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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Business Entity Search (Department of State)

Written byRegistryWise Editorial TeamFact-checked against the Pennsylvania Department of State · How we research

The short answer

Pennsylvania business records are searched for free on the Department of State's Business Filing Services by entity name or entity number, and copies of filed documents cost extra. Since 2025 every LLC must file a $7 annual report by September 30, which replaced the old once-a-decade report.

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

Pennsylvania at a glance

Who runs it
Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Business Filing Services
Cost to search
Free
Searching is free. A plain copy of a filed document is $15 plus $3 per page, and a certified copy is $55 plus $3 per page.
Account needed
No
Search without signing up
Search by
Entity name, Entity number

State fees

  • Form an LLC$125Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821)Official source
  • Annual Report$7By September 30 each year for LLCs, starting the year after formation. The filing window opens January 1.Official source
  • Subsistence Certificate$40Proof the business is currentOfficial source
  • Change registered office$5Change of Registered Office.Every LLC must have oneOfficial source

An LLC lookup in Pennsylvania is the same search as a business search. The Business Filing Services, kept by the Pennsylvania Department of State, lists LLCs alongside corporations and other registered businesses. You can search by entity name or entity number. It's free, and you don't need an account.

  1. Open Business Filing Services. No account is needed to search.
  2. Type the entity name or the entity number.
  3. Open the result to see its status, registered office, and annual report information.
  4. To get a copy of a filed document, such as the Certificate of Organization, log in, click Request Certificate, and choose Copy Request. A plain copy is $15 plus $3 per page.
  5. For a subsistence certificate (good standing), choose Subsistence Certificate in the same menu. It costs $40.

Good to know in Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania replaced its decennial report with an annual report in 2025. LLCs file by September 30 for $7, corporations by June 30, and most other entities by December 31. Starting with reports due in 2027, an entity that doesn't file is administratively dissolved six months after the due date. Pennsylvania also lets a company name a Commercial Registered Office Provider (CROP) instead of a street address, so a record may show a provider's name rather than an address.

What the search shows you

  • Entity name and number
  • Status (Active, or Inactive with a reason)
  • Registered office address or Commercial Registered Office Provider
  • Annual report information, including governors and principal officers
  • Whether the entity is compliant with annual reporting

What the status words mean

Pennsylvania 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 Filing Services, in the state's own wording.

StatusWhat it means
ActiveThe entity exists on Department of State records. Active entities must file annual reports.
InactiveThe entity no longer exists or is no longer registered. The record adds the reason, such as Dissolved, Terminated, Merged Out, Withdrawn, or Cancelled. No annual report is required.
Inactive (Terminated)Usually an LLC or LP that filed a Certificate of Termination.
Inactive (Dissolved)Usually a corporation that filed Articles of Dissolution.
Inactive (Withdrawn)A foreign entity ended its Pennsylvania registration.
Inactive (Merged Out)The entity merged into another entity.

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

Finding the registered agent, filing history and owners

Registered Office

Pennsylvania uses a registered office, not a registered agent. The record shows either a street address or the name of a Commercial Registered Office Provider.

Filing history

An Index Report lists every filing the entity has made. Copies of the documents themselves are ordered through Request Certificate for a fee.

Owners, managers and officers

Annual reports, required since 2025, list at least one governor (for an LLC, a manager or a member with management rights) and any principal officers. That information shows on the public record. 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 Pennsylvania Entity Number

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

What it looks like
The Department of State doesn't publish a format. Copy it exactly as it appears on the entity record.
Where to find yours
On the entity's record in Business Filing Services. The Department of Revenue asks for your "Department of State entity number" when you register for state taxes.
Search by it
Yes. The Business Filing Services accepts it.

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 Pennsylvania

  1. Search Business Filing Services for the words you want to use.
  2. Fictitious names (DBAs) aren't protected names and can't be reserved.
  3. Reserve a name for 120 days with Form DSCB:15-208. The fee is $70.

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 Pennsylvania

DBAs and assumed names

What it's called
Fictitious Name
Where they're filed
Registered with the Department of State on Form DSCB:54-311, for every kind of business, including sole proprietors and LLCs. Fictitious names haven't been filed at the county since the early 1980s.
Search
No statewide online search.
State fee
$70

If an individual is listed as an owner, you have to advertise the filing in two newspapers in the county, one of them a legal newspaper. An unregistered business can't use Pennsylvania courts to enforce a contract made under the name.

UCC liens

Lenders file UCC financing statements with the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations. The online search is free. Our Pennsylvania UCC search guide has the steps and fees.

Pennsylvania 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

$125
  • Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821).
  • The Business Search page shows how current processing is. On November 7, 2026 it said: "we have processed all business filings received in our office through 11/05/2026."
  • Faster options: Same-day $100 (received before 10 a.m.), 3-hour $300 (before 2 p.m.), 1-hour $1,000 (before 4 p.m.).
File online Fee source

Annual Report

$7
  • Due: By September 30 each year for LLCs, starting the year after formation. The filing window opens January 1.
  • If you're late: No late fee. Starting with reports due in 2027, an LLC that doesn't file is administratively dissolved six months after the due date. Reinstatement costs $35 online ($40 on paper) plus $15 for each missed report.
  • You need a Business Filing Services login to file. Reports filed online are approved automatically.
File the report Fee source

Change your registered office

$5
  • Every Pennsylvania LLC must have one.
  • Change of Registered Office.
Fee source

Subsistence Certificate

$40
  • Proof the company exists and is current, from the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Order one Fee source

131,016 new business applications were filed in Pennsylvania from January to September 2026, up 9.0% on last year, according to the Census Bureau. See every state.

Starting a business in Pennsylvania?

A lot of people search the Business Filing Services 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 PennsylvaniaTakes two minutes, steps on this page
  2. 2File your LLC with the stateCertificate of Organization, $125 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 Pennsylvania?

Search the Business Filing Services, the official database kept by the Pennsylvania Department of State. You can search by entity name or entity number. 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 Pennsylvania business search free?

Searching is free. Copies of filed documents are not. A plain copy is $15 plus $3 per page, and a subsistence certificate (Pennsylvania's good standing certificate) is $40.

Does a Pennsylvania LLC have to file an annual report?

Yes, starting in 2025. It's due by September 30 each year, beginning the year after the LLC is formed, and costs $7. It replaced the old decennial report.

What is a Commercial Registered Office Provider?

A company that provides a registered office address for other businesses. If a Pennsylvania record shows a CROP name instead of an address, the business is using that provider.

What is a subsistence certificate?

Pennsylvania's name for a good standing certificate. It states the entity's registered name and whether it still exists on Department of State records.

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 Filing Services searchChecked November 8, 2026
  2. 2.Department of State: annual reportsChecked November 8, 2026
  3. 3.Department of State: fees and paymentsChecked November 8, 2026
  4. 4.Department of State: record searchesChecked November 8, 2026
  5. 5.Department of State: Pennsylvania limited liability companyChecked November 8, 2026
  6. 6.Department of State: business corporations (advertising)Checked November 8, 2026
  7. 7.Business One-Stop Hub: purchase business documentsChecked November 8, 2026
  8. 8.Guide to Business Registration in Pennsylvania (PDF)Checked November 8, 2026

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