Michigan
On this page
Michigan at a glance
- Who runs it
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division
- MiBusiness Registry Portal
- Cost to search
- Free
- Account needed
- No
- Search without signing up
- Search by
- Business name or ID (at least 2 letters or numbers), Advanced search options
State fees
- Form an LLC$50Articles of Organization (Form CSCL/CD-700)Official source
- Annual Statement$25February 15 every year. An LLC formed after September 30 skips the first February 15.Official source
- Certificate of Good Standing$10Proof the business is currentOfficial source
- Change resident agent$5Certificate of Change of Registered Office and/or Resident Agent (Form 520). No fee if you make the change on the annual statement.Every LLC must have oneOfficial source
Michigan LLC lookup: how to use the MiBusiness Registry Portal
An LLC lookup in Michigan is the same search as a business search. The MiBusiness Registry Portal, kept by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), lists LLCs alongside corporations and other registered businesses. You can search by business name or ID. It's free, and you don't need an account.
- Open the MiBusiness Registry Portal business search. You don't need an account to search.
- Type at least two letters or numbers of the business name. Use "Advanced" for more search options.
- Pick the business from the results to open its record in the slide drawer.
- To file an annual statement or another document, log in with MiLogin for Business and use the "File Online" icon.
- To order a certificate of good standing or copies, log in and use the "Request Certificate" icon.
Good to know in Michigan: Michigan calls the registered agent a "resident agent" and the annual filing an "annual statement". Every Michigan LLC files by the same date, February 15, and since June 23, 2025 statements can only be filed online. An LLC that goes two years past a due date without filing is no longer in good standing.
What the search shows you
- Business name and record details
- A slide drawer with "File Online" and "Request Certificate" icons (login needed to use them)
What the status words mean
Michigan 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 MiBusiness Registry Portal, in the state's own wording.
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Not in good standing | The LLC didn't file an annual statement within two years of its due date. It can't get a certificate of good standing, its name becomes available to others, and LARA won't accept other filings from it until it files a Certificate of Restoration of Good Standing. |
| Dissolved | The LLC filed a Certificate of Dissolution and is winding up or has ended. |
| Withdrawn | A foreign (out-of-state) LLC filed a Certificate of Withdrawal and no longer has authority to do business in Michigan. |
For how these compare across states, see what business entity status means.
Finding the registered agent, filing history and owners
Resident Agent
Every Michigan LLC must keep a resident agent and a registered office in the state. The annual statement is where the LLC confirms or updates both each year.
Filing history
Copies of filed documents are ordered through the portal after you log in. Plain copies start at $6 for the first six pages, certified copies at $16.
Owners, managers and officers
A regular LLC's annual statement only confirms its resident agent and registered office. Only professional LLCs (PLLCs) report member and manager names. 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 Michigan Identification Number
Michigan gives every business on its register an Identification Number. It's the quickest way to pin down the right company when names are alike.
- What it looks like
- A 6-digit or 9-digit number, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury.
- Where to find yours
- On your Articles of Organization. You can also search the MiBusiness Registry by name to find it.
- Search by it
- Yes. The MiBusiness Registry Portal accepts it.
It's easy to mix it up with these, which come from other offices:
- ME number (discontinued) (Michigan Department of Treasury). Treasury stopped using ME numbers on December 31, 2014. Business taxes are now filed under the federal EIN, which is different from the LARA identification number.
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 Michigan
- Search the portal for the main words. Michigan requires an LLC name to be distinguishable from other corporations, limited partnerships, and LLCs on record.
- An LLC name can't include "corporation", "incorporated", "corp." or "inc."
- Reserve a name for 180 days for $25 if you aren't ready to file.
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 Michigan
DBAs and assumed names
- What it's called
- Assumed Name
- Where they're filed
- LLCs and corporations file a Certificate of Assumed Name (Form 541) with LARA's Corporations Division. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships file with the county clerk.
- Search
- No statewide online search.
- State fee
- $25. For an LLC. Corporations and limited partnerships pay $10.
- How long it lasts
- Until December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after the year it was filed, unless you file a Certificate of Termination.
UCC liens
Lenders file UCC financing statements with the Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State), UCC Section. The online search is free. Our Michigan UCC search guide has the steps and fees.
Michigan 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
$50- Articles of Organization (Form CSCL/CD-700).
- LARA doesn't publish a standard turnaround. The portal's search page shows the date LARA has processed filings through, so check there for the current backlog.
- Faster options: 24-hour ($50), same-day ($100), 2-hour ($500), 1-hour ($1,000) for formation documents, on top of the filing fee.
Annual Statement
$25- Due: February 15 every year. An LLC formed after September 30 skips the first February 15.
- If you're late: No late fee for a regular LLC (professional LLCs pay $50 if late). If a statement is still unfiled two years after its due date, the LLC is no longer in good standing.
- Annual statements must be filed online. LARA stopped accepting paper statements on June 23, 2025. Getting back into good standing takes a Certificate of Restoration of Good Standing ($50) plus $25 for each missed year.
Change your resident agent
$5- Every Michigan LLC must have one.
- Certificate of Change of Registered Office and/or Resident Agent (Form 520). No fee if you make the change on the annual statement.
Certificate of Good Standing
$10- Proof the company exists and is current, from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).
131,698 new business applications were filed in Michigan from January to September 2026, up 17.7% on last year, according to the Census Bureau. See every state.
Starting a business in Michigan?
A lot of people search the MiBusiness Registry Portal to see if a name is taken before they file. If that's you, here's the order to do things in.
- 1Check the name is free in MichiganTakes two minutes, steps on this page
- 2File your LLC with the stateArticles of Organization, $50 state fee
- 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 Michigan?
Search the MiBusiness Registry Portal, the official database kept by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). You can search by business name or ID. 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 Michigan business entity search free?
Yes. Searching the MiBusiness Registry Portal is free and needs no account. Certificates and copies cost extra, and you need a MiLogin for Business login to order them. A certificate of good standing is $10.
What does "not in good standing" mean in Michigan?
The LLC hasn't filed an annual statement within two years of its due date. It can't get a certificate of good standing, its name becomes available to others, and LARA won't accept other filings from it. To fix it, file a Certificate of Restoration of Good Standing ($50) along with every missed statement ($25 each).
When is the Michigan LLC annual statement due?
February 15 every year. An LLC formed after September 30 skips the first one. LARA sends three reminder emails if the LLC signed up for email, or a postcard to the resident agent if it didn't. Statements can only be filed online.
How do I find who owns a Michigan LLC?
Not from LARA's records. A regular LLC's annual statement only confirms its resident agent and registered office. Only professional LLCs report member and manager names.
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.MiBusiness Registry Portal business searchChecked November 8, 2026
- 2.LARA: MiBusiness Registry Portal launch (June 23, 2025)Checked November 8, 2026
- 3.LARA news release: new portal replaces the old filing systemChecked November 8, 2026
- 4.LARA Corporations Division filing fees (PDF)Checked November 8, 2026
- 5.LARA: LLC annual filingsChecked November 8, 2026
- 6.LARA: LLC filing information (CSCL/CD-265, PDF)Checked November 8, 2026
- 7.LARA: Naming a limited liability companyChecked November 8, 2026
- 8.LARA Corporations Division FAQ (restoration of good standing)Checked November 8, 2026
See something out of date? Report it and we'll look into it.