Massachusetts Business Entity Search
By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 5, 2026
The short answer. The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Corporations Division) keeps Massachusetts's register of business entities. The official search is the state's “Search for a Business Entity” page, on corp.sec.state.ma.us. Searching is free.
Massachusetts Business Entity Search at a Glance
| Register kept by | The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Corporations Division) |
| Official search | Search for a Business Entity |
| Cost to search | Free |
| Search by | Entity name; officer or principal; entity or filing number |
| Filed documents online | Yes |
| Copy fee | $0.30 per page (see Documents) |
| Certifying a copy | See Documents |
| Name reservation | Not required by any rule we found |
| Name reservation fee | $30.00 |
Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked October 5, 2026. See the sources.
How to Search Massachusetts's Register
The official search is the state's “Search for a Business Entity” page, on corp.sec.state.ma.us. Searching is free. Open the official search.
On the main search page you can search by:
- Entity name
- Officer or principal
- Entity or filing number
What a Search Result Shows
A Massachusetts result includes the items below, according to the state's own pages or a result page we read. It may show more.
- Entity type
- Formation or registration date
- Principal office address
- Registered agent or registered office
- Officers or managers
- Filing history
- Images of filed documents
What Each Massachusetts 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.
We have not confirmed which status labels Massachusetts's register uses; check the search page for an entity's status and what it means.
If the search shows that your own LLC was dissolved, see how to reinstate an LLC in Massachusetts.
A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a Massachusetts certificate of good standing.
Viewing and Ordering Documents
Filed documents can be viewed online. We have not confirmed whether viewing them is free.
Uncertified copies cost $0.30 per page. Certified copies are priced separately, at $7.00 for the first page and $2.00 for each additional page, or $12.00 for Articles of Organization.
Is the Name Available?
The state tells you to use this same search to check whether a name is already in use. 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: “may not be the same as, or deceptively similar to the name of any corporation, limited partnership or limited liability company reserved or organized under the laws of the commonwealth.”
The state lets you reserve a name; we have not found a rule requiring one before you file. A name reservation costs $30.00.
Our free LLC name checker looks up domain and social media handle availability for a name. It does not search Massachusetts's register, so check the state's search as well.
Ready to form? See what goes on the Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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.
- sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/corporations.htmCorporations Division (archived copy)
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/corpweb/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspxSearch for a Business Entity (archived copy)
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/corpweb/CorpSearch/SearchOnlineHelp.aspxInformation for using online public search (archived copy)
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSummary.aspx?sysvalue=ZYxPWJuykaVvrzkJH_qoTU1kLVXC9xGXTwSX0RAGFdA-Business Entity Summary (domestic corporation) (archived copy)
- sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/general-information/corporations-filing-fees.htmCorporations Division Filing Fees (archived copy)
- sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/services/corporations-name-reservations.htmAbout Name Reservations (archived copy)
- malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXII/Chapter156C/Section3M.G.L. c. 156C, s. 3: Name of limited liability company
- sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/certificates/corporations-certified-copy-information.htmCertified Copy Information (archived copy)
- Name standard: M.G.L. c. 156C, s. 3
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.