Look up existing companies or check name availability for a new one — 50 states, one search
All 50 states
Every state’s Secretary of State office, current officeholder, official website, and direct link to its business entity search.
| State | Office Title | Current Officeholder | Official Website | Business Entity Search | Est. Entities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama AL | Secretary of State | Wes Allen Rep | www.sos.alabama.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~320,000
0.89% of U.S. total
|
| Alaska AK | Lt. Governor (no SoS office) | Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom ALT | ltgov.alaska.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~100,000
0.28% of U.S. total
|
| Arizona AZ | Secretary of State | Adrian Fontes Dem | azsos.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~700,000
1.94% of U.S. total
|
| Arkansas AR | Secretary of State | Cole Jester Rep | www.sos.arkansas.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~230,000
0.64% of U.S. total
|
| California CA | Secretary of State | Shirley Weber Dem | www.sos.ca.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~5,500,000
15.28% of U.S. total
|
| Colorado CO | Secretary of State | Jena Griswold Dem | www.coloradosos.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~800,000
2.22% of U.S. total
|
| Connecticut CT | Secretary of State | Stephanie Thomas Dem | portal.ct.gov/sots | Business Search ↗ |
~380,000
1.06% of U.S. total
|
| Delaware DE | Secretary of State | Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez Dem | sos.delaware.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~2,100,000
5.83% of U.S. total
|
| Florida FL | Secretary of State | Cord Byrd Rep | dos.fl.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~2,500,000
6.94% of U.S. total
|
| Georgia GA | Secretary of State | Brad Raffensperger Rep | sos.ga.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~1,100,000
3.06% of U.S. total
|
| Hawaii HI | Dept. of Commerce & Consumer Affairs | DCCA (no SoS office) ALT | cca.hawaii.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~130,000
0.36% of U.S. total
|
| Idaho ID | Secretary of State | Phil McGrane Rep | sos.idaho.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~240,000
0.67% of U.S. total
|
| Illinois IL | Secretary of State | Alexi Giannoulias Dem | www.ilsos.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~900,000
2.50% of U.S. total
|
| Indiana IN | Secretary of State | Diego Morales Rep | www.in.gov/sos | Business Search ↗ |
~600,000
1.67% of U.S. total
|
| Iowa IA | Secretary of State | Paul Pate Rep | sos.iowa.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~320,000
0.89% of U.S. total
|
| Kansas KS | Secretary of State | Scott Schwab Rep | www.sos.ks.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~270,000
0.75% of U.S. total
|
| Kentucky KY | Secretary of State | Michael Adams Rep | www.sos.ky.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~420,000
1.17% of U.S. total
|
| Louisiana LA | Secretary of State | Nancy Landry Rep | www.sos.la.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~380,000
1.06% of U.S. total
|
| Maine ME | Secretary of State | Shenna Bellows Dem | www.maine.gov/sos | Business Search ↗ |
~175,000
0.49% of U.S. total
|
| Maryland MD | Secretary of State | Susan Lee Dem | sos.maryland.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~600,000
1.67% of U.S. total
|
| Massachusetts MA | Secretary of the Commonwealth | William Galvin Dem | www.sec.state.ma.us | Business Search ↗ |
~800,000
2.22% of U.S. total
|
| Michigan MI | Secretary of State | Jocelyn Benson Dem | www.michigan.gov/sos | Business Search ↗ |
~900,000
2.50% of U.S. total
|
| Minnesota MN | Secretary of State | Steve Simon Dem | www.sos.state.mn.us | Business Search ↗ |
~560,000
1.56% of U.S. total
|
| Mississippi MS | Secretary of State | Michael Watson Jr. Rep | www.sos.ms.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~180,000
0.50% of U.S. total
|
| Missouri MO | Secretary of State | Denny Hoskins Rep | www.sos.mo.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~530,000
1.47% of U.S. total
|
| Montana MT | Secretary of State | Christi Jacobsen Rep | sosmt.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~135,000
0.38% of U.S. total
|
| Nebraska NE | Secretary of State | Bob Evnen Rep | sos.nebraska.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~220,000
0.61% of U.S. total
|
| Nevada NV | Secretary of State | Cisco Aguilar Dem | nvsos.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~620,000
1.72% of U.S. total
|
| New Hampshire NH | Secretary of State | David Scanlan Rep | www.sos.nh.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~180,000
0.50% of U.S. total
|
| New Jersey NJ | Secretary of State | Dale Caldwell Dem | www.nj.gov/state | Business Search ↗ |
~700,000
1.94% of U.S. total
|
| New Mexico NM | Secretary of State | Maggie Toulouse Oliver Dem | www.sos.nm.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~200,000
0.56% of U.S. total
|
| New York NY | Secretary of State | Walter Mosley Dem | dos.ny.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~2,400,000
6.67% of U.S. total
|
| North Carolina NC | Secretary of State | Elaine Marshall Dem | www.sosnc.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~1,050,000
2.92% of U.S. total
|
| North Dakota ND | Secretary of State | Michael Howe Rep | sos.nd.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~85,000
0.24% of U.S. total
|
| Ohio OH | Secretary of State | Frank LaRose Rep | www.ohiosos.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~900,000
2.50% of U.S. total
|
| Oklahoma OK | Secretary of State | Benjamin Lepak Rep | www.sos.ok.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~350,000
0.97% of U.S. total
|
| Oregon OR | Secretary of State | Tobias Read Dem | sos.oregon.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~450,000
1.25% of U.S. total
|
| Pennsylvania PA | Secretary of the Commonwealth | Al Schmidt Rep | www.pa.gov/agencies/dos | Business Search ↗ |
~1,200,000
3.33% of U.S. total
|
| Rhode Island RI | Secretary of State | Gregg Amore Dem | www.sos.ri.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~130,000
