How To Do A Free Business Name Search

Alabama Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Alabama:

1. Visit: http://arc-sos.state.al.us/CGI/CORPNAME.MBR/INPUT
2. Enter your business name in the search box. For the broadest match, skip the place of formation and city, and choose “all records” and “exists” for type and status.
3. Click “Search.”

The result is a list of companies that use the business name or keyword you entered as all or part of their business name in Alabama. Note that Alabama is the only state in the US that requires a name reservation before registering your business.

Corporation Forms:
https://www.sos.alabama.gov/business-entities/business-downloads/#bdCategory-2865

LLC Forms:
https://www.sos.alabama.gov/business-entities/business-downloads/#bdCategory-2867

Filing Fees:
https://www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/form-files/sosFeeSchedule.pdf

Department of Revenue:
https://revenue.alabama.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://revenue.alabama.gov/business-license/business-licensing/

Alaska Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Alaska:

1. Visit: https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/main/search/entities
2. Click “I’m not a robot.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
4. Choose either “Starts With” or “Contains” and click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Alaska with business names that match your search criteria. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s in good standing, dissolved, or if the name has expired.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/Corporations/CorpFormsFees/FormsbyEntity.aspx

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/corporations/corpformsfees.aspx#

Department of Revenue:
http://www.revenue.state.ak.us/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/professionallicensing.aspx

Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing:
https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/

Arizona Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Arizona:

1. Visit: https://ecorp.azcc.gov/EntitySearch/Index
2. Choose your “Search Type” (“Starts With,” “Contains,” or “Exact Match”)
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
4. Narrow down your search by filter if needed (if your search produces more than 500 results, the system will require you to narrow your search).
5. Click “Search” to see a list of companies that use the terms you entered in their business name in Arizona. Or, click “Name Availability Check” for a yes or no on if the name’s available.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.azcc.gov/corporations/forms

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.azcc.gov/corporations/fee-and-payment-info

Department of Revenue:
https://azdor.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://azdor.gov/transaction-privilege-tax/tpt-license/license-fees-cancellation-and-other-changes

Arkansas Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Arkansas:

1. Visit: http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/corps/search_all.php
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Name” box. There are additional choices and boxes, but they are designed to help you find a specific business—not determine the availability of your business name.
3. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Arkansas that use the terms you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each company, such as whether it’s in good standing, dissolved, or revoked.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.ark.org/sos/ofs/docs/index.php

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/business-commercial-services-bcs/forms-fees

Department of Revenue:
https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.labor.arkansas.gov/licensing/

California Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in California:

1. Visit: https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/search/business
2. Scroll down and enter all or part of your business name in the Search bar.
3. Click the down arrow for Advanced Search.
4. Filter by keyword, exact match, or “begins with.”
5. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the corporations or LPs/LLCs in California that use the business name or keyword you entered. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s active or dissolved. The state notes that this search is only preliminary and not formal. A formal name availability check requires businesses to submit a free paper form, the Name Availability Inquiry Letter.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/forms/

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/forms/

Department of Revenue:
https://www.ftb.ca.gov/?WT.mc_id=akHome

Department of Licensing:
http://www.calgold.ca.gov/

Colorado Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Colorado:

1. Visit: https://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/BusinessEntityCriteriaExt.do?resetTransTyp=Y
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the search box.
3. Click “Search.”

If your search produces too many results, you’ll have to refine your search by adding or changing the words in the search box. In the results, you’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Colorado that use the terms you entered in their name. You’ll also see the status of each company, such as whether or not it’s in good standing.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/business/forms_main.html

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/info_center/fees/business.html

Department of Revenue:
https://www.colorado.gov/revenue

Department of Professions and Occupations:
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/dpo

Connecticut Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Connecticut:

1. Visit: https://service.ct.gov/business/s/onlinebusinesssearch?language=en_US
2. Enter all or part of your business name next to “Search by Name:”
3. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Connecticut that use the terms you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s in active or withdrawn.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://business.ct.gov/manage/all-business-filings?language=en_US

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://business.ct.gov/-/media/BusinessOneStop/Fee-Schedule-Revised-712020.pdf

Department of Revenue:
https://portal.ct.gov/drs

Department of Licensing:
https://portal.ct.gov/DCP/Agency-Administration/Division-Home-Pages/Occupational–Professional-Licensing-Division

Delaware Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Delaware:

