State Business Entity Search

Connecticut business lookup

Connecticut publishes its business register as open data, and each record carries an annual report due date.

Search Connecticut's published business registry

Type a name with or without its ending. LLC, Inc., Corp., Co. and Ltd. are set aside before matching, along with punctuation and capital letters.

Example: a search for "Nutmeg Landscaping" in Connecticut, run on November 12, 2026.

"Nutmeg Landscaping" matches 1 name on the list

With endings and punctuation set aside, the match is exact. A state refuses a new filing when its name is not distinguishable from one already on its records.

Pick a different name, or ask the state how it reads this one.

Get the matching domain name

Type a business name to check its .com, .net, .org and .us.

"Not registered" is the registry's answer at this moment. It is not a promise that the name can be bought at the standard price, since some unregistered names are reserved or sold at a premium. The buttons open Spaceship, a domain registrar, where the price is shown.

  1. Exact matchNutmeg Landscaping LLCLLC, Active, filed May 26, 2026, record 3449956Same name once the ending and punctuation are removed
  2. Exact matchNUTMEG LANDSCAPING LLCLLC, Forfeited, filed July 16, 2007, record 0906044Same name once the ending and punctuation are removed
  3. Exact matchNUTMEG LANDSCAPING, INC.Stock, Dissolved, filed March 4, 1964, record 0034304Same name once the ending and punctuation are removed
  4. One word apartNUTMEG MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPING LLCLLC, Active, filed January 25, 2018, record 1261709One word added: Mountain

Source: Connecticut Business Registry: Business Master, Connecticut Secretary of the State, data dated November 12, 2026.

  • The registry includes reserved names and companies that have dissolved or forfeited, each with its status.

Confirm with the state before you file: Connecticut's Business Search. A state business name is not a trademark. This is not a government site.

A private website, not a government site. Every state entry links to that state's official search.

Connecticut's own search

Run by
Connecticut Secretary of the State
Called
Business Search
Open Connecticut's official search

The state's search is the record that counts. State Business Entity Search is not a government site.

The Secretary of the State keeps the register through its Business Services Division and releases the data into the public domain.

  • LLC filing fee $120
  • Name held 120 days
  • Register kept by Connecticut Secretary of the State

By the State Business Entity Search team. Fees, endings and rules come from 11 official Connecticut sources, retrieved on November 13, 2026. Last updated November 13, 2026. How these facts are gathered.

Connecticut filing fees for a new business name

FilingState feeDetails
Form an LLC in Connecticut $120 Certificate of Organization. Source: Business.CT.gov, Domestic limited liability companies forms and fees.
Form a corporation in Connecticut $250 Certificate of Incorporation.
Reserve a name in Connecticut $60 Held for 120 days. Source: Business.CT.gov, Domestic limited liability companies forms and fees.
Annual report for a Connecticut LLC $80 Every year. Filed online annually from January 1 to March 31. Source: Business.CT.gov, Domestic annual report forms and fees.
Trade name certificate, in Connecticut $20 Source: Connecticut General Statutes, Town clerk fees.

Name endings Connecticut accepts

For an LLC (Connecticut General Statutes section 34-243k)

  • limited liability company
  • L.L.C.
  • LLC
  • Ltd. (for "limited")
  • Co. (for "company")

For a corporation (Connecticut General Statutes section 33-655(a))

  • corporation
  • incorporated
  • company
  • Societa per Azioni
  • limited
  • corp.
  • inc.
  • co.
  • S.p.A.
  • ltd.

What the Connecticut Business Master list covers

The search here reads the Connecticut Business Registry: Business Master, which the Secretary of the State publishes on data.ct.gov and updates daily. It is a wide list. It includes reserved names and companies that have dissolved or forfeited, each shown with its status.

For every entry the search shows the business name, business type, status, registration date and business ID number. The state's dataset also holds an annual report due date and, for administratively dissolved companies, a dissolution date and reason. Those extra fields are not part of the results here.

A trade name will not turn up in this list. Connecticut keeps trade names in a separate search.

