District of Columbia Secretary of State
District of Columbia Business Entity Search
Last updated . Register data is refreshed nightly.
Check whether a business name is already on file with the District of Columbia Secretary of State. Free, no account, all entity types.
District of Columbia Business Entity Search
Search the state's official business records.
Quick answer
Search the District of Columbia business entity database by name to see whether a name is already registered. A no-match result means the name is not on file today, which is a preliminary answer rather than an approval: District of Columbia makes the final decision when the filing is reviewed.
What this checks
This search queries District of Columbia business records live at the time you run it, so the answer reflects what is on file now rather than a cached copy. Where a matching entity is found, the record is shown alongside the verdict.
Either way it is a preliminary check. Confirm anything you intend to rely on directly with the state, using the official District of Columbia search.
How to search the District of Columbia database yourself
The search on this page checks the same records. These steps are for running it yourself on the state’s site, which is also how you confirm anything before you file.
1. Open the search page
The District of Columbia business entity search is at corponline.dcra.dc.gov/.
2. Complete the verification step
District of Columbia shows a reCAPTCHA step, either a checkbox or a grid of images before it will run a search. Clear it once and it normally holds for the rest of your visit. If searches stop returning results, reloading the page to get a fresh check usually fixes it.
3. Search on the distinctive part of the name
Enter the part that makes the name yours and leave off LLC, Inc or Corp. States ignore the designator when they compare names, so searching without it surfaces the conflicts that actually matter.
4. Read the results list
District of Columbia returns, for each match:
- the registered name of the business
- the state’s file or entity number, which is the reliable way to identify a record when names are similar
- the entity type, such as domestic LLC or foreign corporation
- the current status, such as active, delinquent or dissolved
- the registered agent on file
5. Open the record itself
The summary line is not the whole record. Opening it shows the filing history, the registered agent, and the dates, which is where you find out whether a conflicting business is still trading or was dissolved years ago.
How to read your result
- No match. No active record uses that name today. That is the starting point for a filing, not a reservation: the name is not held for you until you file or reserve it.
- Exact match. A registered entity already uses the name. Most states will reject a new filing that is not distinguishable from it.
- Similar match. Something close exists. States differ on how much difference is enough, and punctuation, entity designators such as LLC or Inc, and words like The are often ignored when they compare.
- Inactive or dissolved. A closed business can still hold its name for a period after it stops trading, so a dissolved record is not automatically a free name.
Filing in District of Columbia
- LLC filing fee: $99
- Expedited option: $220
- Typical processing: 4-5 business days
- New business applications: 16,020 in the 52 weeks to July 25, 2026
- Most recent week reported: 340 applications in the week ending July 25, 2026, of which 100 were high-propensity applications, the ones Census expects to become employers
- Rank among the 51 jurisdictions by new applications: 45
- Year on year change: +30.8%
Keeping the name in District of Columbia
The rule is statutory rather than office policy. D.C. Code 29-103.02 sets the naming requirement for a limited liability company in District of Columbia. Guidance published by the office can change without notice; the statute is what a filing is measured against.
A name that is free today is not held for you until the formation filing is accepted, and nothing stops another filing arriving first. Most states offer a name reservation that holds it for a fixed period while you prepare. The reservation period and fee in District of Columbia are set by the state and change from time to time, so take them from the official District of Columbia register rather than from a figure quoted elsewhere. District of Columbia currently takes 4-5 business days to process a formation filing, which is the gap a reservation exists to cover.
Once registered, the name stays yours only while the entity is in good standing. District of Columbia works on a two-year cycle rather than an annual one, which catches people out: the gap is long enough to forget, and a missed filing eventually leads to administrative dissolution and the name returning to the pool.
Common mistakes
Treating a clear search as approval
It is not. The state decides when it reviews the filing, and it applies rules a search box does not.
Searching the full name with its designator
Searching the distinctive part alone surfaces more conflicts, because that is the part states compare. LLC, Inc and Corp are ignored in the comparison.
Stopping at an exact match
A confusingly similar name can be refused even when nothing matches exactly. Punctuation, spacing and common words are usually disregarded when the state decides how close is too close.