1. Visit: https://icis.corp.delaware.gov/Ecorp/EntitySearch/NameSearch.aspx
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
3. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Delaware that contain the terms you entered in their business name.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://corp.delaware.gov/formsentitytype09/

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://corp.delaware.gov/fee/

Department of Revenue:
https://revenue.delaware.gov/

Division of Professional Regulation:
https://dpr.delaware.gov/

District Of Columbia Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Washington DC:

The DLCP requires users to create a free account to do an entity search. To make an account:

1. Visit: https://corponline.dlcp.dc.gov/Home.aspx/Landing
2. Click “Register for a CorpOnline Account here.”
3. Enter a username, email, password, first and last name, and address.
4. Click “Register” to create your account.

After logging into your account:

1. Choose “Business Filings Search”
2. Enter all or part of your business name (narrow your search by entering information in the other fields if desired).
3. Click “Search.”

The search produces a list of all the registered businesses in the District of Columbia that use the terms you entered in their business name.

Corporation Forms and Fees:
https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1622241

LLC Forms and Fees:
https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1622226

Department of Revenue:
https://otr.cfo.dc.gov/

Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP):
https://dlcp.dc.gov/

Florida Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Florida:

1. Visit: http://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByName
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
3. Click “Search Now.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Florida that use the terms you entered in their business names.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/forms/

 LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/forms/

Department of Revenue:
https://floridarevenue.com/pages/default.aspx

Department of Licensing:
http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/

Georgia Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Georgia:

1. Visit: https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov/BusinessSearch
2. Select “Starts With,” “Contains” or “Exact Match.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
4. Click “Search.”

The search will produce a list of all the registered businesses in Georgia that use the business name or keywords you entered.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://sos.ga.gov/page/georgia-business-forms

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://sos.ga.gov/sites/default/files/forms/Reference%20-%20Corporations%20Division%20Filing%20Fees.pdf

Department of Revenue:
https://dor.georgia.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://sos.ga.gov/licensing-division-georgia-secretary-states-office

Hawaii Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Hawaii:

1. Visit: https://hbe.ehawaii.gov/documents/search.html;jsessionid=A7A9C8ACF3C11D38CBDFB10D71AE659F.app4
2. Select “Begins with” or “Contains.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
4. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Hawaii that use the business name or keywords you entered. You’ll also see the status of each company, such as whether it’s active or dissolved.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
http://cca.hawaii.gov/breg/registration/

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://cca.hawaii.gov/breg/files/2021/04/Form-Fee-Schedule-04-2021.pdf

Department of Revenue:
http://tax.hawaii.gov/

Department of Licensing:
http://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/

Idaho Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Idaho:

1. Visit: https://sosbiz.idaho.gov/search/business
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Search” box.

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Idaho that use the terms you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s in good standing or dissolved.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://sosbiz.idaho.gov/forms/business

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://sosbiz.idaho.gov/forms/business

Department of Revenue:
https://tax.idaho.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://dopl.idaho.gov/

Illinois Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Illinois:

1. Visit: http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/
2. Select “Corporate and LLC” and click “Submit.”
3. Choose to search by name, keyword or partial word.
4. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Search” box and click “Continue.”

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/business_services/dfc.html

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/business_services/llc.html

Department of Revenue:
https://www2.illinois.gov/rev/Pages/default.aspx

Department of Licensing:
https://www2.illinois.gov/business

Indiana Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Indiana:

1. Visit: https://bsd.sos.in.gov/publicbusinesssearch
2. Click “I’m not a robot.”
3. Choose “Contains,” “Starts With” or “Exact Match.”
4. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
5. Click “Search.”

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.in.gov/sos/business/division-forms/business-forms/

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://inbiz.in.gov/Inbiz/FeeCalculator/Index

Department of Revenue:
https://www.in.gov/dor/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.in.gov/pla/

Iowa Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Iowa:

1. Visit: https://sos.iowa.gov/search/business/search.aspx
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
3. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Iowa that use the words you entered in their business name.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sos.iowa.gov/business/FormsAndFees.html#DLLC489

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sos.iowa.gov/business/FormsAndFees.html#DPC490

Department of Revenue:
https://tax.iowa.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://plb.iowa.gov/

Kansas Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Kansas:

1. Visit: https://www.kansas.gov/bess/flow/main?execution=e1s3
2. Click “Name Availability.”
3. Enter your exact business name in the search box.

