Michigan business entity search and name check

Michigan's business registry isn't run by a Secretary of State: it belongs to the Corporations Division of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), and you search it in the MiBusiness Registry Portal. That site asks AI agents not to access it, so we don't search Michigan for you and link you to the portal instead. Michigan is one of the cheaper states to keep an LLC: $50 to form and a $25 annual statement due each February 15.

Registry: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau, Corporations Division
Official search: MiBusiness Registry Portal (MiBRP)
How we search Michigan: Official site only (we hand you off). Michigan's registry site uses its robots.txt file to ask AI agents not to access it. We respect that, so we link you to the official portal instead of searching it for you.
What a result can tell you: Searching the official site shows names on record. Michigan decides acceptance when you file.
State fee to form an LLC: $50 (Articles of Organization (Form 700))
Ongoing LLC filing: Annual Statement, $25. Due February 15 each year after the LLC is formed. An LLC formed after September 30 skips the first February 15

What the Michigan search covers

The MiBusiness Registry Portal lets you look up businesses registered with LARA's Corporations Division by name or ID number.

Each record has a ID Number. Search by number on the MiBusiness Registry Portal (MiBRP).

How to read Michigan results

Michigan uses its own status labels. We always show the official wording; here is what the common ones mean according to the state:

Status	What it means
Not in good standing / Dissolved / Revoked	An entity that doesn't file its annual report or statement is dissolved, revoked or marked not in good standing after a two-year grace period (one year for out-of-state corporations). Source: michigan.gov

A status describes the registry filing only. It isn’t evidence of a license, tax compliance or reputation, and a record with the same name as a company you know may be a different business. More on statuses.

Michigan business name rules

An LLC name must include one of: limited liability company, L.L.C., L.C., LLC, LC, low-profit limited liability company, L.3.C.. A corporation uses one of: corporation, company, incorporated, limited, corp., co., inc., ltd..

An LLC name must be distinguishable in the state's records from LLCs in good standing, corporations, nonprofits and limited partnerships, and from names that have been reserved, registered or assumed. (MCL 450.4204(3)(c); MCL 450.1212) Source: legislature.mi.gov

Michigan doesn’t publish a list of the differences it ignores, so our check treats only capitalization and punctuation as insignificant and flags other close names as similar for you to judge.

Words that need approval or are restricted

Words	Requirement
corporation, incorporated, corp., inc.	Not allowed in an LLC name, because they suggest a corporation. Source: legislature.mi.gov

Professional LLCs

A professional LLC must have at least one member or manager who is properly licensed in the profession. A professional corporation needs at least one licensed shareholder.

Reserving a name in Michigan

Michigan lets you reserve a name before you form the business for $25.

File Form 540, Application for Reservation of Name. It costs $25 for an LLC and $10 for a corporation.

Michigan name reservation

Searching on this site doesn’t reserve anything. Only LARA Corporations Division can.

Forming an LLC in Michigan

Document: Articles of Organization (Form 700)
State filing fee: $50
Faster service for formation documents costs extra: $50 for 24-hour, $100 for same-day, $500 for 2-hour and $1,000 for 1-hour processing.
File online: LARA Corporations Division filing
Processing: Paid expedited processing is available, from 24-hour service ($50) down to 1-hour service ($1,000).
Registered agent: Every Michigan LLC must have a resident agent and a registered office.
Out-of-state LLC registering here: $50 (Application for Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Michigan (Form 760))

Fees change. Confirm them on the official Michigan fee schedule before you file.

File it yourself or use a service

File directly with Michigan

$50 state fee

You fill in the Articles of Organization (Form 700) yourself and pay only the state. You’ll need a registered agent with a Michigan street address; that can be you if you have one.

File with LARA Corporations Division

Use a formation service

A service prepares and files the paperwork, and most can act as your registered agent and send compliance reminders. You still pay the state fee on top of their price, and the state still decides whether to accept your name.

Bizee: $0 plus the state fee (Basic); Standard $199, Premium $299, plus state fee
LegalZoom: $0 plus state fees (Basic); Managed Service $249 plus state fees
Northwest Registered Agent: $39 plus the state fee
ZenBusiness: $0 plus the state fee (Starter); Pro $199 plus state fee, renews $199/yr

We don’t currently earn commissions from these providers. Prices from each provider’s site on Oct 30, 2026. We never send them your proposed name. Compare what each includes · Disclosure

An EIN (federal tax ID) is free from the IRS; you don’t need to pay anyone for one.

Keeping a Michigan LLC in good standing

Annual Statement: $25. Due February 15 each year after the LLC is formed. An LLC formed after September 30 skips the first February 15. Source: michigan.gov

Professional LLCs pay $75 for the current year's annual report and statement, or $125 for each prior year. Bringing an LLC back into good standing costs $50 for a restoration certificate plus $25 for each missed statement. Profit corporations' annual reports are due May 15.

Proof of status: Certificate of Good Standing. Source: michigan.gov

Assumed names (DBAs)

A business entity files a Certificate of Assumed Name with LARA: $25 for an LLC or $10 for a corporation. It lasts until December 31 of the fifth full calendar year and can be renewed for 5 years at a time. Source: legislature.mi.gov

Good to know about Michigan

Michigan charges $50 to form an LLC and $25 for its annual statement, among the lowest fees in the U.S. Source: michigan.gov
LLC annual statements are due February 15, while corporations' annual reports are due May 15. Source: michigan.gov
An entity that misses its annual filing gets a two-year grace period (one year for out-of-state corporations) before it is dissolved, revoked or marked not in good standing. Source: michigan.gov
Corporation filing fees depend on the number of authorized shares: $10 plus $50 for up to 60,000 shares, rising to $500 for 5-10 million shares. Source: michigan.gov
Expedited filing goes as fast as one hour, for $1,000. Source: michigan.gov

Sources and accuracy

We checked this page against official Michigan sources on October 30, 2026. Our monitor rechecks the official search, filing portal and fee pages daily and flags changes for review.

Items we couldn’t confirm on an official page (5)

We couldn't confirm the format of Michigan ID numbers.
We couldn't confirm the fee for a Certificate of Good Standing; the state's fee schedule is unclear on it.
We couldn't confirm how long a name reservation lasts.
We couldn't confirm a phone number for the Corporations Division.
We couldn't confirm whether there is a late fee for LLC annual statements.

See something wrong? Tell us. We can fix how we present information, but only LARA Corporations Division can change an official record.