Why this directory exists
State business records are public. The workflow around them is not obvious.
A business name search is often the first step in a much larger transaction: you may be forming an LLC, checking a vendor, renewing a corporation, preparing a lender package, registering a foreign entity, or trying to understand why a previously active company no longer shows as current.
Each state uses its own terminology, portal, fee schedule, report cycle, and administrative cure process. This directory turns those differences into focused state profiles so you can answer the next question without confusing a registry filing with a tax filing or a certificate with a legal opinion.
Use the official link in each profile as the final authority. The value of this guide is orientation: it helps you arrive at the agency page knowing what to search, which deadline matters, and what evidence to retain.