SecretaryOfStateSearch.org explains the business side of every Secretary of State office, and of the agencies that do the same job in states without one. It exists because the information a business owner needs is spread across 51 different websites, each with its own words for the same things.
Not a government website
We are a private independent guide. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or paid by any Secretary of State or state agency. We do not use state seals or official insignia, and we never call ourselves official. Searches and filings happen on each state's own website, and every office page links it.
How we check facts
Every fee, deadline, phone number, address, rule and status term on an office page was read on the state's own website, form or fee schedule. Next to each value we show the page it came from and the date we checked it.
- We read official sources only: state office pages, fee schedules, forms and statutes.
- When a value could not be confirmed on an official page, we leave it out and point you to the office instead of guessing.
- States change fees and forms. We re-check the pages and update the check dates; if you see a change first, tell us.
The full list of the official sites we read, state by state, is on our sources page.
How the site is paid for
Reading the guide is free. The site earns money from a private filing service: if you ask us to form a company or file a report for you, we quote a price by email before any work. That service is separate from the state, and state fees are always charged on top. Using it is never needed: every filing can be made directly with the state.
What we are not
We are not a law firm or an accounting firm and we do not give legal or tax advice. We do not hold copies of state records. A company name that looks free in a state search is not reserved for you: only the state decides when it accepts a filing.