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The Wyoming Secretary of State's Business Division keeps the register of LLCs, corporations, partnerships, trusts and trade names. You look them up in the WyoBiz filing search. It is free to use. You search by business name, and the same tool doubles as the state's name availability check.
Running a Wyoming LLC and corporation search in WyoBiz
Type the core of the name, not the full legal name. The Business Division's name search tips say the search ignores spaces, punctuation and capital letters, so "Red-Wagon" and "red wagon" return the same records. A few habits help:
- Drop the words that do not count: A, The, And, "&", and endings such as LLC, Inc., Company or Co.
- Search the singular and the plural. The office treats "Red Wagon" and "Red Wagons" as the same name.
- Expect old records in the list. Dissolved and revoked companies stay searchable.
If you are checking a name before you form, our guide on how to check LLC name availability explains why a search result is not a promise. Wyoming puts that risk on you: the filer must search first, and a name that clashes may lead to extra paperwork and fees.
What a Wyoming record tells you
Each business record shows the company's status and standing. The office lists the registered agent's name and address, officers and directors, and the mailing address among the data it holds for each company. To see filed papers, open the record and click History. A PDF icon next to a filing means an image of it is available.
The status words you will see:
- Active: the company is current on its annual report.
- Delinquent: the annual report was not filed by its due date.
- Inactive - Administratively Dissolved: the report was not filed within 60 days of the due date.
- Inactive - Revoked: also shows up in results for closed records.
- Archived: a sub-status on inactive records. Only then is the old name free to use again.
Our business entity status guide covers what these mean for a deal or a contract.
Name rules and holding a name
Under W.S. 17-29-108, an LLC name must include "Limited Liability Company" or one of its forms: LLC, L.L.C., Limited Company, LC, L.C., Ltd. Liability Company, Ltd. Liability Co. or Limited Liability Co. A low profit LLC uses L3C instead. The name also may not suggest the company is a corporation or a nonprofit. The full text is in the office's name statutes PDF.
Names are compared under W.S. 17-16-401(f). One different letter or number, or a different order of them, is enough. Business endings, "the", "and", "a", punctuation, capital letters and singular versus plural forms are not. So "A Red Wagon LLC" counts as the same name as "Red Wagon Inc."
To hold an LLC name, mail the Application for Reservation of Name with a $60 check or money order. The hold lasts 120 days under W.S. 17-29-109. The form says it is not accepted by email and processing takes up to 15 business days. You can skip it if you file your Articles of Organization now. More on this in our name reservation guide.
Keeping a Wyoming company in good standing
Every company, domestic or foreign, files an annual report. LLCs and profit corporations pay an annual license tax with it: $60, or two-tenths of one mill per dollar of assets located and employed in Wyoming, if that is more. A company with $1,210,000 of Wyoming assets pays $242. Nonprofits pay a flat $25. Wyoming has no separate franchise tax.
The report is due on the first day of the month the company was formed or registered in the state. You can file up to 120 days early, online with a Visa or Mastercard card, unless the amount is over $500. The office emails reminders 60, 30 and 10 days ahead. There is no late fee as such. The company turns delinquent on the second day of the following month and is administratively dissolved if the report is still missing 60 days after the due date. Reinstatement for tax costs $100 for an LLC or corporation, and only within two years. Details are in the Business Division FAQ.
Proof of standing is a Certificate of Good Standing. You can print one free from WyoBiz, and it carries a validation number. A manually signed paper certificate costs $20 on the fee schedule. For deadlines in other states, see annual report deadlines.
Bulk data
Wyoming sells its business database by subscription. The Business Database Download costs $850 for one month (two months a year at most), $5,100 for six months or $10,200 for twelve, paid in advance. The file arrives as a zip on the last Friday of each month and covers filing, party and public annual report data.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Wyoming, the Wyoming registered agent rules and the Wyoming LLC cost breakdown.
DBA and assumed names in Wyoming
Registering a DBA in Wyoming is optional. The Secretary of State's business FAQ says it is not mandatory, but you may register one by filing an Application for Registration of Trade Name with the Business Division. The state calls it a trade name, and the Business Division holds it.
The fee schedule lists the cost of each step:
- Registration: $100.
- Renewal: $50.
- Cancellation: $10.
- Reservation of a trade name: $30.
The schedule shows the same line for trade names and trademarks, so check the form before you pay. Trade names appear in the WyoBiz filing search described above, which is the place to look for a name that is already registered.
A trade name is a name record. It does not form a company. If you want one, read DBA vs LLC and our guide to how to file a DBA. For general search tips, see the DBA search guide. For permits and tax licenses, see the Wyoming business license guide.
This section does not cover trademark protection or the rules in other states.
Also see our guides to the Wyoming business license.