Connecticut's filing office has a slightly unusual name: the Secretary of the State, often shortened to SOTS. Its Business Services Division keeps the record of LLCs, corporations, partnerships and other entities, and the public work happens on Business.CT.gov, where you open an account to file.
What stands out in Connecticut is how open the register is. The full business registry is published as free datasets that refresh every night, with separate files for agents, principals and filing history.
Looking up Connecticut businesses
For a single company, begin at Business.CT.gov. The registry behind it holds the business name, its type, its status and its sub-status. The sub-status is worth reading, since it can show that an annual report is due or past due.
We do not link the exact search page yet, because we could not confirm its address on the state's own site. The Business.CT.gov home page is the safe place to start.
Connecticut business statuses
A Connecticut record pairs a main status with a sub-status. Active is the normal state. Forfeited is the one that causes trouble: it means the business was administratively dissolved, mostly for missing annual reports.
| Status shown | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active | Entity is in good order on the registry. Sub-status may show 'Annual report due'. |
| Forfeited | Administratively dissolved, mostly for failing to file annual reports (the dataset field Reason_for_Administrative_Dissolution). |
| Dissolved | Entity has been dissolved. |
| Withdrawn | Foreign entity has withdrawn its CT registration. |
| Revoked | Registration revoked. |
Status wording from data.ct.gov, checked .
The meanings above are plain readings of the status words that appear in the registry data. The office does not publish a glossary we could find, so if a status on your record surprises you, ask the Business Services Division what it means for your company. Sub-statuses such as Annual report past due and the start of an administrative dissolution are early signs to act on.
The Connecticut annual report
Connecticut businesses file their annual report online through a Business.CT.gov account. The registry data includes an annual report due date for each business, so the record is the best place to see when yours falls.
| Where to file | business.ct.gov (portal.ct.gov, checked ) |
|---|
We do not show the fee or the deadline on this page yet, because we could not confirm them on the office's own pages. Check the annual report page of the Secretary of the State before you pay. Our annual report guide explains the general steps.
Connecticut business name rules
An LLC name has to include limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. You may shorten limited to Ltd. and company to Co. The name also needs to be distinguishable from the other business names on file with the Secretary of the State.
| LLC name must include | limited liability company, L.L.C., LLC (limited may be Ltd., company may be Co.) (cga.ct.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| How different a name must be | Name must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of the State from other business names on file. Conn. Gen. Stat. 34-243k. (cga.ct.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation form | business.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/Business-Services/BSD-Forms/All-Business-Entities/BUS-002-ALL-application_for_reservation_of_name-rev-10-2020.pdf (business.ct.gov, checked ) |
To hold a name before you form the company, use the Application for Reservation of Name, form BUS-002. The fee and how long the reservation lasts are set out by the office, so check them there before you send the form.
Free Connecticut business registry data
The Secretary of the State publishes the Connecticut Business Registry on the state's open data portal at no cost, in the public domain with credit to the office. The Business Master file lists each business with its type, status, sub-status, account number, addresses, registration date, annual report due date and industry code. Separate files cover registered agents, principals, filing history and benefit corporations.
The files can be downloaded as CSV, Excel and other formats, or read through the portal's data interface. The office's bulk data page says they update nightly, which makes them a good source for lists, research and checks on many companies at once.
Contact the Connecticut Business Services Division
| Office | Connecticut Secretary of the State (portal.ct.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Business Services Division (portal.ct.gov, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Stephanie Thomas (portal.ct.gov, checked ) |
We do not list a phone number, address or opening hours for the division yet, because we could not confirm them on the state's own site. Use the contact details on the Business Services pages of the Secretary of the State, and have the business's account number ready when you get in touch.
Sources
- portal.ct.gov/sots: office name. Checked .
- portal.ct.gov/sots/business-services/bsd: division, officeholder, online filing. Checked .
- www.cga.ct.gov/2025/pub/chap_613a.htm: LLC name endings, name rule. Checked .
- business.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/Business-Services/BSD-Forms/All-Business-Entities/BUS-002-ALL-application_for_reservation_of_name-rev-10-2020.pdf: name reservation form. Checked .
- data.ct.gov/api/views/n7gp-d28j/columns.json: status terms. Checked .