0.36% of U.S. total
|
| South Carolina SC | Secretary of State | Mark Hammond Rep | sos.sc.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~430,000
1.19% of U.S. total
|
| South Dakota SD | Secretary of State | Monae Johnson Rep | sdsos.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~100,000
0.28% of U.S. total
|
| Tennessee TN | Secretary of State | Tre Hargett Rep | sos.tn.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~750,000
2.08% of U.S. total
|
| Texas TX | Secretary of State | Robert Howden Rep | www.sos.state.tx.us | Business Search ↗ |
~2,930,000
8.14% of U.S. total
|
| Utah UT | Lieutenant Governor (no SoS office) | Deidre Henderson Rep | corporations.utah.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~400,000
1.11% of U.S. total
|
| Vermont VT | Secretary of State | Sarah Copeland Hanzas Dem | sos.vermont.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~90,000
0.25% of U.S. total
|
| Virginia VA | Secretary of the Commonwealth | Kay Coles James Rep | www.commonwealth.virginia.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~900,000
2.50% of U.S. total
|
| Washington WA | Secretary of State | Steve Hobbs Dem | www.sos.wa.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~900,000
2.50% of U.S. total
|
| West Virginia WV | Secretary of State | Mac Warner Rep | sos.wv.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~200,000
0.56% of U.S. total
|
| Wisconsin WI | Secretary of State | Douglas La Follette Dem | www.sos.wi.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~600,000
1.67% of U.S. total
|
| Wyoming WY | Secretary of State | Chuck Gray Rep | sos.wyo.gov | Business Search ↗ |
~100,000
0.28% of U.S. total
|
By the numbers
Before you can form an LLC, the state must confirm your name is unique. Here's the landscape.
The U.S. adds roughly 5.5 million new business applications annually, with LLCs accounting for the majority.
There are over 36 million registered business entities across all 50 states and DC.
Each state maintains its own Secretary of State filing system. A name available in Texas may be taken in Florida.
Most states process LLC filings within 1–5 business days when filed online.
Formation trends
New business applications have surged since 2020, driven by remote work, e-commerce, and gig economy growth.
What the Secretary of State does
While no two states have identical SoS duties, most offices share these core business registration functions.
Accepts and processes LLC, Corporation, LLP, and Nonprofit filings. Maintains the official public record for all entities.
Maintains a searchable database of all registered business names. Your name must be distinguishable from all existing entities in that state.
Requires most entities to file annual or biennial reports to confirm continued good standing and update officer/agent information.
Every LLC must maintain a registered agent in the state — a person or service authorized to receive legal documents on behalf of the company.
Step-by-step guide
Most states provide a free online search tool, but searching across all 50 states individually is tedious. Here's the smarter approach.
Type your proposed name in the search bar. You don't need to include "LLC" — we search for exact and similar matches automatically.
If you know where you're filing, select your state to check availability there specifically. Leave on "All States" to see nationwide matches.
We pull data directly from official SoS records. If a match is found, you'll see the registered entity's details. If not, the name is likely available.
Once you've confirmed availability, click "Start Filing" to begin your LLC formation. The process takes as little as 10 minutes.
A name is generally available if it is:
Even if a name is available with the state, check the USPTO trademark database to ensure you're not infringing on an existing brand. Our full business report includes trademark data.
Ready to file?
Once you've confirmed your name is available, our filing partner handles everything — articles of organization, registered agent, and EIN.
Start your LLC today. Our filing partner Northwest Registered Agent handles the paperwork in all 50 states.
Start Filing →Need to verify a business before partnering or transacting? Search our full database of 36M+ entities.
Search Entities →Helpful resources
Understand the key differences between an LLC and a corporation — tax treatment, liability, and management structure.
IRS LLC Guide →Every state charges a different fee to form an LLC. Delaware charges $90; California charges $70 plus an $800 annual franchise tax.
SBA Business Guide →Every LLC needs a registered agent — a person or company authorized to receive legal documents in the state of formation.
Learn About Registered Agents →After confirming state name availability, search the USPTO database to ensure your brand isn't already trademarked federally.
USPTO Trademark Search →Secretary of State filings, court records, officers and employees, trademarks, and patents.
Each report covers six major categories of public records.
Pulled directly from each state's official Secretary of State, this section is the source-of-record. Verify the legal name, see who the registered agent is, find the filing number, and confirm formation date and jurisdiction.
Bankruptcies, tax liens, civil judgments, and federal dockets pulled from court systems nationwide.
Every officer and director on file with the state. Names, titles, addresses, dates of service, and any other entities they're affiliated with.
Trademarks tell you what brands a business owns and protects. See registered marks, USPTO classes, filing and registration dates, and current status.
Pulled from USPTO data. Patent numbers, titles, filing and grant dates, and inventors. Indispensable for technology due diligence and competitive landscape research.
Each state has its own filing system. Click a state to start a search there or learn more about its public records.
Searching is free, see how many entities match before you pay. Single reports start at $29 (one-time, no subscription), or start a 7-day trial for unlimited reports.
Start a free search