Idaho Secretary of State
Idaho Business Entity Search
Last updated . Register data is refreshed nightly.
Check whether a business name is already on file with the Idaho Secretary of State. Free, no account, all entity types.
Idaho Business Entity Search
Search the state's official business records.
Idaho's register is at sosbiz.idaho.gov, free and without an account. It is unusually candid about its own default, and unusually relaxed about spaces.
It tells you the default is narrow, in italics
Above the search box Idaho says searching starts with your keyword, and Starts with is the option selected.
Credit where it is due: the state is telling you the setting rather than leaving you to discover it. But telling you does not make it the right setting for your question. If you are checking whether a name is taken, switch to Contains before you do anything else.
It ignores spaces
Search Acme and you get results where the letters run together across a word break, the same behavior as New Hampshire, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Ohio.
That is not the search misfiring. It is the state showing you how it reads names: spacing is not a difference, and the same standard applies when somebody decides whether your filing is distinguishable from one already on file.
Read a result that looks like your name said aloud as a conflict, whatever the typography.
Assumed names are in the same list
Idaho returns assumed business names alongside companies and labels them, so a hit may be a trading name rather than a company.
That is the helpful arrangement. North Carolina keeps assumed names in a completely separate search, which means two searches there and one here. An assumed name in use still means the name is spoken for.
Trademarks, liens and franchise registrations each sit on their own tab beside the business search.
Searching and filtering
One box takes a business name or file number. Beside it: a Search by Registered Agent tick box, an Active entities only tick box, and a filing date range.
Leave Active entities only unticked. A dissolved company still holds its name, and ticking that box is the quickest way to get a clear result for a name that is not available.
The record
The filing type, the name it trades under in its home state (useful for foreign entities whose Idaho name differs), its status, where it was formed, term of duration, principal and mailing addresses, and the initial filing date.
Results carry the name with its file number and entity type, the status, the filing date and the registered agent.
Who decides
A clear search on Contains is good evidence and not a decision. That is made when the Secretary of State examines the filing, under the Idaho Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, Idaho Code Title 30, Chapter 25.
Before you rely on it
Change Starts with to Contains, even though the page warns you.
Leave Active entities only unticked.
Read the labels. An assumed name in the results is still a name in use.
Idaho filing facts
| Filing | Online | On paper |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Organization | $100.00 | $120.00 |
| Name reservation | $20.00 | $40.00 |
| Expedited | $40.00 | $40.00 |
Idaho adds a $20 manual processing fee to every paper filing, so the online and paper prices differ on everything. It is a flat surcharge rather than a percentage, which means it hurts small filings most: a name reservation costs twice as much on paper as online.
Minnesota does the opposite, charging $20 more to file online. Kansas charges $20 more on paper, as here. Worth checking which way round a state runs before assuming the internet is cheaper.
We are not quoting an annual report fee. It is not on the state's business forms page. Idaho is widely reported to charge nothing for it, and we have not confirmed that, so we are leaving it out rather than printing a figure we cannot stand behind.
Growth shows in the filings: 37,840 applications in the 52 weeks to 26 September 2026, up 15.3%, which is 151 a business day and 39th of 51.
What the register will not tell you
Idaho has 9,280 live registered marks, and the capital's name is the most contested word in the state:
| word | live marks | times more common than nationally |
|---|---|---|
| boise | 139 | 440x |
| idaho | 451 | 380x |
| creek | 194 | 18x |
| mountain | 182 | 10x |
| fresh | 141 | 5x |
| health | 184 | 3x |
| home | 175 | 3x |
Boise at 440 times the national rate edges out the state itself at 380x, which is unusual, since in most states the state name leads. Idaho's is a close second on three times the volume.
Creek at 18x and mountain at 10x are the landscape, the same role maple plays in Vermont and prairie in North Dakota.
Below those four, nothing. Fresh, health and home at three to five times normal are ordinary words doing ordinary work.
The practical reading: Boise and Idaho are occupied. Creek and mountain are crowded enough to be worth a federal check. Everything else is open.
Boise files 31.9% of the state's marks, Meridian 7.9%, Idaho Falls 6.0%.
What the Idaho portal looks like
Captured from the live register. Personal names and addresses are blacked out; everything else is as the state publishes it.
Idaho Secretary of State business services
Business registrations in Idaho are held by the Idaho 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 | sosbiz.idaho.gov/search/business |
|---|---|
| Phone | (208) 334-2301 |
| Address | P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0080 |
| Office hours | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. |
| LLC filing fee | $100 |
| Processing | 5-7 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 Idaho business entity searches
How do I check if an LLC exists in Idaho?
Search the name on this page or on the state's own portal. What Idaho does by default is worth knowing before you read the result: starts with. A match means the entity is on file, and its status line tells you whether it is still active.
How do I verify a company is registered in Idaho?
Search the name, then open the record rather than reading the results line. You get the filing type, the name it trades under in its home state, its status, where it was formed and its term of duration. The status on the record is the one to trust: a dissolved company still appears in a search and still holds its name.
Does a clear search mean my Idaho business name is approved?
Not on its own. A no-match result means the name is not on the Idaho register today, which is a preliminary answer rather than approval: Idaho Secretary of State decides when it reviews the filing. Worth knowing about Idaho in particular: it tells you in italics above the box that searching starts with your keyword, and Starts with is the option selected. It also ignores spaces when it matches, so Acme returns AC Mechanical and ACM Electric. Change it to Contains before you decide a name is free.
Can I look up who owns a business in Idaho?
The Idaho register shows the registered agent and, depending on the filing type, officers or organizers. 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 Idaho?
Idaho Secretary of State charges $100 to file the Certificate of Organization, which is the document that forms the company, and currently takes 5-7 business days to process. Reserving a name beforehand is a separate and smaller fee. Confirm the figure with the state before you file: schedules move.
Sources
- Idaho business entity search, the official register this page queries.
- Filing fees and processing times: Idaho Secretary of State, Business Forms, verified 2026-09-10. Current schedules are published by the Idaho 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.
- Office contact details: Idaho Secretary of State, confirmed against the office’s own contact page.
- Naming and reporting rules: Idaho Secretary of State, Business Forms.
- Naming statute: Idaho Code 30-21-301, published by the state.
- State seal: public domain image via Wikimedia Commons.