charitable contributions generally must register before solicitation unless exempt.
Small-organization exemption: An organization that normally receives less than $50,000 in annual contributions may qualify if it does not compensate a person primarily to conduct solicitations. Connecticut states that the contribution calculation includes worldwide contributions.
Filing required to claim exemption: Yes. The exemption is not automatic. The organization must file Form CPC-54, Claim of Exemption From Registration.
Current No-Kill International™ Inc status: No-Kill International™ Inc has not yet filed Connecticut Form CPC-54. Connecticut residents should not make a donation at this time. If you are a Connecticut resident who wishes to donate, please contact No-Kill International™ Inc via this email first so that we can complete the required Connecticut charitable compliance filing before accepting your contribution.
Regulatory authority: Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act Information
Florida
General rule: Anyone who solicits donations in or from Florida generally must register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and renew annually, unless an applicable exemption or special procedure applies.
Small-organization procedure: An organization with less than $50,000 in total contributions during its immediately preceding fiscal year may use Florida's Small Charitable Organizations/Sponsors procedure when its fundraising activities are carried on by uncompensated volunteers, members, or officers and it does not use a professional fundraising consultant, professional solicitor, or commercial co-venturer.
Filing required: Yes. The organization submits the Small Charitable Organizations/Sponsors Application and required financial reporting rather than simply treating the exemption as automatic.
Current No-Kill International™ Inc status: No-Kill International™ Inc has not yet filed Florida's Small Charitable Organizations/Sponsors Application. Florida residents should not make a donation at this time. If you are a Florida resident who wishes to donate, please contact No-Kill International™ Inc via this email first so that we can complete the required Florida charitable compliance filing before accepting your contribution.
Threshold crossing: If contributions reach $50,000 during the fiscal year, Florida requires registration within 30 days after reaching that amount.
Regulatory authority: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).
Maryland
General rule: Organizations soliciting Maryland residents generally file with the Maryland Secretary of State.
Under-$25,000 procedure: An organization receiving less than $25,000 in qualifying charitable support generally files an Exempt Organization Fund-Raising Notice instead of the full registration materials.
Filing required: Yes. Maryland states that the Exempt Organization Fund-Raising Notice is required and must be updated annually while the organization remains below the threshold.
Current No-Kill International™ Inc status: No-Kill International™ Inc has not yet filed Maryland's Exempt Organization Fund-Raising Notice. Maryland residents should not make a donation at this time. If you are a Maryland resident who wishes to donate, please contact No-Kill International™ Inc via this email first so that we can complete the required Maryland charitable compliance filing before accepting your contribution.
Professional solicitor: Use of a professional solicitor can require the full registration materials even when contributions are below $25,000.
Regulatory authority: Maryland Secretary of State, Charitable Organizations Division.
Pennsylvania
General rule: Charities generally register before soliciting contributions in Pennsylvania unless excluded or exempt.
Small-organization exemption: Organizations receiving annual contributions of $25,000 or less may qualify for exemption when they do not compensate anyone to conduct solicitations.
Regulatory authority: Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations.
Tennessee
General rule: Charitable organizations generally register unless they qualify for an exemption.
Small-organization exemption: An organization that does not intend to solicit and receive, and does not actually raise or receive, gross contributions from the public in excess of $50,000 may qualify for Tennessee's $50,000-and-under exempt status, subject to the state's conditions.
Filing required: Tennessee provides an Exemption Request filing for qualifying organizations.
Current No-Kill International™ Inc status: No-Kill International™ Inc has not yet filed Tennessee's Exemption Request. Tennessee residents should not make a donation at this time. If you are a Tennessee resident who wishes to donate, please contact No-Kill International™ Inc via this email first so that we can complete any required Tennessee charitable compliance filing before accepting your contribution.
Regulatory authority: Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming.
Tennessee Secretary of State — Charitable Organization Exemption Request Guide
Virginia
General rule: A charitable organization intending to solicit contributions within Virginia generally must register before solicitation unless an exemption applies.
Small-organization exemption: Virginia law exempts qualifying organizations that do not intend to solicit and receive more than $5,000 during a calendar year and have not raised or received more than $5,000 during any of the three preceding calendar years, provided their functions, including fundraising, are carried on by unpaid persons and no part of their assets or income inures to an officer or member.
Threshold crossing: If public contributions exceed $5,000, the organization generally must register within 30 days after crossing the threshold.
