In Ohio, the Certificate of Good Standing is issued by Business Services, the division of the Secretary of State that handles company filings. The fee is $5. You can check the record for free first in Ohio Business Search.
Ohio differs from most states in one way that matters here. LLCs and business corporations do not file annual reports, so there is no yearly deadline that quietly cancels your standing. What you need is a record that still reads Active. The Ohio office guide covers the rest of the division's work.
The $5 Ohio certificate
The Secretary of State's filing forms list the Certificate of Good Standing at $5. At that price, it is easy to order a fresh one each time a bank or another state asks.
| What the state calls it | Certificate of Good Standing (ohiosos.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee | $5 (ohiosos.gov, checked ) |
The ordering page is not named on the official pages behind this guide. Call Business Services and ask how to place the request before you need it. Ohio sells faster handling on filings at $100 for 2 business days, $200 for 1 business day and $300 for 4 hours, so ask whether that applies to your order too.
Check the record first in Ohio Business Search
Ohio Business Search is free. You can look up a company by name, by entity number, by statutory agent or by filing type. Officer search is not offered.
- Search by entity number if you have it. It is the most precise key.
- Confirm the legal name, entity type and status.
- If the status is Active, place the order with Business Services.
- If it shows Hold, Canceled or Dead, read the next section before you pay.
Ohio status words and good standing
Ohio uses four status words. Only Active fits a company that wants to prove it is in good standing.
Every status word Ohio uses is explained in our Ohio office guide.
Hold is the one you can still fix with your name intact. The Secretary of State canceled the company for missing a legal requirement, but the name stays protected for a year. Canceled has no name protection left. Dead is the result of a voluntary dissolution, so the company chose to close.
What to do if your company is on Hold
Since there is no annual report for most Ohio companies, a Hold record points to a different legal duty that was missed. Call Business Services at 877-767-3453 with your entity number and ask what caused the cancellation and what it needs to restore the company. Act inside the one year window, while the name is still protected.
If you run a professional association or an LLP, check the biennial report first. Those are the entity types in Ohio that still file one.
Who asks for an Ohio certificate
Banks ask for a certificate when you open a business account or borrow. Another state asks for one when your Ohio company registers there as a foreign business. Our certificate of good standing guide explains what each of them checks.
Sources
- www.ohiosos.gov/business/business-filing-forms: good standing certificate, certificate fee. Checked .