Assuming a name check covers trademarks
A state register and the federal trademark register are separate. A name can be free in District of Columbia and still infringe a mark. We hold 3,374,058 federal marks alongside the state registers, so that is a question worth asking before you file rather than after.
District of Columbia Secretary of State business services
Business registrations in District of Columbia are held by the District of Columbia Secretary of State, which maintains the public register this page searches, accepts new filings, and issues the certificates a bank or a counterparty may ask you for. Contact them directly for anything that has to be official.
| Business entity search | corponline.dcra.dc.gov |
|---|---|
| LLC filing fee | $99 |
| Processing | 4-5 business days |
The office handles registration, not disputes. If a name is already taken, they will tell you it is unavailable but not who holds it beyond what the public record shows, and they will not advise on whether your name infringes someone’s mark.
Common questions about District of Columbia business entity searches
How do I check if an LLC exists in District of Columbia?
Search the District of Columbia business register by name using the search on this page, or directly on the state's own portal. If a matching record comes back, the entity exists and its status line tells you whether it is active. No match means no entity is registered under that name today.
How do I verify a company is registered in District of Columbia?
A company is registered in District of Columbia if it appears on the District of Columbia Secretary of State register with an active status. Search the name, open the record, and check the status field rather than the summary line: a dissolved company still appears in results but is no longer in good standing.
Does a clear search mean my District of Columbia business name is approved?
Not on its own. A no-match result means the name is not on the District of Columbia register today, which is a preliminary answer rather than approval. District of Columbia Secretary of State applies its own comparison rules when it reviews the filing, and can refuse a name that is confusingly similar to one already registered.
Can I look up who owns a business in District of Columbia?
The District of Columbia register shows the registered agent and, depending on the filing type, officers or organisers. It does not list members or shareholders for every entity, so the register identifies who accepts legal service rather than who owns the company.
How much does it cost to register a business name in District of Columbia?
Forming an LLC in District of Columbia costs $99 in state filing fees, and the state currently takes 4-5 business days to process it. Reserving a name before filing is a separate, smaller fee. Current schedules are set by District of Columbia Secretary of State and change from time to time, so confirm them on the state's own site before you file.
Beyond the Secretary of State
The Secretary of State holds the entity filing, and that is only one of the records a District of Columbia business generates. If the entity search does not answer your question, one of these offices usually holds the rest.
- District of Columbia Department of Health — Licensing for food, care and health-related businesses, which is a separate register from the entity filing.
- District of Columbia State Bar Association — Attorney licensing. Relevant if the business name implies legal services, which most states restrict.
Each of these keeps its own register with its own rules. A business can be in good standing with one and delinquent with another, and none of them talks to the others automatically.
Federal registers a District of Columbia search does not cover
The District of Columbia register is a state record. These are separate federal systems, and a clear result on one says nothing about the others.
- USPTO trademark search — The federal trademark register, which a state name check does not touch. A name can be free on a state register and still infringe a live mark.
- FinCEN beneficial ownership reporting — Most newly formed companies have a federal beneficial ownership filing obligation separate from anything the state requires.
- IRS employer identification number — The EIN is federal and separate from the state registration. The state register will not show it.
- SEC EDGAR — If the business files with the SEC, EDGAR holds filings no state register carries.
Searching beyond District of Columbia
Business names are registered state by state, so a name that is taken in District of Columbia may be free elsewhere, and a name free here may be taken where you actually intend to trade. If you plan to operate in more than one state you will need to check each of them and register as a foreign entity in the ones you are not formed in.
Other state searches: Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Delaware, Connecticut, Colorado.
Terms that appear on a result are explained in our reference section, including good standing, registered agent and administratively dissolved.
Sources
- District of Columbia business entity search, the official register this page queries.
- Filing fees and processing times: District of Columbia Secretary of State, verified Mar 2026. Current schedules are published by the District of Columbia Secretary of State.
- Formation activity: Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics, retrieved via FRED at the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis.
- Federal trademark data: United States Patent and Trademark Office, 3,374,058 live registrations cross-referenced against the state registers. Live excludes both abandoned applications and cancelled registrations.
- Naming and reporting rules: confirmed against two independent sources before publication; anything the sources disagreed on is not stated here.
- Naming statute: D.C. Code 29-103.02, published by the state.
- State seal: public domain image via Wikimedia Commons.