Minnesota business entity search
Minnesota's fee schedule lists no charge for an LLC's annual renewal, yet reinstating one costs $25 by mail or $45 online.
Check a name against Minnesota's naming rules
Example: a check of "Blue Heron Bakery LLC" against Minnesota's rules.
- Ends with "LLC", an ending Minnesota lists for an LLC.
- No ending from Minnesota'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 Minnesota 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.
Minnesota Secretary of State's own search
- Run by
- Minnesota Secretary of State
- Called
- Search for Business Filings
The state's search is the record that counts. State Business Entity Search is not a government site.
The Business & Liens division of the Minnesota Secretary of State keeps the register, and its Search for Business Filings opens from the Business Filings Online box.
Minnesota filing fees for a new business name
| Filing | State fee | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Form an LLC in Minnesota | $135 | Articles of Organization, original filing. Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, Business filing and certification fee schedule. |
| Form a corporation in Minnesota | $135 | Articles of Incorporation, original filing. Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, Business filing and certification fee schedule. |
| Reserve a name in Minnesota | $35 | Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, Business filing and certification fee schedule. |
| Annual renewal for a Minnesota LLC | $0 | Every year. Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, Business filing and certification fee schedule. |
Name endings Minnesota accepts
For an LLC (Minnesota Statutes 322C.0108)
For a corporation (Minnesota Statutes 302A.115)
Minnesota's Search for Business Filings
The Secretary of State's Business & Liens page groups its online tools in a Business Filings Online box. From that box you can register a business, file renewals or amendments, search for business filings, and order copies and certificates.
The search is the place to look up what is on the register before choosing a name or filing. It sits next to the filing tools, so a name check and a filing use the same starting point.
What makes a Minnesota LLC name acceptable
Minnesota Statutes section 322C.0108 sets the LLC rules. The name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "LLC". A professional firm under chapter 319B follows section 319B.05 instead.
The name may not contain "corporation" or "incorporated", or an abbreviation of either. It also has to be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records from every domestic limited liability company, limited liability partnership, corporation and limited partnership.
A filed written consent or a court decree can lift the distinguishability rule. Corporations follow section 302A.115, which accepts "corporation", "incorporated", "limited", "company" or "Co." with an exception when "company" follows "and" or "&".
The name endings across states lists the endings side by side.
Filing fees depend on how you file
The fee schedule lists the original Articles of Organization at $135 by mail and $155 in person or online. Articles of Incorporation carry the same two prices.
A name reservation is $35 by mail or $55 in person or online, and a renewal costs the same. The fee schedule does not give the length of a reservation, so confirm the term when you file.
Annual renewal and reinstatement
The fee schedule lists the annual renewal for a domestic LLC at no charge, by mail or online. An LLC that lapses pays $25 by mail or $45 online to be reinstated.
That gap makes the renewal worth filing on time. The yearly LLC cost estimates add these figures to the formation fee.
Choosing between mail and online
Every fee in the schedule has two columns. For the original articles of organization, the mail price of $135 is the lower one, and $155 buys the in person or online route. The same pattern holds for a name reservation at $35 and $55, and for reinstatement at $25 and $45.
An example shows the effect. A company filing as Blue Heron Bakery LLC that reserves its name by mail at $35 and files by mail at $135 pays the lower column both times.
Checking and claiming a name in Minnesota
- Open the Business Filings Online box and run Search for Business Filings on the name.
- Check that the name ends with "limited liability company" or "LLC" and leaves out "corporation" and "incorporated".
- Reserve the name for $35 by mail or $55 online if you need a hold.
- File the Articles of Organization at $135 by mail or $155 in person or online.
- Once the name is on the register, protecting a business name covers what else to consider.
Minnesota name search questions
Does a Minnesota LLC pay to renew every year?
The Secretary of State's fee schedule lists the annual renewal for a domestic LLC at $0 by mail and online. Reinstatement after a lapse is listed at $25 by mail or $45 online.
How much does it cost to file Minnesota articles of organization?
The fee schedule lists the original filing at $135 by mail and $155 in person or online. Articles of incorporation carry the same $135 and $155.
What does a Minnesota name reservation cost?
The original filing is $35 by mail or $55 in person or online, and a renewal is listed at the same amounts.
Can a Minnesota LLC have "Corporation" in its name?
No. Minnesota Statutes section 322C.0108 says an LLC name must not contain the word "corporation" or "incorporated" or an abbreviation of either.
What can a Minnesota LLC do about a name close to an existing one?
Section 322C.0108 requires the name to be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records. A written consent or a court decree, filed with the office, can be an exception.
After the Minnesota name check
- LLC cost calculatorMinnesota filing and report fees added up
- Business name rules by stateMinnesota's endings beside other states
- Wisconsin business entity searchWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions
- Kentucky business entity searchKentucky Secretary of State
- Rhode Island business entity searchRhode Island Department of State
- Business name change with the IRSWhich IRS form box or letter covers a new business name, who signs it and when an EIN stays the same.
- How to find a business owner's nameWhere registered agents, registrants and owners appear in state and county records, and what FinCEN says.
4 official Minnesota sources
- Minnesota Secretary of State, Business & Liens, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- Minnesota Secretary of State, Business filing and certification fee schedule, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- Minnesota Statutes section 322C.0108, limited liability company name, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- Minnesota Statutes section 302A.115, corporate name, retrieved November 13, 2026.