Pennsylvania Business Entity Search

How to Search Pennsylvania's Register

The official search is the state's “Business Name Search” page, on file.dos.pa.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 Pennsylvania 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
• Officers or managers

What Each Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania.

A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a Pennsylvania 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 $15.00 plus $3.00 per page, and certifying them adds $40.00 (certified copies cost $55.00 plus $3.00 per page). Order copies from the state.

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 Department.”

We have not confirmed whether Pennsylvania requires a name reservation before you file. A name reservation costs $70.00.

Our free LLC name checker looks up domain and social media handle availability for a name. It does not search Pennsylvania's register, so check the state's search as well.

Bulk Business Entity Data

Pennsylvania offers bulk business entity data for a fee. The Bureau sells business lists, priced at $0.25 per name, and also offers bulk data and bulk images.

Worth Knowing in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania entities keep a registered office (an address, or a commercial registered office provider) rather than a registered agent, so the search result shows a "Registered Office" field. The Department says hundreds of thousands of long-dormant entities still show as "active" on its records, and their names are not released unless you file the blocking entity's consent, a Name Availability Certificate from the Department, or another state's certification that a foreign entity abandoned its name there. Otherwise, the Department says, the name becomes available in 2028 only if the blocking company does not file an annual report and is administratively dissolved or cancelled.