Montana Business Entity Search
By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 5, 2026
The short answer. The Montana Secretary of State (Business Services) keeps Montana's register of business entities. The official search is the state's “Business Name Search” page, on biz.sosmt.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself.
Montana Business Entity Search at a Glance
| Register kept by | The Montana Secretary of State (Business Services) |
| Official search | Business Name Search |
| Cost to search | Not confirmed |
| Search by | Entity name; entity or filing number |
| Filed documents online | Yes |
| Copy fee | Not confirmed |
| Certifying a copy | See Documents |
| Name reservation | Not required by any rule we found |
| Name reservation fee | $10.00 |
| 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 Montana's Register
The official search is the state's “Business Name Search” page, on biz.sosmt.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
What a Search Result Shows
A Montana result includes the items below, according to the state's own pages or a result page we read. It may show more.
- Registered agent or registered office
- Filing history
- Images of filed documents
What Each Montana 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 |
|---|---|---|
| “Involuntary Dissolution” Named on help.sosmt.gov | The business was administratively dissolved for missed filings and fees, or for not maintaining a registered agent. Based on the definition at help.sosmt.gov | All entities |
| “Expired” Named on help.sosmt.gov | The registration period has lapsed. The Secretary of State says this is common for trademarks and assumed business names (DBAs). Based on the definition at help.sosmt.gov | All entities |
| “Active Good Standing” Named on sosmt.gov | The state does not define this label on the page we reviewed. Check the search page for what it means. | All entities |
| “Active Pending” Named on sosmt.gov | The state does not define this label on the page we reviewed. Check the search page for what it means. | All entities |
| “Inactive Withdrawn” Named on sosmt.gov | 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 in the filing office's own pages, and the register may show others.
If the search shows that your own LLC was dissolved, see how to reinstate an LLC in Montana.
A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a Montana certificate of good standing.
Viewing and Ordering Documents
Filed documents can be viewed online. We have not confirmed whether viewing them is free.
A certified copy request costs $10.00, and the Secretary of State's help article says the $10.00 fee covers all document copies in the request.
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: “distinguishable on the records of the secretary of state.”
The state lets you reserve a name; we have not found a rule requiring one before you file. A name reservation costs $10.00.
Our free LLC name checker looks up domain and social media handle availability for a name. It does not search Montana's register, so check the state's search as well.
Bulk Business Entity Data
Montana offers bulk business entity data for a fee. The Secretary of State sells a Corporate Records Bulk Data File, a comma delimited extract of business entity records, priced at $0.02 per record.
Ready to form? See what goes on the Montana 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 Montana 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.
- sosmt.gov/business/Business Services
- help.sosmt.gov/en/article/request-for-business-documents-and-certificates-v4zmgk/Request for Business Documents and Certificates
- help.sosmt.gov/en/article/how-do-i-search-for-a-registered-agent-x6k5f2/How do I search for a registered agent?
- help.sosmt.gov/en/article/how-do-i-find-my-articles-of-organization-1l8rhh2/How do I find my Articles of Organization?
- help.sosmt.gov/en/article/what-does-involuntary-dissolution-andor-expired-mean-12lgb1r/What does Involuntary Dissolution and/or Expired mean?
- sosmt.gov/business/business-services-catalog/Business Services Catalog (Montana Corporate Records Data File)
- sosmt.gov/business/fees/Business Services Filing Fees
- help.sosmt.gov/en/article/how-do-i-know-if-a-business-name-is-available-r41pbj/How do I know if a business name is available?
- sosmt.gov/business/business-structures/Business Structures
- mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0350/chapter_0080/part_0010/section_0030/0350-0080-0010-0030.htmlMCA 35-8-103 Name
- Name standard: Mont. Code Ann. 35-8-103(2)
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.