Reference Resources

Quick reference guides for Secretary of State directories, entity naming rules, required suffixes, and state filing fees.

Secretary of State Directory

Contact information and official websites for Secretary of State offices in all 50 states.

StateOfficePhoneOnline FilingWebsite
AlabamaSecretary of State(334) 242-5324YesVisit →
AlaskaDivision of Corporations(907) 465-2550YesVisit →
ArizonaArizona Corporation Commission(602) 542-3026YesVisit →
ArkansasSecretary of State(501) 682-3409YesVisit →
CaliforniaSecretary of State(916) 657-5448YesVisit →
ColoradoSecretary of State(303) 894-2200YesVisit →
ConnecticutSecretary of State(860) 509-6002YesVisit →
DelawareDivision of Corporations(302) 739-3073YesVisit →
FloridaDivision of Corporations(850) 245-6052YesVisit →
GeorgiaSecretary of State(404) 656-2817YesVisit →
HawaiiDepartment of Commerce and Consumer Affairs — BREG(808) 586-2727YesVisit →
IdahoSecretary of State(208) 334-2300YesVisit →
IllinoisSecretary of State(217) 782-6961YesVisit →
IndianaSecretary of State(317) 232-6576YesVisit →
IowaSecretary of State(515) 281-5204YesVisit →
KansasSecretary of State(785) 296-4564YesVisit →
KentuckySecretary of State(502) 564-3490YesVisit →
LouisianaSecretary of State(225) 922-2880YesVisit →
MaineSecretary of State(207) 626-8400YesVisit →
MarylandState Department of Assessments & Taxation(410) 767-1184YesVisit →
MassachusettsSecretary of the Commonwealth(617) 727-9640YesVisit →
MichiganDepartment of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs(517) 241-6470YesVisit →
MinnesotaSecretary of State(651) 296-2803YesVisit →
MississippiSecretary of State(601) 359-1633YesVisit →
MissouriSecretary of State(573) 751-4936YesVisit →
MontanaSecretary of State(406) 444-2034YesVisit →
NebraskaSecretary of State(402) 471-2554YesVisit →
NevadaSecretary of State(775) 684-5708YesVisit →
New HampshireSecretary of State(603) 271-3246YesVisit →
New JerseyDivision of Revenue and Enterprise Services(609) 292-9292YesVisit →
New MexicoSecretary of State(505) 827-3600YesVisit →
New YorkDepartment of State(518) 473-2492YesVisit →
North CarolinaSecretary of State(919) 814-5400YesVisit →
North DakotaSecretary of State(701) 328-2900YesVisit →
OhioSecretary of State(614) 466-2655YesVisit →
OklahomaSecretary of State(405) 521-3911YesVisit →
OregonSecretary of State(503) 986-2200YesVisit →
PennsylvaniaDepartment of State(717) 787-1057YesVisit →
Rhode IslandDepartment of State(401) 222-3040YesVisit →
South CarolinaSecretary of State(803) 734-2158YesVisit →
South DakotaSecretary of State(605) 773-3537YesVisit →
TennesseeSecretary of State(615) 741-2286YesVisit →
TexasSecretary of State(512) 463-5555YesVisit →
UtahDivision of Corporations & Commercial Code(801) 530-4849YesVisit →
VermontSecretary of State(802) 828-2386YesVisit →
VirginiaState Corporation Commission(804) 371-9733YesVisit →
WashingtonSecretary of State(360) 725-0377YesVisit →
West VirginiaSecretary of State(304) 558-8000YesVisit →
WisconsinDepartment of Financial Institutions(608) 261-7577YesVisit →
WyomingSecretary of State(307) 777-7311YesVisit →

Entity Naming Rules

Common rules that apply to entity names in most U.S. states.

Uniqueness

Entity name must be distinguishable from all existing registered entities in the same state.

Required Suffix

Name must include the appropriate legal suffix (LLC, Inc., Corp., etc.) identifying the entity type.

Restricted Words

Words like "Bank", "Trust", "Insurance", "University" require additional state approval or licensing.

No Government Confusion

Names cannot imply government affiliation (e.g., "Federal", "State", "United States").

Name Availability

Check availability with the state's entity search tool before filing. EntityEngine checks automatically.

Trademark Conflicts

State approval does not protect against federal trademark infringement. Conduct a USPTO search separately.

Required Entity Name Suffixes

Every entity type must include a suffix that identifies the entity structure.

LLC

LLCL.L.C.Limited Liability Company

Must include one of these unless state allows "Limited Company" abbreviation.

Corporation

Inc.Corp.CorporationIncorporated

Delaware additionally allows "Association", "Company", "Club", "Foundation", "Fund", "Institute", "Society", "Union", "Syndicate".

Limited Partnership

LPL.P.Limited Partnership

Full "Limited Partnership" required in some states.

State Formation Filing Fees

State filing fees for entity formation. Expedite fees and registered agent fees are additional.

StateFormation FeeProcessing TimeOnline Filing
Alabama$2005-7 daysYes
Alaska$25010-15 daysYes
Arizona$505-7 daysYes
Arkansas$457-10 daysYes
California$705-7 daysYes
Colorado$501-3 daysYes
Connecticut$1205-7 daysYes
Delaware$1101-3 daysYes
Florida$1253-5 daysYes
Georgia$1007-10 daysYes
Hawaii$505-7 daysYes
Idaho$1003-5 daysYes
Illinois$15010-15 daysYes
Indiana$951-2 daysYes
Iowa$505-7 daysYes
Kansas$1603-5 daysYes
Kentucky$405-7 daysYes
Louisiana$1005-7 daysYes
Maine$1757-10 daysYes
Maryland$1005-7 daysYes
Massachusetts$5005-7 daysYes
Michigan$503-5 daysYes
Minnesota$1555-7 daysYes
Mississippi$505-7 daysYes
Missouri$503-5 daysYes
Montana$707-10 daysMail
Nebraska$1005-7 daysYes
Nevada$751-3 daysYes
New Hampshire$1005-7 daysYes
New Jersey$1255-7 daysYes
New Mexico$503-5 daysYes
New York$2005-7 daysYes
North Carolina$1255-7 daysYes
North Dakota$1355-7 daysYes
Ohio$993-5 daysYes
Oklahoma$1005-7 daysYes
Oregon$1003-5 daysYes
Pennsylvania$1255-7 daysYes
Rhode Island$1507-10 daysYes
South Carolina$1105-7 daysYes
South Dakota$1655-7 daysYes
Tennessee$3005-7 daysYes
Texas$3003-5 daysYes
Utah$541-3 daysYes
Vermont$1255-7 daysYes
Virginia$1003-5 daysYes
Washington$2005-7 daysYes
West Virginia$1005-7 daysYes
Wisconsin$1305-7 daysYes
Wyoming$1001-3 daysYes
District of Columbia$2205-10 daysYes