Regulatory authority: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
50-State General Registration Reference
The following table is intended as a first-stage screening reference. “General registration” means the state has a charitable-solicitation registration system that can apply to ordinary public charities. It does not mean that every charity must register in every circumstance. Organization-specific exemptions, fundraising methods, contribution levels, use of paid solicitors, physical presence, Internet activity, and other facts can change the result.
| State | General Framework | Initial No-Kill International Inc Compliance Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Alaska | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Arizona | Limited / specialized registration regime | Review activity and organization type before solicitation. |
| Arkansas | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| California | General charity registration / reporting system | Review California registration obligations before targeted solicitation or receipt of charitable assets. |
| Colorado | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Connecticut | General registration; small-organization exemption available | Under-$50,000 exemption requires CPC-54 filing if conditions are met. |
| Delaware | No general charity-registration requirement | Review applicable solicitation disclosures and other Delaware law. |
| Florida | General registration; small-charity procedure available | Under-$50,000 organizations meeting conditions use the Florida small-charity filing procedure. |
| Georgia | Currently exempt from charitable-organization registration | No-Kill International™ Inc currently qualifies for the under-$25,000 exemption under O.C.G.A. § 43-17-9(a)(5) and may solicit and accept charitable contributions from Georgia residents while the statutory exemption requirements continue to be satisfied. |
| Hawaii | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Idaho | No general charity-registration requirement | Review other applicable Idaho solicitation and consumer-protection laws. |
| Illinois | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Indiana | No general charity-registration requirement | Review other applicable Indiana solicitation and consumer-protection laws. |
| Iowa | No general charity-registration requirement | Review other applicable Iowa solicitation and consumer-protection laws. |
| Kansas | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Kentucky | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Louisiana | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Maine | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Maryland | General filing system; under-$25,000 notice procedure | Qualifying under-$25,000 organizations generally file the Exempt Organization Fund-Raising Notice annually. |
| Massachusetts | General registration / reporting system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Michigan | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Minnesota | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Mississippi | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Missouri | State charitable-solicitation requirements apply in specified circumstances | Review current Missouri requirements before solicitation. |
| Montana | No general charity-registration requirement | Review other applicable Montana solicitation and consumer-protection laws. |
| Nebraska | No general charity-registration requirement | Review other applicable Nebraska solicitation and consumer-protection laws. |
| Nevada | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| New Hampshire | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| New Jersey | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| New Mexico | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| New York | General charity registration / reporting system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| North Carolina | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| North Dakota | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Ohio | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Oklahoma | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Oregon | General registration / reporting system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Pennsylvania | General registration; small-organization exemption available | $25,000-or-less exemption may apply if no one is compensated to conduct solicitations. |
| Rhode Island | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| South Carolina | General registration; statutory exemptions available | South Carolina requires an exemption application annually for entities relying on specified registration exemptions. |
| South Dakota | No general charity-registration requirement | Review other applicable South Dakota solicitation and consumer-protection laws. |
| Tennessee | General registration; $50,000-and-under exemption process | Qualifying organizations file an exemption request. |
| Texas | Limited / specialized registration regime | Review activity and organization type before solicitation. |
| Utah | No general charity-registration requirement | Review applicable disclosure and consumer-protection requirements. |
| Vermont | No general charity-registration requirement | Review other applicable Vermont solicitation and consumer-protection laws. |
| Virginia | General registration; limited small-organization exemption | Qualifying small organizations may use the $5,000 statutory exemption; crossing the threshold can trigger registration. |
| Washington | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| West Virginia | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Wisconsin | General registration system | Verify registration or exemption before state-directed solicitation. |
| Wyoming | No general charity-registration requirement | Review other applicable Wyoming solicitation and consumer-protection laws. |
What This Means for No-Kill International™ Inc
This reference is intended to help No-Kill International™ Inc determine where full charitable registration may be required, where a small-organization or other exemption may be available, where an exemption filing is still required, and where no general charitable-solicitation registration program exists.
A state's presence in a “no general registration” category should not be interpreted as meaning that no laws apply. Disclosure requirements, consumer-protection statutes, professional-fundraiser laws, charitable sales-promotion rules, corporate qualification requirements, tax rules, and other obligations may still apply.
Likewise, the existence of an exemption does not itself establish that No-Kill International™ Inc currently qualifies for that exemption. Qualification depends on the exact statutory requirements and the organization's facts at the time of solicitation.
Operational compliance rule:
Before No-Kill International™ Inc conducts a fundraising campaign specifically directed into a state that maintains charitable-solicitation registration requirements, the organization's current registration or exemption status for that state should be checked against the responsible state agency's current requirements.
Primary Reference Sources
Internal Revenue Service — Charitable Solicitation: State Requirements
Internal Revenue Service — Charitable Solicitation: Initial State Registration
National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO)
This page should be reviewed periodically because charitable-solicitation statutes, thresholds, forms, filing systems, and administrative interpretations can change.
Last reviewed: August 2026.