You’ll see whether or not the name is available. If you want to see businesses with similar names, choose “Business Entity Database” instead of “Name Availability” and search by keyword.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sos.ks.gov/forms/forms_results.aspx?division=BS&orderby=type

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sos.ks.gov/forms/forms_results.aspx?division=BS&orderby=type

Department of Revenue:
https://www.ksrevenue.org/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.kansascommerce.gov/

Kentucky Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Kentucky:

1. Visit: https://app.sos.ky.gov/ftsearch/
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the search box.
3. Click “Continue.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Kentucky that use the words you entered in their business name.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.sos.ky.gov/bus/Forms/Pages/default.aspx

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/Pages/Fees.aspx

Department of Revenue:
https://revenue.ky.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://dpl.ky.gov/

Louisiana Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Louisiana:

1. Visit: https://coraweb.sos.la.gov/CommercialSearch/CommercialSearch.aspx
2. Select “Search by Entity Name.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
4. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Louisiana with the words you entered in their business name. The system will return a maximum of 250 results, so you may need to narrow your search by adding or changing words.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://www.sos.la.gov/BusinessServices/FileBusinessDocuments/GetFormsAndFeeSchedule/

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://www.sos.la.gov/BusinessServices/FileBusinessDocuments/GetFormsAndFeeSchedule/

Department of Revenue:
https://revenue.louisiana.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.sos.la.gov/BusinessServices/

Maine Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Maine:

1. Visit: https://icrs.informe.org/nei-sos-icrs/ICRS?MainPage=x
2. Enter the business name in the box labeled “keyword from name to be searched.”
3. Click “Click Here to Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Maine with that keyword in their business name. The system will return a maximum of 100 results, so you may need to narrow your search by adding or changing words.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/corp/llc.html

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/corp/corp.html

Department of Revenue:
https://www.maine.gov/revenue/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.maine.gov/portal/business/professions.html

Maryland Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Maryland:

1. Visit: https://egov.maryland.gov/businessexpress/entitysearch
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
3. Select “Search by Business Name.”
4. Click “Search.”

The registered businesses in Maryland that use the words you entered in their business name will appear.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://dat.maryland.gov/Pages/sdatforms.aspx

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Documents/FEES.pdf

Department of Revenue:
https://dat.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Department of Licensing:
https://jportal.mdcourts.gov/license/pbIndex.jsp?ac=y

Massachusetts Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Massachusetts:

1. Visit: http://corp.sec.state.ma.us/corpweb/corpsearch/CorpSearch.aspx
2. Select “Search by entity name.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the box.
4. Select “Begins with,” “Exact match,” “Full text” or “Soundex” (a phonetic code that allows you to search for similar sounding words).
5. Click “Search corporations.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Massachusetts that use the terms you entered in their business name.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/cor/corpweb/cordom/dominf.htm

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/cor/corpweb/corllc/llcinf.htm

Department of Revenue:
https://www.mass.gov/?pageID=dorhomepage

Department of Licensing:
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-professional-licensure

Michigan Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Michigan:

1. Visit: https://cofs.lara.state.mi.us/corpweb/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspx
2. Choose “Search by Entity Name.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
4. Select “Begins with,” “Exact match,” “Full text” or “Soundex” (a phonetic code that allows you to search for similar sounding words).

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Michigan that use the words you entered in their business name.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/forms/limited-liability-company-forms

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/forms/corporation-forms

Department of Revenue:
https://www.michigan.gov/treasury

Department of Licensing:
https://www.michigan.gov/lara/

Minnesota Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Minnesota:

1. Visit: http://da.sos.state.mn.us/minnesota/corp_inquiry
2. Select “Business Name or File Number.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the search box, and click “Search.”

Below the search box, a list will appear with the registered businesses in Minnesota that use the words you entered in their business name.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.sos.state.mn.us/business-liens/business-forms-fees/

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.sos.state.mn.us/business-liens/start-a-business/business-filing-certification-fee-schedule/

Department of Revenue:
https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/minnesota-department-revenue

Department of Licensing:
https://secure.doli.state.mn.us/license/intro.aspx

Mississippi Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Mississippi:

1. Visit: https://corp.sos.ms.gov/corp/portal/c/page/corpBusinessIdSearch/portal.aspx?#clear=1
2. Select “Starting With,” “All Words,” “Any Words,” “Sounds Like,” or “Exact Match.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
4. Click “Search.”

