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Kentucky

Kentucky Business Search

Written byRegistryWise Editorial TeamFact-checked against the Kentucky Secretary of State · How we research

The short answer

Kentucky business records are searched for free on the Secretary of State's Business Entity Search by business name or Organization Number, or by the city or ZIP code of the principal office. Each profile shows both a Status and a Standing, the registered agent, the principal office, and the date of the last annual report.

On this page
  1. LLC lookup, step by step
  2. What the status means
  3. Agent, filings, owners
  4. Your Organization Number
  5. Is the name available?
  6. DBA and UCC search
  7. Fees and deadlines
  8. Questions
  9. Sources

Kentucky at a glance

Who runs it
Kentucky Secretary of State
Business Entity Search
Cost to search
Free
Searching is free. A Certificate of Existence is $10, and certified copies are $10 for up to five pages plus $0.50 per extra page.
Account needed
No
Search without signing up
Search by
Business Name or Organization Number, City Name of principal office
and 3 more

State fees

  • Form an LLC$40Same fee for profit, professional service, and non-profit LLCs.Articles of OrganizationOfficial source
  • Annual Report$15Between January 1 and June 30 each year.Official source
  • Certificate of Existence$10Online or by mail or fax. A foreign LLC gets a Certificate of Authorization instead.Proof the business is currentOfficial source
  • Change registered agent$10Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office, or Both.Every LLC must have oneOfficial source

An LLC lookup in Kentucky is the same search as a business search. The Business Entity Search, kept by the Kentucky Secretary of State, lists LLCs alongside corporations and other registered businesses. You can search by business Name or Organization Number, city Name of principal office, zip Codes of principal office, "Show active entities only" checkbox or separate Current Representative Search, Founding Representative Search, and Registered Agent Search. It's free, and you don't need an account.

The Business Entity Search search page, with the name box marked 1 and the search button marked 2.
The Business Entity Search as we found it on November 8, 2026. We marked where to type (1) and what to click (2). The state may change its layout.
  1. Open the Business Entity Search. Leave "I want to Search By" on "Business Name or Organization Number".
  2. Type the name or the seven-digit Organization Number. Uncheck "Show active entities only" if the business may be closed.
  3. Click "Search". Results list Company Name, Company ID, Status, and Company Type, 50 to a page.
  4. Click the company name to open its profile with Status, Standing, the registered agent, and the Last Annual Report date.
  5. To find businesses by person, use "Current Representative Search", "Founding Representative Search", or "Registered Agent Search" from the menu.

Good to know in Kentucky: Kentucky shows two separate fields, Status and Standing, and you need to read both. "Inactive" with good standing means the business filed articles of dissolution, changed its name, or merged, while "Inactive" with bad standing means it missed an annual report or lost its agent and will be administratively dissolved. The search also checks "Show active entities only" for you, so uncheck it to find closed businesses.

What the search shows you

  • Organization Number and name
  • Profit or Non-Profit, Company Type, and industry
  • Status (A - Active or I - Inactive) and Standing (G - Good, or bad standing)
  • File Date, Organization Date, and Last Annual Report date
  • Principal Office and "Managed By" (members or managers)
  • Registered agent name and address
  • Current officers, or managers and members for LLCs

What the status words mean

Kentucky uses its own words for a company's status, and they don't always mean the same thing as in other states. Here's what you'll see on the Business Entity Search, in the state's own wording.

StatusWhat it means
A - ActiveThe entity is active on the Secretary of State's records. Check the Standing field as well.
Inactive, good standingThe entity filed articles of dissolution and was left in good standing, changed its name, or merged into another entity.
Inactive, bad standingThe entity didn't file its annual report for the year, or its registered agent resigned and no new agent was appointed. These entities are administratively dissolved.
Administratively dissolvedA domestic entity that didn't file its annual report by June 30. Until it reinstates, it's inactive and in bad standing.
Revoked (foreign entities)A foreign entity that doesn't file its annual report on time has its certificate of authority revoked and must apply again to do business in Kentucky.

For how these compare across states, see what business entity status means.

Finding the registered agent, filing history and owners

Registered Agent

Shown on the profile under "Registered Agent" with the address. Changing the agent or office takes a Statement of Change of Registered Agent and Office (RAC), $10. You can't change it on the annual report postcard.

Filing history

The Business Entity Search lets you review documents on file. Photocopies of documents that aren't online are $5 for up to five pages, and records requests are processed within three business days.

Owners, managers and officers

The profile lists current officers, and for LLCs the managers or members, which the annual report confirms each year. The Secretary of State doesn't record ownership. If the state record doesn't name anyone, our guide on how to find the owner of an LLC covers where else to look.

Finding a Kentucky Organization Number

Kentucky gives every business on its register an Organization Number. It's the quickest way to pin down the right company when names are alike.

What it looks like
Seven digits, with leading zeros on older records, for example 1501605 or 0332819.
Where to find yours
On the business's profile under General Information, and in the Company ID column of search results.
Search by it
Yes. The Business Entity Search accepts it.

