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In Connecticut, the Secretary of the State (often shortened to SOTS) keeps the business register through its Business Services Division. Filings and lookups moved to Business.CT.gov, and the lookup tool there is called Search for a Business. Looking up a company is free. You can search by business name or Business ID, and an advanced search adds city, principal and agent. Many people search for a "Connecticut secretary of state business search". Here the office is called the Secretary of the State, and its Business Services Division is the right place to look.
Connecticut LLC and corporation search on Business.CT.gov
The Business Services page gives one clear tip: enter the exact spelling of the name, or use the Business ID. The ID is the stable choice, because a name can be misspelled or changed. In the state's open data the same number appears as the AccountNumber, described as a unique Business ID.
The advanced search is where Connecticut stands out. The Bulk Data and Images page says it can search by business name, city, principal and agent, then filter and export the results. Exports stop at 1,000 rows. For anything bigger, use the free datasets described at the end of this guide.
Filing is a different matter: you need a Business.CT.gov account before you can file anything online. If you want to trace owners or managers, our business owner lookup guide shows how a principal search fits into a wider check.
Reading a Connecticut record
Open a result and you reach the Business Inquiry screen. It shows when the last annual report was filed and when the next one is due, which makes it a quick standing check.
The registry uses its own set of status words. The most common are Active, Forfeited, Dissolved, Withdrawn, Revoked, Cancelled and Merged. Some records also carry a sub-status, such as Annual report past due or Admin Dissolution Initiated, which tells you a company is falling behind before its main status changes. Business.CT.gov also has a help page for owners who received a Notice of Intent to Dissolve or Revoke. See our business entity status guide for what each kind of status means in practice.
LLC names and reservations in Connecticut
Conn. Gen. Stat. 34-243k requires an LLC name to contain "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "LLC". Limited may be shortened to Ltd. and company to Co. The name must be distinguishable on the records of the Secretary of the State from existing entities, registered names and reserved names. When names are compared, words that only show the entity type, such as corporation, Inc., Limited or LLP, are not taken into account. So adding or swapping an ending will not make a taken name available. Corporation names need corporation, incorporated, company or limited, or Corp., Inc., Co. or Ltd.
A name reservation costs $60. Under section 34-243l it holds the name for your exclusive use for 120 days, and the reservation form counts the filing date as day one. Our name reservation guide explains when a hold is worth paying for.
Annual reports and proof of standing
Every Connecticut LLC files an annual report online between January 1 and March 31. It costs $80. A stock corporation's annual report costs $150 and a nonstock corporation's costs $50, per the annual report fees page. The Business Inquiry screen shows each company's next due date.
The cost of falling behind shows up later: an LLC that has been dissolved pays $120 for a Certificate of Reinstatement. Stock corporations pay a minimum franchise tax, which is included in the $250 certificate of incorporation fee when up to 20,000 shares are authorized.
To prove standing, order a Certificate of Existence. For an LLC the express or short form costs $50, and the long form costs $100 and cannot be expedited. Plain copies cost $40 and certified copies $55 per document. Expedited service is $50 per transaction and only works for filings made through Business.CT.gov. Setup costs from the fee schedule are $120 for an LLC and $120 for a foreign LLC registration. Our certificate of good standing guide covers when you will be asked for one.
Free bulk data
The Secretary of the State no longer charges for the registry extract. It is published on data.ct.gov as five datasets: Business Master, Agent Details, Principal Details, Business Filing Details and Business Name Change History. They are updated nightly, and the Business Master dataset is marked Public Domain.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Connecticut and the Connecticut registered agent rules.
DBA and assumed names in Connecticut
Connecticut calls a DBA a trade name, and you file it with a town clerk, not with the Secretary of the State. File in one town only. For a person, use the town of the trade name address. For a business organization formed with the Secretary of the State, use that town or the town of its principal place of business. The fee is $20, payable to the town clerk.
The forms must be hand signed and notarized by the town clerk or another notary. A business organization must be active and current on its annual reports before it can file a trade name.
Trade names now expire five years after filing unless renewed. Older filings have a fixed expiry date, which the state sets in its town clerk instructions. The state is also building a statewide Connecticut Trade Name Registry that the public can search on business.ct.gov, and it is bringing towns onto it in phases. Until your town is on it, ask the town clerk.
A trade name is only public notice. It does not replace a business license or permit and it does not protect the name from others. Read the state's trade names page before you file, and see how to file a DBA and DBA vs LLC for the general picture. For licenses, see our Connecticut business license guide.
Also see our guides to the Connecticut business license.