Indiana Secretary of State business search

Indiana lets a filer pay $10 to have a filing precleared by the Secretary of State before it is submitted.

Check a name against Indiana's naming rules

Example: a check of "Blue Heron Bakery LLC" against Indiana's rules.

Ends with "L.L.C.", an ending Indiana lists for an LLC.
No ending from Indiana'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 Indiana 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.

Indiana Secretary of State's own search

Run by: Indiana Secretary of State
Called: Search Businesses

Open Indiana's official search

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

The Business Division of the Indiana Secretary of State keeps the register. Its online services run under the INBiz name.

LLC filing fee $75
Name held 120 days
Register kept by Indiana Secretary of State

By the State Business Entity Search team. Fees, endings and rules come from 5 official Indiana sources, retrieved on November 12, 2026. Last updated November 13, 2026. How these facts are gathered.

Indiana filing fees for a new business name

Filing	State fee	Details
Form an LLC in Indiana	$75	Articles of organization, domestic limited liability company. Source: Indiana Code Title 23, Article 0.5, Chapter 9, filing fees.
Form a corporation in Indiana	$75	Articles of incorporation, domestic business corporation. Source: Indiana Code Title 23, Article 0.5, Chapter 9, filing fees.
Reserve a name in Indiana	$10	Held for 120 days. Source: Indiana Code Title 23, Article 0.5, Chapter 9, filing fees.
Business entity report for an Indiana LLC	$31	Every two years. In the anniversary month in which the entity was originally created. Source: Indiana Secretary of State, Business entity reports.
Assumed business name in Indiana	$20	Source: Indiana Code Title 23, Article 0.5, Chapter 9, filing fees.

Name endings Indiana accepts

For an LLC (Indiana Code 23-0.5-3-2(d))

limited liability company
L.L.C.
LLC

For a corporation (Indiana Code 23-0.5-3-2(a))

corporation
incorporated
company
limited
Corp.
Inc.
Co.
Ltd.

Looking up a business in INBiz

The Business Division points filers to its "Search Businesses" tool, the INBiz public business search. It shows what the Secretary of State has on record, and the state decides whether a name can be filed.

Indiana's help text says a name must be distinguishable from the names of other businesses on the Secretary of State's records. A search of that register comes first. A $10 preclearance is the state's own way to test a filing before it is submitted.

What makes an Indiana name distinguishable

Words and abbreviations that show the type of entity are left out of the comparison. Inc., Corp., Company, Ltd., LP, LLP, LLC and L.L.C. do not count under IC 23-0.5-3-1(c). "Blue Heron Bakery LLC" and "Blue Heron Bakery Inc." would be treated as the same name.

The name must also differ from existing entity names, unexpired reserved names and assumed names. A company dissolved administratively for 120 days or less still holds its name against newcomers.

Endings and restricted words

IC 23-0.5-3-2(d) requires an LLC name to contain "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "LLC". A corporation needs one of the words or abbreviations in IC 23-0.5-3-2(a). The name endings each state accepts lists both sets.

Some words need more than a free name. A filing or name change with "bank" or a derivative goes to the department of financial institutions. It may be filed only after that department approves it. Only a professional corporation owned entirely by physicians licensed under IC 25-22.5 may use "medical" in its corporate name. No name may falsely imply a link to a government agency.

Reserving a name and getting preclearance

Indiana holds a reserved name for renewable 120-day periods. IC 23-0.5-9-36 sets the electronic application at $10, and IC 23-0.5-9-37 makes each renewal a separate $10 electronic filing. Section 44 of the same chapter charges $10 for a preclearance of a filing.

Filing fees and the entity report

Articles of organization for an LLC cost $75 filed electronically and $100 any other way under IC 23-0.5-9-19. Articles of incorporation carry the same two amounts under IC 23-0.5-9-1. The LLC cost calculator puts these next to the report cost.

For-profit entities file a business entity report every other year in the anniversary month of their creation, and may submit it up to 90 days early. Nonprofits file every year. The Business Division's business entity reports page lists $31 online, while IC 23-0.5-9-34 lists $20 for an electronic filing. Both give $50 for a report filed other than electronically.

A report that is five months overdue ends in administrative dissolution.

Assumed names in Indiana

Filing entities register an assumed business name with the Secretary of State under IC 23-0.5-3-4(e). A for-profit entity pays $20 per name electronically and $30 per name otherwise. Individuals and general partnerships file with the county recorder. Filing a fictitious business name explains the difference.

Checking and claiming a name in Indiana

Search the name in the INBiz public business search, with and without its ending.
Confirm the ending against IC 23-0.5-3-2 and look for restricted words.
Pay $10 for preclearance or for a 120-day reservation if you want the name held.
File the articles for $75 online.

Indiana name search questions

What does Indiana's INBiz business search cover?

The Business Division links a "Search Businesses" tool from its home page, and the state describes it as the INBiz public business search. Indiana help text says a name must be distinguishable from other businesses on the Secretary of State's records.

Does Indiana treat Inc. and LLC as part of a business name when comparing names?

No. Under IC 23-0.5-3-1(c), words and abbreviations that show the type of entity may not be taken into account. Two names that differ only by LLC, Inc. or Corp. are not distinguishable.

How much is the Indiana business entity report?

The Business Division's business entity reports page lists $31 online, while IC 23-0.5-9-34 lists $20 for an electronic filing. Both sources give $50 for a report filed other than electronically.

Can I use a name that a dissolved Indiana company once held?

Not right away. A name of a company administratively dissolved stays unavailable to others for 120 days after the dissolution, under the Indiana Code naming section.

Where does an Indiana sole proprietor file an assumed name?

With the recorder of each county where the business has a place of business or an office. Filing entities such as LLCs file with the Secretary of State instead.

After the Indiana name check

5 official Indiana sources

Indiana Secretary of State, Business Division home page, retrieved November 12, 2026.
Indiana Secretary of State, business name help text, retrieved November 12, 2026.
Indiana Code Title 23, Business and Other Associations, retrieved November 12, 2026.
Indiana Code Title 23, Article 0.5, Chapter 9, filing fees, retrieved November 12, 2026.
Indiana Secretary of State, Business entity reports, retrieved November 12, 2026.