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The Ohio Secretary of State's Business Services division keeps the register, and the lookup is Business Search. It covers for-profit and nonprofit corporations, professional associations, foreign corporations, LLCs, partnerships, business trusts, trade names, fictitious names, trademarks, service marks and name reservations. Images of approved filings are available to view online. Filing itself happens on Ohio Business Central.
Six routes into an Ohio LLC and corporation search
The page gives you six routes into the same database:
- Business name, with a status filter for All, Active, Cancelled or Dead.
- Exact business name, when you know the full legal name.
- Prior business name, to find a company that has since renamed itself.
- Agent or registrant, which is the statutory agent for companies and the registrant for trade names and marks.
- Organizer or incorporator, by name, with the location of incorporation.
- Document ID or entity number.
The entity number goes by different names depending on the type. It is a Charter Number for an Ohio corporation, a License Number for a foreign corporation, and a Registration Number for LLCs, partnerships, trusts, trade names and reservations.
Two limits are worth knowing. Results only include names the office has accepted, not filings still in process. The search data is also for information only, so a certified copy has to come from the Secretary of State. If you need the people behind a company, the organizer search is the closest Ohio gets to an owner search. Our business owner lookup guide covers other routes.
Ohio's four status words
Each record shows one of four statuses:
- Active: on record as actively engaged in business, with its name protected.
- Hold: canceled for failing to comply with a legal requirement. The name stays protected for one year.
- Canceled: canceled by the Secretary of State, with no name protection.
- Dead: dissolved voluntarily and no longer in business. The name is not protected.
For an LLC, the usual road to Hold is a missing statutory agent. If the office learns the agent is gone, it sends a notice. An LLC that does not appoint a new agent within 30 days can be canceled. Reinstatement takes Form 525A and $25. The record also shows a filing history, with a PDF link for each document where an image exists. Our business entity status guide explains how to read these in a deal.
Ohio name rules and the 180-day reservation
An Ohio LLC name must include limited liability company, LLC, L.L.C., ltd, ltd. or limited. It must be distinguishable from any other domestic corporation, licensed foreign corporation, LLC, limited liability partnership, limited partnership or trade name already registered. Bank and trust need approval from the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Financial Institutions, before you file.
If your name clashes, the Articles are rejected. The rejection letter names the conflicting registrant so you can ask for consent. With consent, you file Form 590, Consent for Use of Similar Name, alongside your Articles. A canceled company's name is held for one year from cancellation, so you usually have to wait out that year to take it. The office makes the final call on a name when the Articles are filed. Our guide on checking LLC name availability has tips for testing variants first.
A name reservation, Form 534B, costs $39 and gives exclusive rights to the name for 180 days. Our name reservation guide compares Ohio's term with other states.
Staying in good standing in Ohio
An Ohio LLC files no annual or biennial report, so there is no report fee, due date or late penalty to track. Domestic professional associations are different. They file a biennial report on Form 520 for $25.
What keeps an Ohio LLC on the Active list is a working statutory agent. Changes go on the Statutory Agent Update, Form 521, for $25. Proof of status comes as a Certificate of Good Standing, ordered from the Secretary of State's certificates and business reports page, where you can also check a certificate's validation number. See our certificate of good standing guide.
Formation fees on the business filing forms page are $99 for Articles of Organization and $99 to register a foreign LLC. Corporations start at $99, but the total depends on the number of authorized shares. Paid speed comes in three levels: $100 for 2 business days, $200 for 1 business day and $300 for 4 hours.
Ohio bulk data
The Secretary of State publishes downloadable business reports, including lists of cancelled or dissolved corporations and cancelled or dissolved LLCs.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Ohio, the Ohio registered agent rules, a Ohio operating agreement guide and the Ohio LLC cost breakdown.
Also see our guides to the Ohio DBA and Ohio business license.