North Carolina Business Entity Search
By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 5, 2026
The short answer. The North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State (Business Registration Division) keeps North Carolina's register of business entities. The official search is the state's “Search Business Registration” page, on sosnc.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself.
North Carolina Business Entity Search at a Glance
| Register kept by | The North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State (Business Registration Division) |
| Official search | Search Business Registration |
| Cost to search | Not confirmed |
| Search by | Entity name; entity or filing number; officer or principal; registered agent or registered office |
| Filed documents online | Yes |
| Copy fee | See Documents |
| Certifying a copy | See Documents |
| Name reservation | Not confirmed |
| 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 North Carolina's Register
The official search is the state's “Search Business Registration” page, on sosnc.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
- Officer or principal
- Registered agent or registered office
What a Search Result Shows
A North Carolina result includes the items below, according to the state's own pages or a result page we read. It may show more.
- Entity type
- Status
- Formation or registration date
- Registered agent or registered office
- Principal office address
- Mailing address
- Officers or managers
- Filing history
What Each North Carolina 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 |
|---|---|---|
| “Active/Not Current” Named on sosnc.gov | The entity is considered active on the North Carolina Business Registry, but is delinquent on one or more required filings. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Withdrawn” Named on sosnc.gov | A foreign entity withdrew its Certificate of Authority to do business in North Carolina. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | Entities formed in another state |
| “Active/Failure to Pay Fee” Named on sosnc.gov | After a Notice of Grounds for Administrative Dissolution, the entity filed an annual report whose payment failed for non-sufficient funds. The entity is still active, but the administrative dissolution process continues. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Admin. Cancelled” Named on sosnc.gov | The Secretary of State's Office canceled the entity's initial creation document because of an issue with the filing fee. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Converted” Named on sosnc.gov | The entity converted from one entity type to another, and this status is placed on the original entity. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Expired” Named on sosnc.gov | A reserved name, or a foreign entity's registered name, has expired. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Failure to Pay Fee” Named on sosnc.gov | A creation document was submitted and there was an issue with the filing fee, such as non-sufficient funds or a closed account. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “In Process” Named on sosnc.gov | A creation filing has been received and is being examined and filed. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Judicial Dissolution” Named on sosnc.gov | A court ordered the company dissolved. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Merged” Named on sosnc.gov | The entity was the non-surviving party to a merger and was merged into the surviving entity. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Non-domesticated” Named on sosnc.gov | A foreign entity that is not registered to do business in North Carolina but took part in a merger with an entity registered there. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | Entities formed in another state |
| “PA Suspended” Named on sosnc.gov | A licensing board under North Carolina's Professional Corporation Act suspended the entity. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Reserved Name” Named on sosnc.gov | A name has been reserved on the North Carolina Business Registry, but no entity has been created with it. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Revoked Licensing Board” Named on sosnc.gov | A licensing board revoked the business name for use as a professional entity under North Carolina's Professional Corporation Act. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Withdrawn by Merger” Named on sosnc.gov | A registered foreign entity merged with, or converted to, another foreign entity, and its North Carolina registration is no longer needed. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | Entities formed in another state |
| “Not Registered” Named on sosnc.gov | An unincorporated nonprofit association that has filed its registered agent information with the Department. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Current-Active AR Error” Named on sosnc.gov | A technical error occurred in filing an online annual report, and the Department asks you to call 919-814-5400. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Court Ordered Dissolution” Named on sosnc.gov | A court ordered the entity to dissolve. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Consolidated” Named on sosnc.gov | One or more business entities merged together. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Auto Dissolve” Named on sosnc.gov | The General Assembly passed a bill to dissolve entities automatically for specific reasons. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | All entities |
| “Applied to Withdraw” Named on sosnc.gov | A foreign entity has applied to stop doing business in North Carolina. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | Entities formed in another state |
| “To Foreign Insurance Co” Named on sosnc.gov | A North Carolina insurance company converted to an out-of-state insurance company. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | Entities formed in North Carolina |
| “To Fed Bank” Named on sosnc.gov | A North Carolina bank converted to a federal bank. Based on the definition at sosnc.gov | Entities formed in North Carolina |
| Current-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 |
This list is not complete. It holds the labels we found on the state's status definitions page, and the register may show others.
If the search shows that your own LLC was dissolved, see how to reinstate an LLC in North Carolina.
A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a North Carolina certificate of good standing.
Viewing and Ordering Documents
Filed documents can be viewed online. We have not confirmed whether viewing them is free.
Copies of a filed LLC document cost $1.00 per page, and certifying them adds $15.00 for a paper certificate or $10.00 for an electronic one. Order copies from the state.
Is the Name Available?
We have not confirmed how North Carolina wants you to check whether a name is available.
The state's naming standard, in its own words: “distinguishable upon the record.”
We have not confirmed whether North Carolina requires a name reservation 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 North Carolina's register, so check the state's search as well.
Bulk Business Entity Data
North Carolina offers bulk business entity data for a fee. The Business Registration Division sells a master files data subscription for $2,000 per state fiscal year plus a one-time $750.00 set-up fee. See the state's bulk data page.
Ready to form? See what goes on the North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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.
- sosnc.gov/home/Online_ServicesOnline Services
- sosnc.gov/online_services/search/by_title/search_Business_RegistrationSearch Business Registration (archived copy)
- sosnc.gov/online_services/search/Business_Registration_profile/10163670Business Registration profile (Appalachian Materials LLC) (archived copy)
- sosnc.gov/frequently_asked_questions/by_title/_Business_registration_Entity_StatusEntity Status, Frequently Asked Questions
- sosnc.gov/divisions/general_counsel/search_tips_business_registrationSearching and Using the Business Registration Database
- sosnc.gov/frequently_asked_questions/by_title/_Business_Registration_Ordering_CertificatesOrdering Certificates, Frequently Asked Questions
- ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_57D/GS_57D-1-22.pdfN.C.G.S. 57D-1-22, Filing, service, and copying fees
- sosnc.gov/fees/by_title/_Business_RegistrationBusiness Registration Fees
- sosnc.gov/fees/by_title/_data_subscriptionsData Subscriptions Fees
- sosnc.gov/online_services/data_subscriptionsData Subscriptions
- Name standard: N.C.G.S. 55D-21(b), as cited on the Secretary of State's search tips page
- North Carolina statute: N.C.G.S. Chapter 55B (Professional Corporation Act, licensing board suspension and revocation)
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.