South Carolina business entity search
South Carolina holds a reserved name for a single nonrenewable 120-day period, and an LLC pays $25 to reserve one.
Check a name against South Carolina's naming rules
- Type a business name above and press Check name. Its ending and any restricted words show here.
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.
See an example check
Example: a check of "Blue Heron Bakery LLC" against South Carolina's rules.
- Ends with "L.L.C.", an ending South Carolina lists for an LLC.
- No ending from South Carolina's list for a corporation was found at the end of this name.
This checks the ending and the restricted words South Carolina 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.
South Carolina Secretary of State's own search
- Run by
- South Carolina Secretary of State
- Called
- Business Entities Online
- Search by
- business name, registered agent (separate Agent Search)
The state's search is the record that counts. State Business Entity Search is not a government site.
The Secretary of State keeps the register, and its Business Entities Online system offers Begins With, Contains and Exact Match searches.
South Carolina filing fees for a new business name
| Filing | State fee | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Form an LLC in South Carolina | $110 | Articles of organization of a limited liability company. Source: South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 33, chapter 44, limited liability companies. |
| Form a corporation in South Carolina | $10 | Articles of incorporation. Source: South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 33, chapter 1, corporations general provisions. |
| Reserve a name in South Carolina | $25 | Held for 120 days. Source: South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 33, chapter 44, limited liability companies. |
Name endings South Carolina accepts
For an LLC (South Carolina Code of Laws 33-44-105)
For a corporation (South Carolina Code of Laws 33-4-101)
South Carolina Business Entities Online search
The Secretary of State's Business Entities Online system lets users file corporate documents and search entities on file. The name search has three match options, Begins With, Contains and Exact Match. A result opens the official business profile.
A separate Agent Search shows which entities a registered agent serves. The register leaves out sole proprietorships and general partnerships, since they do not file with the Secretary of State.
What a South Carolina search result leaves out
The office does not hold the names or addresses of a company's officers or directors. Those come from corporate annual reports filed with the Department of Revenue, due on the fifteenth day of the fourth month after the tax year ends.
On Good Standing, the welcome page says the status does not mean the business entity is currently in operation.
Names South Carolina treats as taken
Section 33-44-105 requires an LLC name to be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State from the name of any corporation, limited partnership or company organized or authorized in the state. Reserved and registered names count too. The statute text does not define the test further.
An LLC can ask to use an indistinguishable name if the present holder consents in a record and submits an undertaking in a form satisfactory to the Secretary of State. The guide to the same name for two businesses explains the wider picture.
Filing does not give an exclusive right to a name, the state's FAQ says.
Reserving a South Carolina name
The LLC chapter prices an application for reservation of an LLC name at $25, and the corporation fee is $10. Both reservations last one nonrenewable 120-day period. You do not need to reserve a name if you are ready to organize your entity.
South Carolina filing fees and trade names
The LLC chapter sets articles of organization at $110, and the corporation chapter sets articles of incorporation at $10. The LLC chapter also has the Secretary of State collect a fee of $10 each time process is served on it for an LLC. A foreign LLC that registers its name renews it between October 1 and December 31 of the preceding year.
The Secretary of State's Office does not register DBA or trade names. A business under a trade name has no state filing to look up, which the guide to the sole proprietorship name covers.
Checking and claiming a name in South Carolina
- Search Business Entities Online with Contains first, then Exact Match.
- Check the ending against the name endings by state.
- Pay $25 for an LLC name reservation only if you need the 120 days.
- File articles of organization at $110, and total the rest with the LLC cost calculator.
South Carolina name search questions
How do I use the South Carolina business name search?
Enter the business name in Business Entities Online and pick Begins With, Contains or Exact Match. Results open an official business profile with registered agent and registered office information. A captcha prompt can appear.
Does South Carolina register DBA or trade names?
No. The Secretary of State's FAQ says its office does not register DBA or trade names. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships do not file with it either.
Can a reserved South Carolina name be renewed?
No. The LLC chapter and the corporation chapter both call the 120-day reservation nonrenewable. The state's FAQ adds that you need not reserve a name if you are ready to organize.
Does Good Standing mean a South Carolina company is operating?
No. The Business Entities Online welcome page says Good Standing does not mean the business entity is currently in operation.
Can the South Carolina register show a company's officers?
No. The Secretary of State's Office says it does not have the names or addresses of a company's officers or directors.
After the South Carolina name check
- LLC cost calculatorSouth Carolina filing and report fees added up
- Business name rules by stateSouth Carolina's endings beside other states
- Utah business entity searchUtah Department of Commerce
- Connecticut business entity searchConnecticut Secretary of the State
- Tennessee business entity searchTennessee Secretary of State
- How much to trademark a business nameUSPTO application, extra and upkeep fees per class, plus what Texas and Florida charge for a state mark.
- Company domain nameWhat a domain is, who registers it, how renewal works and what the official pages say about email.
9 official South Carolina sources
- South Carolina Secretary of State, Business Entities Online name search, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- South Carolina Secretary of State, Business Entities Online, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- South Carolina Secretary of State, File and search online, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- South Carolina Secretary of State, Business entities, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- South Carolina Secretary of State, FAQs about business entities, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 33, chapter 44, limited liability companies, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 33, chapter 4, corporations, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 33, chapter 1, corporations general provisions, retrieved November 13, 2026.
- South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 12, chapter 20, corporate annual reports, retrieved November 13, 2026.