Kentucky Business Entity Search
By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 5, 2026
The short answer. The Kentucky Secretary of State (Division of Business Filings) keeps Kentucky's register of business entities. The official search is the state's “Business Entity Search” page, on sosbes.sos.ky.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself.
Kentucky Business Entity Search at a Glance
| Register kept by | The Kentucky Secretary of State (Division of Business Filings) |
| Official search | Business Entity Search |
| Cost to search | Not confirmed |
| Search by | Entity name; entity or filing number; address |
| Filed documents online | Yes |
| Copy fee | See Documents |
| Certifying a copy | See Documents |
| Name reservation | Not confirmed |
| Name reservation fee | $15.00 |
| Bulk data | Available, for a fee |
Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked October 5, 2026. See the sources.
How to Search Kentucky's Register
The official search is the state's “Business Entity Search” page, on sosbes.sos.ky.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself. Open the official search.
On the main search page you can search by:
- Entity name
- Entity or filing number
- Address
The state also runs separate search pages:
- Current Representative Search, to search by officer or principal.
- Founding Representative Search, to search by officer or principal.
- Registered Agent Search, to search by registered agent or registered office.
What a Search Result Shows
A Kentucky result includes the items below, according to the state's own pages or a result page we read. It may show more.
- Status
- A standing indicator shown apart from the status
- Entity type
- Formation or registration date
- Principal office address
- Registered agent or registered office
- Officers or managers
- Images of filed documents
What Each Kentucky Status Means
The status is the label the register puts on each entity. Where the state defines a label, the meaning below restates that definition, with a link to the state page it comes from. Where it does not, we do not guess from the word, because the same word can mean different things in different states.
| Status label | What it means | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| A - Active In the search tool | The state does not define this label on the page we reviewed. Check the search page for what it means. | All entities |
| I - Inactive In the search tool | An inactive entity can be in good standing or bad standing. Inactive with bad standing means the entity did not file its annual report for the year or its registered agent resigned without a new one being appointed, and such an entity will be administratively dissolved. Inactive with good standing means the entity filed articles of dissolution, changed its name or merged into another entity. Based on the definition at sos.ky.gov | All entities |
| X - Pending Dissolution In the search tool | The state does not define this label on the page we reviewed. Check the search page for what it means. | All entities |
| X - Bad In the search tool | The state does not define this label on the page we reviewed. Check the search page for what it means. | All entities |
This list is not complete. It holds the labels we found on search results we read, and the register may show others.
If the search shows that your own LLC was dissolved, see how to reinstate an LLC in Kentucky.
A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a Kentucky certificate of good standing.
Viewing and Ordering Documents
Filed documents can be viewed online. We have not confirmed whether viewing them is free.
Plain copies cost $5.00 for up to five pages plus $0.50 for each additional page. Certified copies cost $10.00 for up to five pages plus $0.50 for each additional page.
Is the Name Available?
The state has a separate search for checking whether a name is available. Open the name availability search. The state says this search is only a preliminary check, not a formal decision that the name is available.
The state's naming standard, in its own words: “distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State.”
We have not confirmed whether Kentucky requires a name reservation before you file. A name reservation costs $15.00.
Our free LLC name checker looks up domain and social media handle availability for a name. It does not search Kentucky's register, so check the state's search as well.
Bulk Business Entity Data
Kentucky offers bulk business entity data for a fee. Subscribers can download the full corporate database monthly and new filings daily or weekly. Commercial users pay $2,000 a month for business records, and non-commercial users such as researchers pay no monthly subscription fee. See the state's bulk data page.
Ready to form? See what goes on the Kentucky articles of organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's business entity filing office publishes about searching its register, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you whether a particular business is active, authorized or reliable: read the state's own record for that, and search tools, status labels and fees change between our reviews. Confirm anything you rely on with the filing office named on this page before you act on it.
Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Kentucky sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so. Where we hold the citation but no stable public link, the citation is printed on its own rather than pointed at a guessed address.
- sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/OnlineServices/Pages/default.aspxBusiness Filings & Records Online Services
- sosbes.sos.ky.gov/BusSearchNProfile/search.aspxBusiness Entity Search
- sosbes.sos.ky.gov/BusSearchNProfile/Profile.aspx/?ctr=1492734Business profile: THE BOURBON COMPANY LLC
- sosbes.sos.ky.gov/BusSearchNProfile/Profile.aspx/?ctr=828654Business profile: BOURBON 30 LLC
- sosbes.sos.ky.gov/BusSearchNProfile/Profile.aspx/?ctr=1246050Business profile: BOURBON ALLEY L.L.C.
- sos.ky.gov/bus/businessrecords/Pages/FAQs.aspxBusiness Records FAQs
- sos.ky.gov/bus/businessrecords/Documents/ReqCorpDoc.pdfRequest for Corporate Documents (4/26)
- sosbes.sos.ky.gov/BusSearchNProfile/Search.aspx?na=trueName Availability Search
- sosbes.sos.ky.gov/BusSearchNProfile/Guidelines.aspxGuidelines to Name Availability
- web.sos.ky.gov/forms/corp/RES-Reservation%20or%20Renewal%20of%20Reserved%20Name.pdfReservation or Renewal of Reserved Name (RES)
- sos.ky.gov/bus/Pages/Bulk-Data-Service.aspxBulk Data Service
- Name standard: Kentucky Secretary of State, Guidelines to Name Availability
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.