How to search North Carolina business entities online
Official Resource
North Carolina Official SOS WebsiteNorth Carolina business entity records are searchable through the Secretary of State's Business Registration portal at sosnc.gov — Business Registration Search. No account is required to search; filing requires a registered account. The SOS explicitly prohibits automated or scripted searching of the database.
Updated August 2026
Automated searching is prohibited
The North Carolina Secretary of State explicitly prohibits automated searching of the Business Registration database. Searches are intended for manual, interactive use through the portal, not scripted or bulk lookups. For bulk access to public data, the SOS offers separate Data Subscription Services.
What the search covers
The database covers domestic and foreign LLCs, business corporations, professional corporations, nonprofit corporations, limited partnerships, LLPs, limited liability limited partnerships (LLLPs), and cooperative associations. Assumed business names (DBAs) are also searchable through a separate tool: the certificate itself is still filed at the register of deeds office in each county where the business operates, but the Secretary of State aggregates filings made since December 1, 2017 into one statewide, searchable database.
Search options
The main search tool offers four modes, plus a separate tool for Assumed Names:
- Company By Name — name-based search; partial names work; case-insensitive, with Starting With, All, Any, or Exact Match word-matching options
- Company by SOSID — the North Carolina Secretary of State identification number
- Company Officials — search by an officer's or official's name to find entities associated with them
- Registered Agents — identify all entities served by a specific registered agent
A separate Assumed Names search covers DBA filings made since December 1, 2017. Results from the main search show the entity name, type, status, date of formation or registration, registered agent, and principal office; clicking an entity opens the detail record with document history.
Annual report due dates, fees, and filing channels
North Carolina LLCs (including L3Cs) file their annual report by April 15 each year following formation, at $200 by mail or $203 online (the online fee includes a small electronic-filing surcharge). Business corporations and LLPs/LLLPs file by the 15th day of the fourth month after the close of the fiscal year — for calendar-year entities, that is April 15 as well; corporation annual reports run $25 by mail or $21 online. Cooperative associations file by March 1 each year, on paper only, for $10. New entity filings typically take 15-20 business days to process; online annual report filing is faster and avoids delays common in peak season around the April 15 deadline.
This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the North Carolina Secretary of State's office. Verify current procedures at the official state website. Last verified: August 2026.