Terms of use

By using the site you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use it.

What this site is

An independent guide to each state's official business search. We are not a government agency, we are not connected with any Secretary of State or state office, and we don't keep a business register. State names, flags and screenshots of state websites appear only to identify the office and show you how its search works.

Information, not legal advice

The guides are general information. They aren't legal, tax or financial advice, and reading them doesn't make you our client. Rules, fees and deadlines change. Each guide shows the date its facts were last checked and links to the official source so you can confirm them. For a decision that matters, confirm with the state or ask a licensed professional.

The name check is preliminary

• A result is a quick look, not a ruling. Only the state can accept, reject or reserve a name.
• "No match found" doesn't mean a name is available, and it says nothing about trademarks.
• The records we search can be days or weeks behind the state's live register.
• Always confirm on the state's official search before you pay a filing fee, print anything or sign a lease.

Referrals

Some buttons lead to a company that forms businesses for a fee. If you buy from it we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. That company, not us, provides the service and is responsible for it. You can always file directly with the state instead, and every guide links to the state's own site.

Fair use of the site

• Use the name check by hand, for your own names. Don't run it with scripts or in bulk.
• Don't try to break, overload or get around the limits of the site.
• Don't present our guides or results as coming from a state agency.

Our content

The text, layout and annotated images are ours. You may quote short passages with a link back. Facts published by state agencies and the U.S. Census Bureau belong to the public; our wording and presentation of them do not.

No warranty

The site is provided as it is. We work to keep it accurate and say where each fact comes from, but we don't promise that it is complete, current or free of errors, or that it will always be available.

Limit of liability

To the extent the law allows, SOS Search isn't liable for losses that come from relying on the site, including a rejected filing, a name dispute, a missed deadline or a fee paid to a state or a third party.

Changes and contact

We may update these terms; the date above shows the latest review. Questions:[email protected].