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West Virginia

West Virginia Business Search

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

The short answer

West Virginia businesses are searched for free on the Secretary of State's Business Organization Search by organization name or by agent, officer, or name, and the Advanced Search adds the RecordID, address, county, and date filters. Each record lists the managers, members, and organizers, the office addresses, and the years annual reports were filed.

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

West Virginia at a glance

Who runs it
West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division
Business Organization Search
Cost to search
Free
Searching is free. A Certificate of Existence is $10, certified copies are $15, and results as a CSV file are sold through a paid data list option.
Account needed
No
Search without signing up
Search by
Organization, Agent/Officer/Name
and 3 more

State fees

  • Form an LLC$100Waived for veteran-owned businesses. Online filings add a $1 processing fee.Articles of OrganizationOfficial source
  • Annual Report$25$1 extra online.By June 30 each year, for every LLC formed on or before December 31 of the previous year. Notices go out in January.Official source
  • Certificate of Existence$10Standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days. Expedite is extra.Proof the business is currentOfficial source
  • Change agent for service of process$15Change of Agent, Address & Officers (AAO).Optional in this stateOfficial source

An LLC lookup in West Virginia is the same search as a business search. The Business Organization Search, kept by the West Virginia Secretary of State, lists LLCs alongside corporations and other registered businesses. You can search by organization, agent/Officer/Name, recordID, street, City, County, and State or date ranges. It's free, and you don't need an account.

The Business Organization Search search page, with the name box marked 1 and the search button marked 2.
The Business Organization 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 Organization Search. Type key words from the business name in "Organization", or a person or company in "Agent/Officer/Name".
  2. Use the % symbol as a wildcard if you have trouble, as in the search tips example %Fraternal%1234%.
  3. Pick a results tab: Org Name, DBA, Name Change, or Registrations/Reservations.
  4. Click the organization name to open the Business Organization Detail page with its addresses, officers, and annual report years.
  5. To search by number, open "Show Advanced Search Options" and enter the Org Id in "RecordID".

Good to know in West Virginia: There is no "Active" status in the West Virginia search. Results show a Termination Date and Termination Reason instead, so you read a record by whether those columns are filled in, for example "Revoked (Failure to File Annual Report)". The results also show trade names (DBAs) in their own tab, and the search tips say fictitious names registered with the State Tax Department are included.

What the search shows you

  • Organization name and Org Id
  • Type (such as LLC, C, LP)
  • Effective date and established date
  • Termination date and termination reason
  • Charter (Domestic or Foreign) and class (Profit or Non-Profit)
  • Separate result tabs for Org Name, DBA, Name Change, and Registrations/Reservations

What the status words mean

West Virginia 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 Organization Search, in the state's own wording.

StatusWhat it means
No termination dateThe search has no "Active" label. Records that haven't been terminated show nothing in the Termination Date and Termination Reason columns. The Secretary of State doesn't publish a definition, so check the Annual Reports list on the record too.
Revoked (Failure to File Annual Report)A termination reason. The Secretary of State says LLCs that fail to file the annual report may be sent an administrative dissolution or revocation notice.
Voluntary Dissolution (Domestic)A termination reason shown on records ended by a dissolution filing. The search doesn't define it further. The filing fee for a dissolution or termination is $25.
Dissolution by Court OrderA termination reason that appears on some older records. The search page doesn't define it.

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

Finding the registered agent, filing history and owners

Agent for service of process

The detail page lists a "Notice of Process Address" with the name it's addressed to, plus the Designated Office Address and Principal Office Address.

Filing history

The detail page lists the years annual reports were filed for. Filed documents aren't linked from the record. Certified copies cost $15 from the Secretary of State.

Owners, managers and officers

The Officers section lists managers, members, and organizers with their addresses. The LLC annual report requires an update of the managers or members authorized to sign filings. 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 West Virginia Org Id

West Virginia gives every business on its register an Org Id. It's the quickest way to pin down the right company when names are alike.

What it looks like
A number of up to six digits in the records we checked, such as 305639. The detail page also shows a separate alphanumeric "Control Number", such as 99TA9.
Where to find yours
In the Org Id column of the search results and at the end of the record's web address (organization.aspx?org=305639).
Search by it
Yes. The Business Organization Search accepts it.