It's easy to mix it up with these, which come from other offices:

  • Corporation/LLET account number (Kentucky Department of Revenue). A six-digit account number for the limited liability entity tax, which applies to LLCs and other limited liability businesses. Businesses with $3 million or less in gross receipts or gross profits pay the $175 minimum. The Department of Revenue warns that paying under a Secretary of State Organization Number credits another company's account.

Your federal EIN is a different number again. See which business number a form is asking for.

Checking whether a business name is available in Kentucky

  1. Use the "Name Availability Search" link in the Business Entity Search menu.
  2. Reserve a name for 120 days for $15. Renewing costs another $15.
  3. If the name isn't distinguishable from an existing one, an application for use of an indistinguishable name costs $20.
  4. An assumed name is a separate $20 Certificate of Assumed Name filed with the Secretary of State.

A clear result on the state search isn't a trademark clearance. If the name matters to you, also search the USPTO trademark database and check the domain. More in our business name search guide.

DBA and UCC search in Kentucky

DBAs and assumed names

What it's called
Assumed Name
Where they're filed
An LLC files a Certificate of Assumed Name with the Secretary of State. Sole proprietors file with the county clerk instead.
Search
No statewide online search.
State fee
$20
How long it lasts
Five years from filing. File a renewal certificate within the six months before it expires.

UCC liens

Lenders file UCC financing statements with the Kentucky Secretary of State. The online search is free. Our Kentucky UCC search guide has the steps and fees.

Kentucky fees and deadlines

These are the state's own fees, before any service charges. Each row links to the official page we took it from.

Form an LLC

$40
  • Articles of Organization.
  • The Secretary of State doesn't publish a standard processing time. Online records are updated as soon as a filing is added to the database.
File online Fee source

Annual Report

$15
  • Due: Between January 1 and June 30 each year.
  • If you're late: A domestic LLC that misses June 30 is administratively dissolved and becomes inactive and in bad standing. Reinstating means a $100 reinstatement penalty, any delinquent fees, and letters of good standing from the Department of Revenue and, for profit companies, the Division of Unemployment Insurance.
  • The report confirms the principal office and registered agent and lists the officers, members, or managers. Agent and office changes need a separate statement of change.
File the report Fee source

Change your registered agent

$10
  • Every Kentucky LLC must have one.
  • Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office, or Both.
Fee source

Certificate of Existence

$10
  • Proof the company exists and is current, from the Kentucky Secretary of State.
  • Online or by mail or fax. A foreign LLC gets a Certificate of Authorization instead.
Order one Fee source

61,730 new business applications were filed in Kentucky from January to September 2026, up 34.0% on last year, according to the Census Bureau. See every state.

Starting a business in Kentucky?

A lot of people search the Business Entity Search to see if a name is taken before they file. If that's you, here's the order to do things in.

  1. 1Check the name is free in KentuckyTakes two minutes, steps on this page
  2. 2File your LLC with the stateArticles of Organization, $40 state fee
  3. 3Or let a service file it for youCompared on what you pay in year two

Step 3 goes to our comparison page, which has sponsored links. We earn a commission if you buy, and it doesn't change our rankings. How that works.

Frequently asked questions

How do I look up an LLC in Kentucky?

Search the Business Entity Search, the official database kept by the Kentucky Secretary of State. You can search by business Name or Organization Number, city Name of principal office, zip Codes of principal office, "Show active entities only" checkbox or separate Current Representative Search, Founding Representative Search, and Registered Agent Search. It's free, and you don't need an account. Open the matching record to see the LLC's status, registered agent and filing history.

Is the Kentucky business search free?

Yes. Searching and viewing profiles is free. A Certificate of Existence costs $10.

Is my Kentucky LLET number the same as my Organization Number?

No. The LLET account number is a six-digit Corporation/LLET account number from the Department of Revenue for the limited liability entity tax. The Department of Revenue warns that using the Secretary of State Organization Number instead will credit your payment to another company's account.

What does "inactive" with "bad standing" mean in Kentucky?

The business didn't file its annual report for the year, or its registered agent resigned and no new one was appointed. Businesses in that state are administratively dissolved until they reinstate.

Can I find out who owns a Kentucky LLC?

Not exactly. The Secretary of State lists an LLC's current managers or members but doesn't track ownership.

Sources

We take every fee, deadline and rule on this page from these pages and nowhere else. Rules change, so open the source before you pay anything.

  1. 1.Business Entity SearchChecked November 8, 2026
  2. 2.Business records FAQs (status and standing)Checked November 8, 2026
  3. 3.Business Records (certificates and copies)Checked November 8, 2026
  4. 4.FeesChecked November 8, 2026
  5. 5.Annual Reports (due dates and administrative dissolution)Checked November 8, 2026
  6. 6.FastTrack: File LLCChecked November 8, 2026
  7. 7.Certificate of Assumed Name, form ASN (PDF)Checked November 8, 2026
  8. 8.UCC Online ServicesChecked November 8, 2026
  9. 9.UCC Index SearchChecked November 8, 2026
  10. 10.UCC FAQs (fees)Checked November 8, 2026
  11. 11.Department of Revenue: Corporation Income and Limited Liability Entity TaxChecked November 8, 2026
  12. 12.Department of Revenue: Corporation/LLET account numberChecked November 8, 2026

See something out of date? Report it and we'll look into it.

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