Delaware entity search and business lookup
Delaware's free entity search lists active and inactive companies together and does not show current status.
Check a name against Delaware's naming rules
Example: a check of "Blue Heron Bakery LLC" against Delaware's rules.
- Ends with "L.L.C.", an ending Delaware lists for an LLC.
- No ending from Delaware's list for a corporation was found at the end of this name.
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.
This checks the ending and the restricted words Delaware publishes. It does not tell you whether another company already holds the name. Only the state's own search can show that.
A private website, not a government site. Every state entry links to that state's official search.
Delaware's own search
- Run by
- Delaware Department of State
- Called
- Search for a Business Entity
- Search by
- entity name, file number
The state's search is the record that counts. State Business Entity Search is not a government site.
The Division of Corporations, part of the Delaware Department of State, keeps the register and charges $10 per entity to check status online.
Delaware filing fees for a new business name
| Filing | State fee | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Form an LLC in Delaware | $110 | Formation, domestic. Source: Delaware Division of Corporations, Fee Schedule revised August 2026. |
| Form a corporation in Delaware | $109 | Incorporation. Source: Delaware Division of Corporations, Fee Schedule revised August 2026. |
| Reserve a name in Delaware | $75 | Held for 120 days. Source: Delaware Division of Corporations, Frequently Asked Questions. |
| Annual tax for a Delaware LLC | $400 | Every year. On or before June 1 for the prior year. Source: Delaware Code Title 6, Chapter 18, Subchapter XI (LLC annual tax). |
Name endings Delaware accepts
For an LLC (6 Del. C. § 18-102)
For a corporation (8 Del. C. § 102(a)(1))
How the Search for a Business Entity tool works
The Division of Corporations calls its name lookup "Search for a Business Entity". It costs nothing and takes either an entity name or a file number. Quotation marks around the name make the match exact.
Each result gives the entity name, file number, formation date, registered agent, address, phone number and residency. Active and inactive entities sit in the same list, so a name that appears may belong to a company that closed long ago.
The Division strictly prohibits data mining and excessive or automated searching. A few careful searches by hand are the safe way to use it. For status, the Division charges $10 per entity, or $20 for detail on franchise tax assessment and filing history.
What Delaware requires in an LLC name
Title 6, section 18-102 of the Delaware Code requires the words "Limited Liability Company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "LLC". The name must also be distinguishable on the Division's records from any Delaware corporation, partnership, limited partnership, statutory trust, LLC or registered series. Foreign versions of those entities qualified in Delaware count as well.
A name that is too close can still be used if the other entity gives written consent and files it with the Secretary of State. The statute also bars the word "bank" and its variations from an LLC name, with exceptions for banks under the State Bank Commissioner and similar regulated entities.
Delaware corporation names and the word trust
A corporation must carry one of the words listed in Title 8, section 102(a)(1). Section 102 also bars "trust" except as section 395 allows. "Bank" and its variations are barred unless the business is a bank under the State Bank Commissioner or a regulated entity named in the statute.
Reserving a Delaware name
The Division reserves a name for 120 days at $75 per name. The same price applies to corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, registered series, statutory trusts and partnerships.
A reservation is optional. The Division says it may reduce processing time, and it warns that no activity should be conducted based on a name reservation. The separate Name Availability Search tool asks you to pick the kind of entity first.
The yearly cost of keeping a Delaware LLC
A Delaware LLC files no annual report, but it pays an annual tax. Delaware Code section 18-1107 sets that tax at $400. One answer in the Division's FAQ says $300. The $400 figure is the one the statute states.
The Division's FAQ puts the payment on or before June 1 for the prior year. The LLC cost calculator adds the tax to the $110 formation fee in the Division's August 2026 schedule.
Trade names in Delaware
Since February 2, 2026, DBAs and trade names go through the Division of Revenue on the Delaware One Stop website. The Division of Corporations no longer handles them. Filing a fictitious business name explains how those names differ from an LLC name.
Checking a name in Delaware
- Search the name in quotation marks in the Search for a Business Entity tool.
- Test it against the Delaware endings, using the name endings each state accepts.
- Reserve it for $75 if you need the 120 days.
- File the certificate of formation, which the August 2026 fee schedule lists at $110.
Delaware name search questions
Can the Delaware business lookup show who owns an LLC?
No. The Division of Corporations says alternative entities, which include LLCs, are not required to list members or managers. Officers and directors of Delaware corporations appear on the most recent annual report.
How do I run a Delaware LLC name search with an exact match?
Put the name in quotation marks in the Division's Search for a Business Entity tool. The field is not case sensitive, and you can also search by file number.
What does a Delaware LLC cost to keep each year?
Delaware Code section 18-1107 sets the LLC annual tax at $400, while one answer in the Division of Corporations FAQ says $300. The Division also states that an LLC files no annual report.
Where do I register a Delaware DBA or trade name?
With the Delaware Division of Revenue through the Delaware One Stop website. Since February 2, 2026, the Division of Corporations no longer manages trade names.
Do I have to reserve a Delaware company name before filing?
No. The Division says a reservation is optional, costs $75 per name and lasts 120 days. It adds that reserving may reduce processing time for your filing.
After the Delaware name check
- LLC cost calculatorDelaware filing and report fees added up
- Business name rules by stateDelaware's endings beside other states
- Massachusetts business entity searchSecretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- New Jersey business entity searchNew Jersey Department of the Treasury
- Oregon business entity searchOregon Secretary of State
- LLC name examplesInvented names that meet, and miss, the ending rules in Delaware, Florida, Texas and California.
- What does Ltd mean in a company name"Limited" and "ltd." in state name statutes, and why LLC statutes ask for different endings.
7 official Delaware sources
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Search for a Business Entity, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Name Reservation and Entity Name Availability, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Frequently Asked Questions, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Fee Schedule revised August 2026, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Delaware Code Title 6, Chapter 18, Subchapter I (LLC Act, section 18-102), retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Delaware Code Title 6, Chapter 18, Subchapter XI (LLC annual tax), retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Delaware Code Title 8, Chapter 1, Subchapter I (section 102, corporation names), retrieved November 12, 2026.