South Carolina business entity search and name check

South Carolina's business entity records are kept by the Secretary of State's Division of Business Filings and searched through Business Entities Online. Every search there requires an 'I'm not a robot' check, so we link you to the official search instead of running it for you. Two things often surprise people: the state has no DBA registry at all, and corporations file their annual report with the Department of Revenue rather than the Secretary of State.

Registry: South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official search: Business Entities Online
How we search South Carolina: Official site only (we hand you off). Every search on South Carolina's Business Entities Online requires passing an 'I'm not a robot' check, so we can't search it for you. We send you to the official search instead.
What a result can tell you: Searching the official site shows names on record. South Carolina decides acceptance when you file.
State fee to form an LLC: $110 (Articles of Organization)

What the South Carolina search covers

Business corporations, nonprofit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and LLPs, both South Carolina and out-of-state. DBAs and trade names aren't included, because the Secretary of State doesn't register them.

You can search by name using 'Contains' or 'Exact Match'. The name box accepts up to 175 characters.

How to read South Carolina results

South Carolina 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
Administratively Dissolved	The Secretary of State dissolved the business, often because it didn't file a tax return with the SC Department of Revenue. A corporation can reinstate at any time; an LLC or nonprofit has two years. Source: sos.sc.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.

South Carolina business name rules

An LLC name must include one of: limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C., LC, Ltd. (for 'limited'), Co. (for 'company').

An LLC name must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records from the names of corporations, limited partnerships and LLCs formed in or registered to do business in South Carolina, from reserved or registered names, and from assumed names approved for out-of-state companies. (S.C. Code § 33-44-105) Source: scstatehouse.gov

South Carolina 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.

Using a similar name with consent

Yes. You can use a name that isn't distinguishable if the business currently using it consents in writing and agrees to change its own name, or if a court judgment gives you the right to it (S.C. Code § 33-44-105(c)).

Reserving a name in South Carolina

South Carolina lets you reserve a name before you form the business for $25, held for 120 days. It can't be renewed (S.C. Code § 33-44-106; for corporations, § 33-4-102).

Send an application to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State says you don't need to reserve a name if you're ready to form the business.

South Carolina name reservation Source: scstatehouse.gov

Searching on this site doesn’t reserve anything. Only SC Secretary of State can.

Forming an LLC in South Carolina

Document: Articles of Organization
State filing fee: $110
The $110 fee is set by state law (S.C. Code § 33-44-1204(a)(1)).
File online: SC Secretary of State filing
Out-of-state LLC registering here: $110 (Application for Certificate of Authority)

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

File it yourself or use a service

File directly with South Carolina

$110 state fee

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

File with SC Secretary of State

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 South Carolina LLC in good standing

Corporations file their annual report, and pay its fee, with the SC Department of Revenue, not the Secretary of State (S.C. Code § 33-1-220).

We found no annual report that South Carolina LLCs file with the Secretary of State. Businesses are often administratively dissolved for not filing returns with the SC Department of Revenue, and reinstating requires a Certificate of Tax Compliance from that department.

Proof of status: Certificate of Existence (LLC) ($10). Source: scstatehouse.gov

Assumed names (DBAs)

South Carolina has no state DBA registry: the Secretary of State doesn't register DBAs or trade names. Business licenses come from your county or city. Source: sos.sc.gov

Good to know about South Carolina

South Carolina has no state DBA or trade name registry. The Secretary of State doesn't register DBAs. Source: sos.sc.gov
A name reservation costs $25, lasts 120 days and can't be renewed. Source: scstatehouse.gov
Corporations file their annual report with their tax return at the Department of Revenue, not with the Secretary of State. Source: scstatehouse.gov
An administratively dissolved LLC has two years to reinstate; a corporation can reinstate at any time. Reinstatement needs a Certificate of Tax Compliance from the Department of Revenue. Source: sos.sc.gov
The Secretary of State won't accept an identical name, but an accepted filing doesn't give you exclusive rights to the name. Trademark registration is separate. Source: sos.sc.gov

Sources and accuracy

We checked this page against official South Carolina 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 total cost to form a corporation on an official page. The Secretary of State's filing fee is $10 by law, plus a license tax paid with Department of Revenue form CL-1; the often-quoted $135 total isn't confirmed.
We couldn't confirm whether filing online adds a convenience fee.
We couldn't confirm on an official page whether South Carolina LLCs have any annual report obligation.
We couldn't confirm the entity ID format, the status labels or the record details shown in South Carolina's search.
South Carolina may have newer LLC laws than the ones we used. The fees and rules here come from Title 33, Chapter 44 of the S.C. Code as published by the State House.

See something wrong? Tell us. We can fix how we present information, but only SC Secretary of State can change an official record.