Secretary of State Offices
The Secretary of State — or the equivalent state agency — is the office that registers business entities and maintains their official records. When you form an LLC, corporation, or nonprofit, you file formation documents with this office and pay a one-time filing fee. The same office issues certificates of good standing, processes registered agent changes, and keeps the public record of every entity authorized to do business in the state.
Each state page below lists the office's mailing address, phone number, and website alongside the current formation fees for the most common entity types, plus a directory of the state's licensing agencies — the separate bodies that issue professional and occupational licenses once an entity is registered.
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Helpful Resources
These guides cover what happens before and after the entity search itself — naming a registered agent, requesting a certificate of good standing, or closing an LLC down the right way. Each one lays out the general process, then points you to your state's specific forms, fees, and filing office.
Certificate of Good Standing: What It Is and How to Get One
What the certificate proves, who asks for it, and how to order one from your state.
Learn more →How to Dissolve an LLC: The State Filing Process, Step by Step
The filing sequence — member vote, winding up, Articles of Dissolution — every state expects.
Learn more →UCC Filing Search: How to Check for Liens on a Business
How to search UCC filings to see which lenders already have a claim on a company's assets.
Learn more →What Is a Registered Agent, and Who Can Be One?
What the job involves and who's eligible — every LLC and corporation is required to name one.
Learn more →Articles of Incorporation vs. Articles of Organization: What's the Difference?
The two formation documents look alike on paper — here's which one applies to your entity.
Learn more →LLC Annual Report Fees and Deadlines by State
Report frequency, fees, and due dates for keeping an LLC in good standing, state by state.
Learn more →The Secretary of State's office isn't a licensing board
The office listed on each state page above handles entity formation and the public business registry — filings, fees, registered agents, and good-standing status. It doesn't issue professional or trade licenses. Contractors, cosmetologists, real estate agents, and similar regulated occupations are licensed by separate state boards, and a business being active and in good standing with the Secretary of State says nothing about whether it holds those licenses. Each state page includes a directory of the licensing agencies that actually issue them, so check there directly to verify a professional credential.