Michigan is one of the states where the business register is not kept by the Secretary of State. The Corporations Division sits inside the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, or LARA, and it files articles for LLCs and corporations, takes yearly filings and issues certificates. Searches and filings both run through the MiBusiness Registry Portal, LARA's online system.
Many people looking for Michigan company records start with the Secretary of State, whose offices deal with driver and vehicle services. For anything about an LLC or a corporation, go to LARA. Our guide on what a Secretary of State does explains why the job is split differently from state to state.
Michigan business entity search at LARA
LARA's Business Entity Search is the public lookup for Michigan companies. It is part of the MiBusiness Registry Portal, LARA's newer system for filings and records. Search for the company, open its record and check its standing before you sign a contract or send money.
| Official business search | michigan.gov/corpentitysearch (michigan.gov, checked ) |
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The portal is also where you order certificates and file changes for an existing company. If a search finds nothing, try a shorter part of the name, and leave off endings such as LLC.
Michigan LLC annual statement and fees
Each Michigan LLC files an annual statement with the Corporations Division. The fee is $25. Corporations file an annual report instead. LARA's fee pages list the corporation and nonprofit amounts, along with the formation fees.
| Reserve a name | $25 (michigan.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: $25 annual statement (summary) (michigan.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Michigan. State fees are separate.
Before you file a new company, look up the current filing fee on LARA's site. Our page of LLC filing fees by state gives a national comparison.
Missing a Michigan annual filing
The penalty for not filing differs by entity type. A corporation that fails to file its annual reports is dissolved by operation of law. An LLC or a professional LLC loses its good standing until its statements are brought up to date.
The fee, the due date, late penalties and the filing steps are in our Michigan annual report guide.
Our guide on how to file an annual report has general steps that apply here too. For Michigan's exact due dates, check the annual report pages on the LARA site.
Business names in Michigan
A Michigan LLC name must include "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "L.C.", with or without periods. It may not include corporation or corp., and it may not include inc. or the full word it stands for. The name also has to stand apart in LARA's records from every name already reserved, registered or assumed by an LLC, a business corporation or a nonprofit corporation.
| LLC name must include | "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "L.C.", with or without periods or other punctuation (legislature.mi.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Words that are limited | LLC names may not contain the word corporation or incorporated, or corp. or inc. (legislature.mi.gov, checked ) |
| How different a name must be | The name of a domestic or foreign LLC shall distinguish the name in the records of the administrator from all names reserved, registered, or assumed under the LLC Act, the business corporation act, or the nonprofit corporation act. MCL 450.4204. (legislature.mi.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $25 (michigan.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 6 months (michigan.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation form | michigan.gov/lara/-/media/Project/Websites/lara/cscl/NonImages_new/Corps/forms/llc/540-0725.pdf (michigan.gov, checked ) |
To hold an LLC name while you prepare your papers, file a name reservation for $25. It holds the name for six months following the month of filing.
Michigan Certificate of Good Standing
LARA issues a Certificate of Good Standing as proof that a Michigan company is current with its filings. Find the company in the Business Entity Search, then use Request Certificate in the MiBusiness Registry Portal. File any missing annual statement or report before you ask for one.
What it costs, where to order it and what blocks it are in our Michigan good standing guide.
Our guide to the certificate of good standing covers what these documents prove and who asks for them.
Contact LARA's Corporations Division
| Division | Corporations Division (michigan.gov, checked ) |
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LARA's Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing pages list the Division's phone numbers, mailing address and hours. Use those pages for current contact details before you call or write. Have the company's exact name and its identification number ready when you get in touch.
Sources
- www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps: division. Checked .
- www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/mibrp/new-system: business search. Checked .
- www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-450-4204: LLC name endings, restricted words, name rule. Checked .
- www.michigan.gov/lara/-/media/Project/Websites/lara/cscl/NonImages_new/Corps/forms/llc/540-0725.pdf: name reservation fee, name reservation term, name reservation form. Checked .
- www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/michigan-business-roadmap/annual-reports-and-annual-statements: report fee. Checked .