Under the search box will appear a list of names of Mississippi businesses that match the name and search criteria you entered. You’ll also see the status of each company, such as whether it’s in good standing or dissolved.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://corp.sos.ms.gov/corp/portal/c/page/corpNewFilings/portal.aspx

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.sos.ms.gov/content/documents/Business/FeeSchedule.pdf

Department of Revenue:
https://www.dor.ms.gov

Department of Regulation:
https://www.sos.ms.gov/index.php/regulation-enforcement

Missouri Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Missouri:

1. Visit: https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/BusinessEntity/BESearch.aspx?SearchType=0
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
3. Select “Starting With,” “All Words,” “Any Words,” or “Exact Match” (you can narrow your search down to active businesses by ticking the “Only Active Corporations” box.
4. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Missouri that match your search criteria.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.sos.mo.gov/business/corporations/forms#gen

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Business/ScheduleofCorporationfeesandcharges.pdf

Department of Revenue:
https://dor.mo.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://pr.mo.gov

Montana Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Montana:

1. Visit: https://biz.sosmt.gov/search/business
2. Click “Search Name Availability.”
3. Choose either “Starts With” or “Contains.”
4. Enter all or part of your business name in the box and click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Montana that use the words you entered in their business name.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://biz.sosmt.gov/forms/business

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://sosmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/business_filing_fees.pdf

Department of Revenue:
https://mtrevenue.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://mtrevenue.gov/licenses/

Nebraska Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Nebraska:

1. Visit: https://www.nebraska.gov/sos/corp/corpsearch.cgi?nav=search
2. Select one of the following search options: “Name Starts With,” “Name Keyword Search,” “Name Sounds Like,” “Name Exact Match.” (You can also search by account number, but this is for looking for a specific business, not name availability.)
3. Enter your business name or keyword in the “Name” box.
4. Click “I’m not a robot.”
5. Click “Perform Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Nebraska that use the terms you entered in their business name.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sos.nebraska.gov/business-services/forms-and-fee-information

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sos.nebraska.gov/business-services/forms-and-fee-information

Department of Revenue:
http://www.revenue.nebraska.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://sos.nebraska.gov/licensing/licensing-division

Nevada Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Nevada:

1. Visit: https://esos.nv.gov/EntitySearch/OnlineEntitySearch
2. Choose “Starts With,” “Contains,” “Exact Match,” or “All Words.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Name” box. If your search returns more than 500 results, you’ll need to narrow your search by adding to or changing your name.
4. Click “Search.”

The system will return a list of all the registered businesses in Nevada that use the terms you entered in their business name.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/businesses/commercial-recordings/forms-fees/all-business-forms

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/businesses/commercial-recordings/forms-fees

Department of Revenue:
https://tax.nv.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/licensing

New Hampshire Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in New Hampshire:

1. Visit: https://quickstart.sos.nh.gov/online/BusinessInquire
2. Select “Starts With,” “Exact Match,” “Contains,” or “All Words.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box. It may be useful to also tick the box that says “Show me similar sounding business names.”
4. Complete the reCAPTCHA and click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in New Hampshire that use the words you entered as part of their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s in good standing or dissolved.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sos.nh.gov/corporation-ucc-securities/corporation/forms-and-fees/domestic-and-foreign-limited-liability-company/domestic-forms/

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sos.nh.gov/corporation-ucc-securities/corporation/forms-and-fees/domestic-and-foreign-corporation/domestic-forms/

Department of Revenue:
https://www.revenue.nh.gov/businesses/index.htm

Department of Licensing:
https://www.revenue.nh.gov/faq/new-business-tax.htm

New Jersey Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in New Jersey:

1. Visit: https://www.njportal.com/DOR/businessrecords/EntityDocs/BusinessCopies.aspx
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
3. Click “Continue.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in New Jersey that use the terms you entered in their business name.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/revenue/gettingregistered.shtml

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/revenue/gettingregistered.shtml

Department of Revenue:
https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.state.nj.us/LCI/licguid.html

New Mexico Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in New Mexico:

1. Visit: https://portal.sos.state.nm.us/BFS/online/CorporationBusinessSearch
2. Select “Start With,” “Exact Match,” or “Contains.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name/DBA Name” box.
4. Click “I’m not a robot.”
5. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in New Mexico, divided into two sections: Corporations/LLCs and Partnerships/LLPs. Each search result is a business that uses the term you entered in their business name.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://www.sos.state.nm.us/business-services/business-maintenance/domestic-limited-liability-company/

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://www.sos.state.nm.us/business-services/start-a-business/domestic-nm-profit-corporation/

Department of Revenue:
http://www.tax.newmexico.gov/

Department of Licensing:
http://www.rld.state.nm.us/

New York Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in New York:

1. Visit: https://apps.dos.ny.gov/publicInquiry/
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
3. Select either “Active Only” businesses or “All” businesses.
4. Choose “Begins With,” “Contains” or “Partial.”
5. Complete the reCAPTCHA by typing the words or numbers you see in the image.
6. Click “Search the Database.”

