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Minnesota's business register is kept by the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services. The lookup is the business search in Business Filings Online. It is free. You can search by business name or by the file number the office assigns. Each record leads to a Business Record Details page with the filing history and the next renewal due date.
Minnesota LLC and corporation search on Business Filings Online
You only need part of the name, and you can leave out punctuation. To search by number, click "File Number" above the search box first, then enter it. Below the box are three settings that change the results a lot:
- Search Scope: Begins With shows only names that start with your words. Contains shows every name that includes them.
- Filing Status: Active shows only active businesses, and Inactive shows only inactive ones.
- Include Prior Names: Exclude searches the current name only. Include also searches former names, which helps when a company has renamed itself.
If a business does not show up, set the status filter to Inactive and try again. It may have been administratively dissolved. Our LLC lookup guide covers searching in other states too.
What the Business Record Details page shows
Click Details next to a result. The Business Record Details page shows the next renewal due date, and its Filing History lists each filing with its date and filing information. From there you can order copies of filings, certified or not. Certificates are issued as soon as you pay, while some copy orders take 7 to 10 days.
Some details are not held at all. The office says telephone numbers and the type of business conducted are not available from it. For other ways to trace the people behind a company, see our business owner lookup guide.
The search filter divides records into Active and Inactive. An Inactive business may have been administratively dissolved for missing a past annual renewal. Our dissolved business search guide covers what you can still learn from an inactive record.
LLC names and reservations in Minnesota
Under Minn. Stat. 322C.0108, an LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "LLC". It must not contain "corporation" or "incorporated" or their abbreviations. It must also be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State from other LLCs, LLPs, corporations and limited partnerships, domestic or foreign. The statute allows exceptions with the other entity's written consent, a court decree, or an affidavit tied to the other entity having been on file for at least three years.
Checking a name needs an online account. You start a new filing, type the proposed name and choose the ending from the drop-down menu. The office warns not to type the ending yourself, or you may end up with a name like "ABC Trucking, Inc. Co." If the name is taken, the result lists each conflicting business and its file number. Our guide on checking LLC name availability has more tips. For a formal opinion before you file, a pre-clearance filing costs $250 by mail.
A name reservation costs $55 online or in person, or $35 by mail. Minn. Stat. 322C.0109 holds the name for a one-year period.
Annual renewal and good standing in Minnesota
Minnesota's yearly filing is the annual renewal. For domestic and foreign LLCs it is free, and it is due by December 31. You can file at any time during the calendar year. The due date also shows on the Business Record Details page. The office will never send renewal notices by mail, only courtesy emails. Treat mailers that offer to file your renewal for a fee with care.
Miss the renewal and the business is administratively dissolved. Reinstating a domestic LLC costs $85 online or $65 by mail. If the name is still available, you may be able to reinstate retroactively by filing the current year's renewal and paying that fee. An entity inactive for over six years cannot be reinstated online. Foreign business corporations pay for their renewal: $135 online or $115 by mail.
Proof of status is a Certificate of Good Standing, or a Certificate of Existence and Registration for some business types. It shows the entity is filed and active at the time of issue. The office's fee schedule PDF lists it at $15 online and $5 by mail or in person, and online certificates are emailed within 10 to 15 minutes of payment. See our certificate of good standing guide.
The fee schedule sets Articles of Organization at $155 online or in person and $135 by mail. A business corporation pays the same. A nonprofit pays $90 online or $70 by mail, and a foreign LLC's Certificate of Authority costs $205 online or $185 by mail. Online filings are expedited and typically processed within 2 to 5 business days.
Minnesota bulk data
The full bulk business data file costs commercial users $710 per order, with a signed license agreement. News media, journalists, researchers and other non-commercial users can receive the data at no charge. A smaller Active Business Data file costs $30 one time or $30 a week, delivered as a zipped CSV. Details are on the Business Data Available page.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Minnesota and the Minnesota registered agent rules.
DBA and assumed names in Minnesota
Minnesota calls it an assumed name, and you file the Certificate of Assumed Name with the Secretary of State, not the county. The fee is $30 by mail and $50 online. A renewal is required each year to keep the name in good standing, and the fee schedule lists the annual renewal at $0.
Who must file: any person trading under a name that is not their true full name, a partnership whose name leaves out a partner's full name, and any corporation, limited partnership or LLC that uses a name other than its legal name. A consent form goes in with the filing if your name conflicts with an existing business name.
Minnesota adds a publication step. After you file, you publish the certificate in a qualified legal newspaper for two consecutive issues in the county where your principal place of business is located. The paper returns an affidavit of publication, which you keep. The state issues no certificate, and the approved form it sends back is your proof of filing.
The rules sit in Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 333. See how to file a DBA, DBA versus LLC and the DBA search guide for the general steps. Read the state's assumed name page before you file.
Business license in Minnesota
We could not confirm a general Minnesota business license from the pages we were able to read, so this is a short section and not a full guide. The Department of Revenue's startup page sends licensing questions to the Department of Employment and Economic Development, which covers licenses and permits among its starting a business topics. Start at its Starting a Business page.
Tax registration is clearer. A Minnesota Tax ID Number is a seven-digit number used to report and pay state business taxes. You need one if you make taxable sales or leases, perform taxable services, or withhold Minnesota income tax from wages. You do not need one just to open a business bank account. Apply through the Department of Revenue's Minnesota Tax ID requirements page.
For the federal number, see our EIN guide. To check a license once you know which one applies, use the business license lookup page. The Revenue page also lists reasons to apply for a new Minnesota Tax ID, such as a change in your legal organization or a new federal employer ID.