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

  • Account ID number (Business Registration Certificate) (West Virginia Tax Division). The Tax Division assigns an account ID number for each tax a business owes and issues a Business Registration Certificate that must be posted where you do business. It isn't the Secretary of State's Org Id.

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 West Virginia

  1. Search the Business Organization Search and check the Org Name, DBA, and Registrations/Reservations tabs.
  2. A name must be distinguishable from any other active registered name. Endings like LLC or Inc., words like "The" or "And", singular versus plural, apostrophes, and spacing don't make a name distinguishable.
  3. Reserve a name for 120 days for $15.

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 West Virginia

DBAs and assumed names

What it's called
Trade Name (DBA)
Where they're filed
LLCs and corporations register trade names with the Secretary of State, and the Business Organization Search shows them in the DBA tab. Name searches for sole proprietors and general partnerships go through the State Tax Department.
State fee
$25. Plus a $1 online processing fee. No Secretary of State fee for individuals, sole proprietorships, or general partnerships.

UCC liens

Lenders file UCC financing statements with the West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division. The online search is paid. Our West Virginia UCC search guide has the steps and fees.

West Virginia 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

$100
  • Articles of Organization.
  • The Secretary of State's fee schedule doesn't state a standard turnaround. File online through the One Stop Business Portal.
  • Faster options: 24-hour ($25), 2-hour ($250), or 1-hour ($500), on top of the filing fee.
File online Fee source

Annual Report

$25
  • Due: By June 30 each year, for every LLC formed on or before December 31 of the previous year. Notices go out in January.
  • If you're late: $75 if received after June 30, which includes a $50 late fee. LLCs that don't file may be sent an administrative dissolution or revocation notice.
  • A 2026 change to W. Va. Code §59-1-2a lets an LLC elect biennial reporting instead, for a $50 fee every two years, with a $100 late fee for a biennial delinquency.
File the report Fee source

Change your agent for service of process

$15
  • Optional in this state.
  • Change of Agent, Address & Officers (AAO).
Fee source

Certificate of Existence

$10
  • Proof the company exists and is current, from the West Virginia Secretary of State.
  • Standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days. Expedite is extra.
Order one Fee source

15,618 new business applications were filed in West Virginia from January to September 2026, up 24.6% on last year, according to the Census Bureau. See every state.

Starting a business in West Virginia?

A lot of people search the Business Organization 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 West VirginiaTakes two minutes, steps on this page
  2. 2File your LLC with the stateArticles of Organization, $100 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 West Virginia?

Search the Business Organization Search, the official database kept by the West Virginia Secretary of State. You can search by organization, agent/Officer/Name, recordID, street, City, County, and State or date ranges. 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 West Virginia business entity search free?

Yes. Searching and viewing the detail pages are free. A Certificate of Existence is $10, and certified copies are $15.

Can I find out who owns a West Virginia LLC?

Often, yes. The Officers section of the record lists the managers, members, and organizers the LLC reported, with addresses.

What does "Revoked (Failure to File Annual Report)" mean?

It's the termination reason shown when the LLC's record was ended for not filing its annual report. The Secretary of State warns that LLCs that don't file may be sent a dissolution or revocation notice.

When is the West Virginia annual report due?

By June 30 each year, starting the year after formation. The fee is $25, or $75 if received after June 30.

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 Organization SearchChecked November 8, 2026
  2. 2.Business Organization Search: advanced optionsChecked November 8, 2026
  3. 3.Secretary of State: Limited Liability Companies (annual report fees)Checked November 8, 2026
  4. 4.Secretary of State: Fee Schedule (PDF)Checked November 8, 2026
  5. 5.Articles of Organization form (PDF)Checked November 8, 2026
  6. 6.Secretary of State: Certificates of Existence or AuthorizationChecked November 8, 2026
  7. 7.Secretary of State: Register a Trade Name (DBA)Checked November 8, 2026
  8. 8.One Stop Business PortalChecked November 8, 2026
  9. 9.UCC Online Filing, Search & Retrieval SystemChecked November 8, 2026
  10. 10.W. Va. Code §31B-1-108 (agent for service of process)Checked November 8, 2026
  11. 11.W. Va. Code §59-1-2a (annual and biennial reports)Checked November 8, 2026
  12. 12.West Virginia Tax Division: Business Registration FAQChecked November 8, 2026

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

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