Secretary of State business search for all 50 states and DC

Not every registry is a Secretary of State. Arizona and Virginia use a State Corporation Commission, Maryland uses its tax assessment department, Wisconsin uses its Department of Financial Institutions, and DC uses its licensing department. Texas splits records between the Secretary of State and the Comptroller. The name of the office matters when you call or when a bank asks which agency issued a certificate.

How an SOS business search works

Whatever the state calls it, and whether you type SOS search, SOS company search or Secretary of State LLC lookup, the search follows the same pattern. The differences are in which fields you can search and what the result page shows.

Secretary of State business name search

Enter the most distinctive word of the name rather than the full name with its ending. Most state searches treat "LLC", "Inc." and punctuation inconsistently, so "Harbor Light" finds more than "Harbor Light Services, L.L.C.". Our name claim guide explains why a missing result is not proof a name is free.

Search by entity number

Every record carries a state ID, called a file number, SOS ID, charter number or control number depending on the state. It is the only search that returns exactly one company, so note it once you find the right record. See entity ID for the names each state uses.

Search by officer or registered agent

Some states, such as Florida, let you search by an officer or agent name, which helps when you know a person but not their company. Where that option is missing, the business owner lookup guide covers other records that name people.

SOS business search links and fees by state

Yearly upkeep = recurring report fee divided by its cycle, plus flat state charges owed by every LLC (California minimum tax, Alaska business license, Rhode Island minimum business tax, Nevada business license). Income and gross receipts taxes are not included.

What the fee table shows

Lowest LLC filing fees

The five lowest LLC filing fees are in Colorado ($35), Montana ($35), Kentucky ($40), Arkansas ($45) and Arizona ($50). A low entry fee does not mean a cheap state: Arkansas charges $45 to form but $150 every year in franchise tax.

States with no LLC report

LLCs file no recurring report at all in Arizona, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio and South Carolina. That keeps upkeep near zero, but it also means the public record can stay unchanged for years, so an "active" status says little about whether the business still operates. Read more in the LLC lookup guide.

Biennial and free reports

Reports come every two years in Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and New York. Reports are yearly but free in Alabama, Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi and Texas.

Missing any of these filings is the usual path from active to administratively dissolved. For what each filing is called and what it contains, see the annual report definition. If you are choosing a state for a new company, compare Delaware and Wyoming before assuming either is cheaper than your home state; a company operating at home will usually pay both states as a foreign entity.