The system will produce a list of the registered businesses in New York that have the word or words you entered as all or part of their name.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://dos.ny.gov/form-corporation-or-business

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://dos.ny.gov/fee-schedules

Department of Revenue:
https://www.tax.ny.gov/bus/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/

North Carolina Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in North Carolina:

1. Visit: https://www.sosnc.gov/search/index/corp
2. Under “Search By,” select “Company.
3. Choose “Starting With,” “Any Words,” “All Words,” or “Exact.” There’s also an option to search by Secretary of State ID, but this is for finding specific businesses, not available names.
4. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Search For” box.
5. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in North Carolina that use the terms you entered as all or part of their business name.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.sosnc.gov/Guides/launching_a_business/preparing_the_document_and_attachments

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.sosnc.gov/fees/by_title/_Business_Registration_Business_corporations

Department of Revenue:
https://www.ncdor.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.sosnc.gov/Guides/launching_a_business/license_permit

North Dakota Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in North Dakota:

1. Visit: https://firststop.sos.nd.gov/search/business
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
3. Choose you search criteria from the drop-down, deciding whether you want results with all of, any of, some of, or beginning with the words in your name.
4. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of the registered businesses in North Dakota that use all or part of the words you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s active and in good standing.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sos.nd.gov/business/business-services/business-structures/limited-liability-companies/limited-liability-company-llc.html

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sos.nd.gov/business/business-services/business-structures/corporations/general-business-corporation.html

Department of Revenue:
https://www.nd.gov/tax/

Department of Licensing:
http://www.nd.gov/businessreg/license/index.html

Ohio Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Ohio:

1. Visit: https://businesssearch.ohiosos.gov/
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
3. Choose whether you want the results to include all businesses with your search term in their name or just active, canceled or “dead” businesses.
4. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of the registered businesses in Ohio that use the terms you entered in their business name.

LLC and Corporation Forms and Fees:
https://www.sos.state.oh.us/businesses/filing-forms–fee-schedule/

Department of Revenue:
https://www.tax.ohio.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.okcommerce.gov/doing-business/startups-entrepreneurs/business-licensing-operating-requirements/

Oklahoma Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Oklahoma:

1. Visit: https://www.sos.ok.gov/corp/corpInquiryFind.aspx
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
3. Click “Search.”

Below will appear a list of registered businesses in Oklahoma that use the words you entered in their business name, as well as whether it’s the company’s legal name or trade name.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://www.sos.ok.gov/business/forms.aspx

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://www.sos.ok.gov/business/forms.aspx

Department of Revenue:
https://www.ok.gov/tax/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.ok.gov/portal/section.php?sec_id=19

Oregon Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Oregon:

1. Visit: https://sos.oregon.gov/business/pages/find.aspx
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the search box.
3. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of the registered businesses in Oregon that use the words you entered in their business name. You’ll also see whether the company is active or inactive.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/forms.aspx

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/forms.aspx

Department of Revenue:
https://www.oregon.gov/DOR/

Department of Licensing:
https://apps.oregon.gov/SOS/LicenseDirectory/

Pennsylvania Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Pennsylvania:

1. Visit: https://www.corporations.pa.gov/Search/CorpSearch
2. Enter part of all of your business name in the “Business Entity Name/ID” box.
3. Choose your type of search from the drop-down (“starting with,” “all words,” “any words,” etc.).
4. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of the registered businesses in Pennsylvania that use the words you entered in their business name.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.dos.pa.gov/BusinessCharities/Business/RegistrationForms/Pages/default.aspx

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.dos.pa.gov/BusinessCharities/Business/Resources/Pages/Fees-and-Payments.aspx

Department of Revenue:
https://www.revenue.pa.gov

Department of Licensing:
https://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/LicensingServices/Pages/default.aspx

Rhode Island Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Rhode Island:

