Wisconsin business entity search

How the Wisconsin Corporate Records Search works

Wisconsin names are checked in the Corporate Records Search, which the Department of Financial Institutions runs. Its FAQ calls the system the Corporate Registration Information System, or CRIS. A result can show the legal entity name, entity type, registered agent, registered office, status and the year of the latest annual report.

The department's search tips say to type the entity name without an ending such as LLC or Corp. A common word such as "american" can match hundreds of records, and the system will not return all of them. Add words to narrow the search.

The Advanced Search offers three match choices: the exact phrase, all of the words, or names that start with the words. It also searches registered agent names, and those are entered exactly as they appear on the filed document.

What the Wisconsin register leaves out

The search lists what the department does not record: FEIN, LLC member names, telephone numbers, sole proprietors, tradenames (DBAs), trademarks and owners. A clear result therefore says nothing about a trade name held by a sole proprietor.

Phone checks carry the same limit. The Corporation Bureau will search for you, but the department calls verbal results tentative because the pool of names changes daily.

What makes a Wisconsin LLC name distinguishable

Wisconsin Statutes 183.0112 requires an LLC name to be distinguishable on the department's records. The comparison covers existing entities, limited liability partnerships, names registered to do business in the state, and reserved or registered names. Words that show the type of entity, such as Inc., Ltd. and LLC, are not taken into account. The same goes for a variation of those abbreviations that differs only in capitalization or punctuation.

A company may still apply for authorization to use a name that is not distinguishable. The application costs $10. The department grants it when the holder of the existing name consents in writing and promises to change its own name. A final court judgment establishing the applicant's right to the name also works.

An LLC name may not state or imply a purpose regulated under another Wisconsin statute. The exception covers an LLC whose purpose that statute does not prohibit and which accepts all of its limitations.

Reserving a Wisconsin LLC name

Wisconsin Statutes 183.0113 lets a person reserve a name for a 120-day period, and the reservation can be renewed from time to time. The fee is $15 for the application and $15 for each renewal under section 183.0122.

Reserved names show up in the register itself, since the Advanced Search entity types include Short Term Name Reservation and Long Term Name Reservation/Registration.

What Wisconsin charges after formation

Section 183.0122 sets articles of organization at $130, which matches the online fee on the department's schedule. The same schedule lists $170 for a paper filing. Expedited service adds $100 per transaction, and the department acts on it by the close of business the following business day.

Every LLC files an annual report, which costs $25 under the statute and $40 on paper. The report falls due in the calendar quarter of the anniversary of registration, in each year after the registration year. An LLC that misses it shows as delinquent until it files a current report and pays the back fees.

Checking and claiming a name in Wisconsin

1. Search the name in the Corporate Records Search without its ending, then add or drop words as the search tips suggest.
2. Open the Advanced Search and set the entity status and name filters to include entities no longer in existence and old names.
3. Reserve the name for $15 if you need 120 days to finish the paperwork.
4. File the articles of organization for $130 online, using a name with an ending from the endings each state accepts.
5. Wait for written confirmation that the filing was accepted, since the department says no name should be assumed usable until then.

The LLC cost calculator adds these fees to the rest of a formation budget. A trade name used by a sole proprietor is covered in the fictitious business name guide.