Pennsylvania has no officer called the Secretary of State. Business records belong to the Department of State, headed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and the work is done by its Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations. Filings, searches and certificates all go through Business Filing Services, the department's online portal.
Two changes matter most right now. Pennsylvania started requiring an annual report for most entities, at a fee of $7. And from 2027, companies that skip it can be dissolved six months after their deadline.
PA business entity search
The Business Filing Services search is free and finds records by exact entity name or by entity number. When a record lists officers, general partners or fictitious name owners, you can read them there, but you cannot search by them.
| Official business search | file.dos.pa.gov/search/business (pa.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| You can search by | business name, entity or file number (entity number) (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Name availability check | file.dos.pa.gov/search/business (pa.gov, checked ) |
| What a result means | Preliminary: "these searches are only preliminary checks and are not a guarantee of name availability" (pa.gov, checked ) |
- Search by exact entity name or entity number.
- Officer, owner, tax ID and address searches are not available.
- Searches are preliminary checks only; a reservation is what guarantees a name.
- Verbal name checks by phone: two names per call, (717) 787-1057.
From pa.gov, checked .
If the name you want looks close to an existing one, keep in mind that the search is only a first check. Only a filed reservation makes the Bureau set the name aside for you.
Pennsylvania record status
Pennsylvania does not publish a full list of status words. The useful split is simple: an active record must file annual reports, an inactive one does not. Administratively Dissolved means the company can only wind up or apply for reinstatement.
| Status shown | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active (and variations) | Annual reports are required. |
| Inactive (Inactive - Dissolved, Terminated, Merged Out, Withdrawn, Cancelled and similar) | No annual report is required. |
| Administratively Dissolved | Domestic entity may only wind up and liquidate or apply for reinstatement, remains run by its governors and is not currently subsisting. |
| Good standing (general concept) | Not dissolved, canceled, merged, withdrawn, name-changed or term-expired. |
Status wording from pa.gov, checked .
Fees at the Pennsylvania Department of State
A Certificate of Organization for an LLC costs $125, the same as Articles of Incorporation for a business corporation or a nonprofit. A company formed elsewhere pays $250 to register, with no good standing certificate needed from its home state.
| Form an LLC | $125 (pa.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $125 (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Form a nonprofit | $125 (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $250 (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $70 (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: $7 (free for LLCs with a not-for-profit purpose); corporation: $7 for business corporations; $0 for nonprofit corporations (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | $40 online (subsistence or registration certificate); record search listing $15 (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Faster processing | Same-day $100 (received before 10 a.m.); 3-hour $300 (before 2 p.m.); 1-hour $1,000 (before 4 p.m.). Added to the statutory fee. (pa.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Pennsylvania. State fees are separate.
Speed is sold in tiers. Same day service adds $100 if the filing arrives before 10 a.m. A three hour turnaround adds $300, and one hour service adds $1,000. Each online filing is still reviewed by staff.
The Pennsylvania annual report
Every domestic and foreign corporation, LLC and partnership files an annual report in its own window. Corporations use January 1 to June 30. LLCs have until September 30. LPs, LLPs, business trusts and professional associations can file at any point in the calendar year.
The fee, the due date, late penalties and the filing steps are in our Pennsylvania annual report guide.
The first report is due in the year after the company forms or registers, so a brand new company skips its first calendar year. Our guide on how to file an annual report lists the basic steps.
Pennsylvania name rules and reservation
An LLC name needs "company", "limited" or "limited liability company", or a short form like LLC, Co. or Ltd., and it may not say corporation. A business corporation needs a word like corporation, company or limited. Punctuation, symbols or "the" do not make a name different from one on file.