1. Visit: business.sos.ri.gov/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspx
2. Select “Search by entity name.”
3. Enter part of all your business name in the “Enter Name” box.
4. Select your search type: “begins with,” “exact match,” “full text,” “Soundex” or “inactive.” (Soundex is a phonetic algorithim.)
5. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of the registered businesses in Rhode Island that use all or part of the business name you entered.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://docs.sos.ri.gov/DocumentLibrarySearch

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://docs.sos.ri.gov/DocumentLibrarySearch

Department of Revenue:
http://www.tax.ri.gov/

Department of Licensing:
http://www.dbr.ri.gov/

South Carolina Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in South Carolina:

1. Visit: https://businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Entity/Search
2. Select “Begins with,” “Contains” or “Exact Match.”
3. Enter part of all of your business name in the “Search by Business Name” box.
4. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in South Carolina that use the words you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business (such as whether it’s in good standing or dissolved), the type of entity, and their date and state of incorporation.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Home/DownloadForms?pdfCategoryId=1&category=Starting%20a%20Business%20in%20South%20Carolina

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Home/DownloadForms?pdfCategoryId=1&category=Starting%20a%20Business%20in%20South%20Carolina

Department of Revenue:
https://dor.sc.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://llr.sc.gov/

South Dakota Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in South Dakota:

1. Visit: https://sosenterprise.sd.gov/BusinessServices/Business/FilingSearch.aspx
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Search Name” box.
3. Choose either “Starts With” or “Contains” and click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in South Dakota that use the words you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s in good standing or dissolved.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sdsos.gov/business-services/corporations/corporate-forms/default.aspx

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sdsos.gov/general-information/filing-fees.aspx#corporations

Department of Revenue:
http://dor.sd.gov/

Department of Public Safety:
https://dps.sd.gov/

Tennessee Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Tennessee:

1. Visit: http://tnbear.tn.gov/Ecommerce/FilingSearch.aspx
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Search Name” box.
3. Choose either “Starts With” or “Contains.”
4. Click “I’m not a robot.”
5. Click “Search.”

Below, you’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Tennessee that use the terms you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s in active or inactive.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sos.tn.gov/businesses/forms-and-fees

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sos.tn.gov/businesses/forms-and-fees

Department of Revenue:
https://www.tn.gov/revenue/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.tn.gov/commerce/licensing-regulations.html

Texas Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Texas:

To conduct a search through the Texas Secretary of State, you’re required to first make an SOSDirect Account or use a temporary login. With either method, you are charged $1 per name search. Although not as thorough, some people opt to do a taxable entity search through the Texas Comptroller, which is free. Both methods are described below.

Secretary of State

1. Visit https://direct.sos.state.tx.us/acct/acct-subscribe.asp to create an account or https://direct.sos.state.tx.us/acct/acct-templogin.asp for a one-time temporary login (both require contact info and credit card information).
2. Enter your business name and click “Continue.” to
3. Enter your address, phone number, email (and password if creating an account).
4. Enter credit card information—note that your card will automatically be charged $1 to authenticate it, but this $1 will be refunded within 24 hours.
5. Accept the user agreement. For accounts, you will be emailed your user ID, at which point you can go to http://www.sos.state.tx.us/, and click on the “SoSDirect” icon, and enter your user name and password. You’ll then see another page where you can choose your payment method and verify contact information.
6. Select “Name Availability Search.” Each search is $1. This fee is waived if you order any filings. The search will let you know if your name is used by any business on file with the Secretary of State.

Comptroller

1. Visit: https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Entity Name” box.
3. Click “I’m not a robot” and “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the taxable entities in Texas (such as domestic or foreign corporations, LLCs or LPs) that use the words you entered in their business name. If you receive too many results, you’ll have to narrow your search by adding or changing words.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms_boc.shtml

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://direct.sos.state.tx.us/help/help-corp.asp?pg=fee

Department of Revenue:
https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/

Utah Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Utah:

1. Visit: https://secure.utah.gov/bes/action/index
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
3. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Utah that use the words you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s active or expired.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://corporations.utah.gov/business/lc.html

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://corporations.utah.gov/business/dp.html

Department of Revenue:
https://tax.utah.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://dopl.utah.gov/

Vermont Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Vermont:

