Last updated
The Nevada Secretary of State's Commercial Recordings division keeps the state's company records. Its Nevada Business Search is linked from SilverFlume, the portal where Nevada businesses file and renew. Searching is free. You can search by business name, entity number, NV Business ID number, officer name or registered agent name, and the same search covers trademarks, trade names, service marks, reserved names and state business licenses.
Getting the most from a Nevada LLC and corporation search
The search form gives you more control than most states. Use it like this:
- Choose the match type first. Starts With wants the first word right. Contains finds a word anywhere in the name. Exact Match needs the full name. All Words returns names that contain all of the words you type.
- Use the right number. The entity number and the NV Business ID are different identifiers, and the form has a box for each.
- Search people and firms behind a company. The officer search takes a first, middle and last name for a person, or an organization name for a corporate officer. A separate box searches by registered agent name.
- Cut the noise. Under Advanced Search Options, choose Show Only Business Entity Information to drop mark results, then filter by entity type or status.
The officer search makes Nevada one of the easier states for finding who stands behind a company. Our business owner lookup guide explains what those names do and do not prove.
When the company will not show up
Switch from Starts With to Contains or All Words, and set the status filter back to All. If you are looking for a sole proprietor or general partnership, it will not have formation papers, but it may hold a State Business License, which the search also covers. A trading name may appear as a trade name record rather than an entity, so check those results too, or read our DBA search guide. The name of a company that was revoked, merged out or ended can be taken by another business, so an old name may now belong to someone else.
Status words on a Nevada record
The status filter lists every value Nevada uses, including Active, Default, Revoked, Permanently Revoked, Dissolved, Merged, Converted Out, Withdrawn, Expired, Cancelled, Reserved and Administrative Hold. The two that matter most:
- Default: the entity missed its Initial or Annual List of Officers, or its business license renewal.
- Revoked: after one year in Default, an entity moves to revoked status. It can be reinstated through Reinstatements and Revivals on SilverFlume.
A company in Default gets back to active by filing the missing list or renewal and paying every fee and penalty due. See business entity status for what each state of affairs means in practice.
Nevada name rules and reserving a name
NRS 86.171 gives Nevada LLCs a wide choice of endings: Limited-Liability Company, Limited Liability Company, Limited Company or Limited, or Ltd., L.L.C., L.C., LLC or LC, and Company may be shortened to Co. The name must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records from every other entity on file and every reserved name. Distinctive lettering, a mark, a trademark or a trade name alone does not make a name different. If it is too close, the articles come back unless the holder of the existing name gives written, acknowledged consent.
Some words need approval first. Words such as accountant or accounting need sign-off from the Nevada State Board of Accountancy, and bank or trust are limited to qualifying banking or trust businesses. The Secretary of State keeps a restricted word list, and approval is needed even when the word is only part of a longer word.
A name reservation holds a name for 90 days for $25, with another $25 to expedite. Our name availability guide covers the checks to run first.
Annual list, business license and certificates
A Nevada LLC files an initial list of managers or managing members when it files its articles, and then an annual list on or before the last day of its anniversary month. Each list costs $150 under NRS 86.263. The Secretary of State sends a reminder 90 days before the deadline, but a missed notice is no excuse.
The State Business License renews at the same time, as part of the annual list. It costs $200 a year for an LLC and $500 for a corporation, and a late fee adds a $100 penalty.
To prove standing, order a Certificate of Existence, which Nevada also calls a good standing certificate. It comes in a short form and long forms with or without amendments, and a mailed letter request costs $50. Electronic certificates can be checked online. Our certificate of good standing guide has more.
Bulk data
Nevada sells bulk business data as downloadable reports through its ORION system, which needs a login. It covers public data only, not copies of documents.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Nevada, the Nevada registered agent rules and the Nevada LLC cost breakdown.
Also see our guides to the Nevada DBA and Nevada business license.