The official search
Business entity records in New York are kept by the New York State Department of State (DOS), Division of Corporations, State Records and UCC.
- Portal: https://apps.dos.ny.gov/publicInquiry/
- Cost: Free
- Login: None
The database covers corporations, limited partnerships, LLCs, LLPs, and assumed-name (DBA) filings for those entity types. It does not include sole proprietorships or general partnerships, which file with county clerks.
A record shows the entity's current name, DOS ID number, status, entity type, initial filing date, county, the DOS Process address (where the state forwards legal papers), and a registered agent if one was appointed — many New York LLCs have none. A record never shows members, managers, or owners: New York does not collect them.
Step by step
- Open the Corporation and Business Entity Database and set "Search By" to Entity Name.
- Choose a matching mode. DOS offers Begins With, Contains, and Base Word. Start with "Begins With" using your name without "LLC," then run "Contains" to catch names where your key words appear in a different position.
- Filter if the list is long. You can narrow results by entity status (Active, Inactive, Suspended) and entity type.
- Open every close match. Your name must be distinguishable from LLCs, corporations, and limited partnerships on file, so check all three types — plus assumed names, which can also be searched separately in the same database.
- Understand what a clean result means. It means no obvious conflict is on file. It does not mean the Department of State has approved your name — DOS says so explicitly on the database page.
- For the only official availability check, write to the state. Mail a written name availability inquiry to the Division of Corporations, One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12231. The fee is $5 per name (Executive Law §96). Phone requests are not accepted — and even a reply saying the name is "available" is expressly not an approval.
New York's name rules
The rules are in Limited Liability Company Law §204.
Designator. The name must contain "Limited Liability Company," "LLC," or "L.L.C."
Distinguishable. The name must be distinguishable from the names of other LLCs, corporations, and limited partnerships on file with the Department of State. DOS is required by statute to reject a name that is not distinguishable.
Prohibited and restricted words. Section 204 lists words and phrases that are prohibited or restricted in an LLC name. Some words require the prior consent or approval of another state agency before DOS will accept the filing — education-related words, for example, require consent connected to the Commissioner of Education, and banking and insurance terms are similarly restricted. DOS publishes a "Restricted Words and Phrases" list with its Articles of Organization materials; check it before settling on a name that touches a regulated industry.
What the search can't tell you
- Official availability. As covered above, the database is officially for checking entities already on file. Only the $5 written inquiry gets a state answer, and even that is not an approval.
- County DBAs. Assumed names for LLCs are filed with DOS and appear in the database, but sole proprietors' DBAs are filed with county clerks and will not show up.
- Who owns an existing company. New York records show no members, managers, or owners, and there is no way to search by owner.
- Trademarks and domains. The search says nothing about federal or state trademark rights, or about domain and social media availability.
- Whether a similar name will sue you. Distinguishability is a filing standard. A name can pass DOS review and still create trademark problems.
If the name looks available
File Articles of Organization with the Division of Corporations, by mail or online through the Department of State's website.
- Cost: $200.
- Processing: Online filers receive an email filing acknowledgment with the filing receipt within minutes. Optional expedited handling costs $25 for 24-hour, $75 for same-day, or $150 for 2-hour processing, per document.
- Operating agreement: New York requires a written operating agreement, adopted before, at, or within 90 days after filing (§417). It is internal — you do not file it with the state.
Then comes New York's signature trap: publication (§206). Within 120 days of formation you must:
- Publish a copy of your Articles of Organization or a formation notice once a week for six consecutive weeks in two newspapers — one daily and one weekly — designated by the county clerk of the county where your LLC's office is located.
- File a Certificate of Publication with the newspapers' affidavits, plus a $50 DOS filing fee.
Miss the deadline and your LLC's authority to carry on business in New York is suspended (the LLC is not dissolved). The $50 is the small part: the newspapers set their own fees and the state does not cap them. Costs vary enormously by county — publication in downstate and New York City–area counties is widely reported to run into the hundreds of dollars or more, while many upstate counties cost a fraction of that. This is why many founders locate the LLC's office in a low-cost county.
Ongoing: every two years you file a Biennial Statement for $9, due in the calendar month of the anniversary of your original filing (§301(e)), which keeps your DOS Process address current. DOS only sends a reminder if you opt in to its email notice service — otherwise, no one will tell you it is due. DOS's published materials do not list a late fee for the statement.
FAQ
Is the New York LLC name search free? The Department of State's entity database is free. But the only official name availability determination — a written inquiry to the Division of Corporations — costs $5 per name and is done by mail.
Does a clean search result mean my name is approved? No. DOS states that the database should not be used to determine the acceptability of a name, and even an "available" reply to the $5 inquiry is not an approval.
How much does it cost to form a New York LLC? The Articles of Organization fee is $200. Budget separately for the mandatory newspaper publication and the $50 Certificate of Publication — publication costs depend on your county and can exceed the filing fee.
What happens if I skip the publication requirement? If you do not publish and file the Certificate of Publication within 120 days of formation, your LLC's authority to carry on, conduct, or transact business in New York is suspended.
Can I see who owns a New York LLC in the state database? No. New York does not collect member or manager information in the Articles of Organization, and the public record shows none.
Sources
- DOS — Corporation and Business Entity Search Database (overview and instructions): https://dos.ny.gov/corporation-and-business-entity-search-database
- DOS — Corporation and Business Entity Database portal: https://apps.dos.ny.gov/publicInquiry/
- DOS — Articles of Organization for Domestic Limited Liability Company (name rules, $5 availability fee, $200 filing fee, expedited fees, publication, biennial statement): https://dos.ny.gov/articles-organization-domestic-limited-liability-company-0/
- NY Limited Liability Company Law §§ 203, 204, 206, 301(e), 417