1. Visit: https://www.vtsosonline.com/online/BusinessInquire/
2. Select “Starts With,” “Exact Match,” or “Contains.”
3. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box. You can also tick the box that says “show me similar sounding business names.”
4. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Vermont that have business names that match your search criteria. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s active, inactive, expired, dissolved, or terminated.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/fees/#tllc

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/fees/

Department of Revenue:
https://tax.vermont.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.vermont.gov/work

Virginia Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Virginia:

1. Visit: https://cis.scc.virginia.gov/EntitySearch/Index
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the box next to “Enter Business Entity Name or SCC ID.”
3. Select “Keyword,” “Starts With,” or “Contains” and click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Virginia that use the words you entered in their business name. For just a yes or no on whether a name is distinguishable in the state, visit https://sccefile.scc.virginia.gov/NameAvailability, enter your exact name in the box, and click “Check Name.”

LLC Fees and Forms:
http://www.scc.virginia.gov/clk/formfee.aspx

Corporation Fees and Forms:
http://www.scc.virginia.gov/clk/formfee.aspx

Department of Revenue:
https://www.tax.virginia.gov/

Department of Licensing:
http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/

Washington Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Washington:

1. Visit: https://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/corps_search.asp
2. Scroll down past the customer login to the box that says “Corporation Search.”
3. Select “Contains,” “Begins With,” or “Exact Match” for your search term.
4. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Business Name” box.
5. Click “Search.”

On a new screen, you’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Washington that use the terms your entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s active, inactive or dissolved.

LLC and Corporations Forms:
https://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/forms.aspx

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/feescheduleexpeditedservice.aspx

Department of Revenue:
https://dor.wa.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://www.dol.wa.gov/

West Virginia Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in West Virginia:

1. Visit: http://apps.sos.wv.gov/business
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Organization” box.
3. Click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in West Virginia that use the keywords you entered in their business name. You can organize the results by organization name, DBA, name change, and registrations and reservations.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://sos.wv.gov/Forms/Pages/Search-Results.aspx?Title=articles%20of%20incorporation&FormNumber=&FormCategory=Business%20and%20Licensing

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://sos.wv.gov/FormSearch/Business/FeeSchedule/feeschedule.pdf

Department of Revenue:
https://revenue.wv.gov

Department of Licensing:
https://sos.wv.gov/

Wisconsin Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Wisconsin:

1. Visit: http://www.wdfi.org/apps/CorpSearch/Search.aspx?
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the search box.
3. Click “Search Records.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Wisconsin that use the words you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each company, such as whether it’s organized, incorporated, withdrawn or dissolved.

LLC Fees and Forms:
https://www.wdfi.org/corporations/forms/corp183forms.htm

Corporation Fees and Forms:
https://www.wdfi.org/corporations/forms/corp180forms.htm

Department of Revenue:
https://www.revenue.wi.gov/

Department of Licensing:
https://licensesearch.wi.gov/

Wyoming Business Name Search

How to do a business name search in Wyoming:

1. Visit: https://wyobiz.wyo.gov/Business/FilingSearch.aspx
2. Enter all or part of your business name in the “Filing Name” box.
3. Choose either “Starts With” or “Contains, and click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of all the registered businesses in Wyoming that use the keywords you entered in their business name. You’ll also see the status of each business, such as whether it’s active or inactive.

LLC and Corporation Forms:
https://sos.wyo.gov/forms/default.aspx?root=Business

LLC and Corporation Fees:
https://sos.wyo.gov/Business/docs/BusinessFees.pdf

Department of Revenue:
http://revenue.wyo.gov/

Trade and Service Mark Search

Perform a USPTO trademark or service mark search:

1. Visit: http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp
2. Find “Search trademark database” and click “Search TESS.”
3. Click “Basic Word Mark Search (New User).
4. For your search term, choose “plural and singular” or just “singular.”
5. Also choose whether to search for “live and dead,” “live,” or “dead” marks.
6. Enter your potential mark in the box next to “Search Term.”
7. Select “Combined Word Mark” for “Field,” unless your searching for a specific owner or ID number.
8. Select whether your results should include all, any or exact search terms.
9. Click “Submit.”

For instance, if you enter “Northwest Registered” as your search term, you’ll find our live service mark for Northwest Registered Agent LLC.

The site notes that even if your search suggests your potential mark has no “likelihood of confusion” with others, this is not a guarantee that your application will be approved by the USPTO. Also, not every trademark is registered with the USPTO, so many businesses opt to consult a trademark attorney for additional assistance.