The state's Business Search on business.ct.gov

The official register search is the Search Business Records link on business.ct.gov. A second link, Search Trade Names, covers trade names on their own. The Register Your Connecticut Business page also points to a Business name checker that opens the Business Search.

A match in the official search is the record that counts, so repeat any name you like there before you file.

What makes an LLC name different in Connecticut

Section 34-243k says an LLC name must be distinguishable on the Secretary of the State's records. The comparison covers existing entity names, names registered to do business, reserved names and registered names.

Words that only show the type of entity are ignored. "Corporation", "Inc.", "Limited", "Ltd.", "LLP" and "PLLC" all fall in that group, so two names that differ only by one of them are treated as the same.

The statute adds one limit on content. An LLC name may not state or imply a purpose other than the one the LLC statute permits. For a corporation, section 33-655(a) sets the required wording.

Reserving a name and paying for the first filing

Connecticut charges $60 for the Application for Reservation of Name, according to the state's LLC fee page. Chapter 613a has the Secretary of the State hold the name for the applicant's exclusive use for 120 days. The statutes do not say whether a reservation can be renewed.

The Certificate of Organization costs $120 online and includes the appointment of a statutory agent. A domestic stock corporation pays $250 for its Certificate of Incorporation. The cost of starting and keeping an LLC adds these to the yearly charge.

The yearly report and what a missed one costs

An LLC annual report costs $80 and is filed online from January 1 to March 31. If a business does not file, the Secretary of the State's Office may dissolve it, and the dissolution then appears in the register with its reason.

Connecticut trade names

A trade name in Connecticut is filed with the town clerk where the business is mainly run, not with the Secretary of the State. State law sets the town clerk's fee at twenty dollars for an application, renewal or amendment. A certificate is valid for five years from the date of issuance.

State law does not require a town clerk to check that a trade name is unique, so more than one business can hold the same one. That differs from a registered entity name. The guide to filing a DBA covers the filing, and another explains whether two businesses can have the same name.

Checking and claiming a name in Connecticut

  1. Search the name here and note any entry whose status is dissolved or forfeited.
  2. Repeat the search in the state's Business Search on business.ct.gov.
  3. Check the name against the Secretary of the State's ignored words, such as "Inc." and "Ltd.".
  4. File the $60 reservation to hold the name for 120 days, or file the $120 Certificate of Organization directly.

Connecticut name search questions

Is the CT business lookup here the same as the Connecticut Secretary of the State corporation search?

No. The state's Business Search on business.ct.gov is the official record. The search here reads the Connecticut Business Registry: Business Master list, which the Secretary of the State updates daily.

Why does a Connecticut dissolved company still appear in a business search?

The Business Master list holds dissolved and forfeited companies and shows each one's status. The state's data also records a dissolution date and a reason when the Secretary of the State dissolves a business administratively.

How long does a Connecticut LLC name reservation last?

Connecticut General Statutes chapter 613a has the Secretary of the State hold a reserved name for 120 days. The Application for Reservation of Name costs $60 when filed online.

When is the Connecticut LLC annual report due?

An LLC files it online every year from January 1 to March 31, and the state's fee page lists it at $80. The state emails the business roughly one month ahead, or mails a postcard if no email is on file.

Not in the register search. Trade names are filed with a town clerk and have their own Search Trade Names tool.

After the Connecticut name check

11 official Connecticut sources
  1. Connecticut Business Registry: Business Master, data.ct.gov, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  2. Business.CT.gov, Search Business Records and Search Trade Names, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  3. Business.CT.gov, Register Your Connecticut Business, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  4. Connecticut General Statutes chapter 613a, Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  5. Connecticut General Statutes chapter 601, Connecticut Business Corporation Act, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  6. Business.CT.gov, Domestic limited liability companies forms and fees, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  7. Business.CT.gov, Domestic annual report forms and fees, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  8. Business.CT.gov, Annual report due date, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  9. Connecticut General Statutes, Town clerk fees, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  10. Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 620, Trade names, retrieved November 13, 2026.
  11. Connecticut Secretary of the State, form a corporation in Connecticut, retrieved November 13, 2026.