Is the Missouri business entity search free?
Yes. The Missouri Secretary of State's business entity search lets anyone search registered businesses at no cost. Fees apply only for certified copies or a Certificate of Good Standing, not for looking up a record.
Quick facts
- Tool
- Missouri Secretary of State business entity search
- Agency
- Missouri Secretary of State
- Cost
- Free to search
- Returns
- Charter number, status, registered agent, filings
- Use
- Name availability and good-standing checks
- Note
- Missouri LLCs file no annual report
The same question in every other state
This requirement is set at state level, so the answer changes when you cross a state line. Below is how 46 other states answer the same question, each linked to the page that cites the agency it came from. The full breakdown is on How to Form an LLC.
| State | Answer |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes, the primary business entity search tool provided by the Alabama Secretary of State through Alabama Interactive is free to use. You can view basic entity information, including status and registered agent details, without any charge. |
| Arizona | Yes. Searching the ACC eCorp database and viewing entity records is free. |
| Arkansas | Yes, the Arkansas Secretary of State provides its online business entity search tool to the public free of charge. You do not need an account or subscription to perform searches. |
| California | Yes. Searching and viewing basic entity records on bizfile Online is free. |
| Colorado | Yes. The Colorado Secretary of State's online entity search is free to use for basic lookups. |
| Connecticut | Yes. The Secretary of the State's business records search at business.ct.gov is free and needs no account. |
| Delaware | Yes, the basic online search for business entities through the Delaware Division of Corporations website is free of charge. There are fees for certified copies of documents or certificates of good standing. |
| Florida | Yes. The Sunbiz search operated by the Florida Division of Corporations is completely free. |
| Georgia | Yes. The Georgia Corporations Division Business Search at ecorp.sos.ga.gov is free to use with no account. |
| Hawaii | Yes. The Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA)'s Hawaii Business Express search lets anyone search registered businesses at no cost. |
| Idaho | Yes. The Idaho Secretary of State's business search inside SOSBiz is free and requires no account. |
| Illinois | Yes. The Illinois Secretary of State business entity search is free to use. |
| Indiana | Yes. The Indiana Secretary of State Business Search at bsd.sos.in.gov is free and shows an entity's legal name, business ID, entity type, status, registered agent, and principal office. |
| Iowa | Yes. The Iowa Secretary of State provides the Business Entities Search at no charge and without registration. |
| Kansas | Yes. The Kansas Secretary of State's business entity search lets anyone search registered businesses at no cost. |
| Kentucky | Yes. Searching the Kentucky Secretary of State registry is free and requires no account. |
| Louisiana | Yes. Searching the Commercial Database and viewing an entity's detail record cost nothing. |
| Maine | Yes. Searching the Maine Secretary of State's Corporate Name Search is free, and viewing an entity's status and basic filing details costs nothing. |
| Maryland | Yes. The SDAT Business Entity Search on Maryland Business Express is free and shows an entity's legal name, SDAT Department ID, entity type, good-standing status, resident agent, and filing history. |
| Massachusetts | Yes. Searching and viewing entity records on the Corporations Division database is free. |
| Michigan | Yes. Searching business entity records through the LARA Corporations Division is free and requires no account. |
| Minnesota | Yes. Searching the Minnesota Secretary of State database is free and open to the public, with no account required for basic lookups. |
| Mississippi | Yes. Searching the Mississippi Secretary of State's business registry is free and does not require an account. |
| Montana | Yes. The Montana Secretary of State Business Search at biz.sosmt.gov is free and shows an entity's legal name, entity ID, entity type, status, registered agent, and filing dates. |
| Nebraska | Yes. Searching the Nebraska Secretary of State database is free, with no account required for basic lookups. |
| Nevada | Yes. Searching the Nevada Secretary of State's database and viewing entity records costs nothing. |
| New Hampshire | Yes. The New Hampshire Secretary of State's online entity search is free to use for basic lookups. |
| New Jersey | The Business Name Search operated by the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services is free to check whether a name is already in use. Detailed records, such as a Business Entity Status Report or a Standing Certificate, carry a fee set by the Registry Fee Schedule. |
| New Mexico | Yes. The Secretary of State's Corporations and Business Services search at enterprise.sos.nm.gov is free and requires no account. |
| New York | Yes. Searching the Corporation and Business Entity Database is free. |
| North Carolina | Yes. Searching and viewing entity records is free. |
| North Dakota | Yes. The North Dakota Secretary of State's online entity search is free to use for basic lookups. |
| Ohio | Yes. The Ohio Secretary of State Business Search at businesssearch.ohiosos.gov is free to use with no account. |
| Oklahoma | Yes. The Oklahoma Secretary of State's Business Entities Search is free to use online, and records may also be searched at the Secretary of State's office during normal business hours, 8 a.m. |
| Oregon | Yes. Searching the Oregon Secretary of State's Business Registry Search is free, and viewing an entity's status and basic filing details costs nothing. |
| Pennsylvania | Yes. Searching the database and viewing basic entity information is free. |
| Rhode Island | Yes. Searching the Secretary of State's Corporate Database is free and open to the public. |
| South Carolina | Yes. Searching the Secretary of State database is free, with no account required for basic lookups. |
| South Dakota | Yes. The South Dakota Secretary of State provides the online business entity search at no charge. |
| Tennessee | Yes. Searching and viewing entity records is free. |
| Texas | The Texas Comptroller's Taxable Entity Search is free and shows an entity's legal name, taxpayer number, and right-to-transact-business status. The Secretary of State's SOSDirect search is the official corporate record but charges $1 per search. |
| Vermont | Yes. Searching the register and viewing entity records costs nothing and requires no account. |
| Virginia | Yes. The Clerk's Information System (CIS) operated by the Virginia State Corporation Commission is free to search. |
| Washington | Yes. The Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS) operated by the Washington Secretary of State is free to search. |
| West Virginia | Yes. The West Virginia Secretary of State's Online Data Services business and corporations search is free to use and requires no account. |
| Wyoming | Yes. The Wyoming Secretary of State provides a free public business entity search on its website. |
Full context for Missouri
This page answers one question. The complete Missouri guide -- covering the surrounding requirements, the forms, the agency, and what happens if you get it wrong -- is at Missouri Business Entity Search (2026).
Sources
- https://www.sos.mo.gov/business
- https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/search/business/businesssearch.aspx
- https://www.sos.mo.gov/business/corporations/startBusiness
- https://dor.mo.gov/taxation/business/
- https://dor.mo.gov/taxation/business/tax-types/sales-use/
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneChapter.aspx?chapter=347
LegalGlass provides general information for educational purposes and is not a law firm or a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney or tax professional. Laws and fees change; verify current requirements with the relevant government agency before acting.