Business entity definitions

Last updated August 31, 2026.

What the terms on a search result mean, and the questions that come up most. Written from the registers themselves rather than from other people’s summaries.

• Administratively Dissolved
  Administratively Dissolved explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• Annual Report
  Annual Report explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• Articles of Organization
  Articles of Organization explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• Assumed Name or DBA
  Assumed Name or DBA explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• Can two businesses have the same name?
  Two businesses can share a name in different states, and often do. What that means before you file, with real numbers.
• Certificate of Good Standing
  Certificate of Good Standing explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• Does registering a business name protect it?
  State registration and trademark protection are separate systems. What each one does and does not do.
• Domestic Entity
  Domestic Entity explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• Entity Number
  Entity Number explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• Foreign Entity
  Foreign Entity explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• Good Standing
  Good Standing explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• How often is a registered business name already a federal trademark?
  We matched complete state business registers against 3,374,058 federal trademark records. Between 3.6% and 8.6% of registered name
• How to Claim a Business Name After You Check It
  Your name came back available. What to do next: reserve or file, appoint a registered agent, and what it costs in your state.
• How to find the owner of an LLC
  What the public record shows about LLC ownership, what it hides, and where else to look.
• Is an LLC public record?
  Which parts of a business registration are public, which are not, and why it differs by state.
• New business filings by state
  How many businesses are formed in each US state each year, what an LLC costs to file, and how long each state takes to process one
• Registered Agent
  Registered Agent explained: what it means, why it matters, how it differs by state, and what to do when you see it.
• What names to avoid for an LLC
  The words most likely to collide with an existing registration, measured across millions of live records.
• Which states publish their business register, and what the rest charge
  Ten states publish their complete business register free. Nineteen sell it, from $40 to $12,500 a year. Fifteen offer nothing. The
• Why is my LLC not showing up in a search?
  The reasons a registered business does not appear in a state entity search, and how to tell which one applies to you.