| LLC name must include | Must contain "company", "limited", or "limited liability company" or an abbreviation of one of those terms (for example LLC, L.L.C., Co., Ltd.), or words of like import used in another jurisdiction. May not contain "corporation" or "incorporated" or abbreviations. (pa.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Corporation name must include | Business corporation names must contain "corporation", "company", "incorporated" or "limited" (or an abbreviation), or "association", "fund" or "syndicate", or like words from another jurisdiction. May not contain "limited liability company" or its abbreviation. Nonprofits may but need not use them. (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Words that are limited | Names may not contain words prohibited or restricted by statute or regulation unless the relevant agency consents. Examples of agencies: Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Dept. of Education, Dept. of Banking and Securities, Insurance Dept., Public Utility Commission. (pa.gov, checked ) |
| How different a name must be | Domestic or foreign corporations, LPs, LLCs and LLPs may not assume a name the same as, or "not distinguishable upon the Bureau records from" the name of any other PA corporation, foreign corporation, LP, LLC or LLP. Names are not distinguishable solely because of punctuation, symbols or a definite or indefinite article. 15 Pa.C.S. 202(b) and 312; removing a designator (Inc., LLC, Company) does not make a fictitious name distinguishable. (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $70 (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 120 days (banks six months). One-time reservation only; after it ends anyone, including the original reserver, may reserve the name. (pa.gov, checked ) |
Reserving a name costs $70 and holds it for 120 days. It is a one time reservation: when it ends, anyone may reserve the name, including you. Words tied to regulated fields such as banking, insurance or education need consent from the agency in charge.
Registered office and CROP
PA requires a registered office address (street and number, a PO box alone is not accepted) or a Commercial Registered Office Provider (CROP) named in place of an address. There is no separate registered agent filing for domestic LLCs. Listing a CROP without a contract can bring civil and criminal penalties. Change of registered office: $5. (pa.gov, checked )
Moving the registered office costs $5. If you name a Commercial Registered Office Provider, you must have a contract with it first. Our guide to changing a registered agent covers the general steps.
Subsistence certificate in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania calls its good standing document a subsistence certificate for a domestic entity and a Certificate of Registration for a foreign one. Each states the registered name and whether the entity still exists on the department's records. The fee is $40 online, and a record search listing costs $15.
What it costs, where to order it and what blocks it are in our Pennsylvania good standing guide.
Fictitious names in Pennsylvania
DBAs are registered with the Department of State, not the county. A fictitious name registration costs $70. When an individual is one of the owners, a notice must also run in two newspapers in the county, one of them a legal paper. A fictitious name gives you no exclusive right to it.
State level, Department of State. Fictitious Name registration (DSCB:54-311) under the Fictitious Names Act of 1982, 54 Pa.C.S. 301 et seq. Fee $70. Fictitious names have not been filed at the county seat since the early 1980s. If an individual is a party, a notice must be published in two newspapers in the county (one a legal paper); one is enough in single-newspaper counties. (pa.gov, checked )
Contact the Bureau of Corporations
| Office | Pennsylvania Department of State (Secretary of the Commonwealth) (pa.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations (BCCO) (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Al Schmidt (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Phone | (717) 787-1057; toll-free (888) 659-9962 (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Mailing address | Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, PO Box 8722, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8722 (pa.gov, checked ) |
| Street address | 401 North Street, Room 206, Harrisburg, PA 17120 (pa.gov, checked ) |
The counter is at 401 North Street, Room 206, in Harrisburg. Mail goes to PO Box 8722. Keep the entity number at hand, as it is one of only two ways to find a record.
Sources
- www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business: office name, street address, phone, contact page, business search. Checked .
- www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/department-and-offices/bcco: division. Checked .
- www.pa.gov/governor/administration/cabinet/state: officeholder. Checked .
- www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business/information-services/record-searches: mailing address, hours, search fields, search tips. Checked .
- www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dos/programs/business/guides/Business-Guide.pdf: name check, search disclaimer, LLC name endings, corporation name endings, restricted words, name rule, name reservation term, certificate fee, registered agent rule. Checked .
- www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business/fees-and-payments: name reservation fee, LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, expedite fees. Checked .
- www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business/types-of-filings-and-registrations/annual-reports: report fee, status terms. Checked .
- www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business/types-of-filings-and-registrations/fictitious-names: assumed names (DBA). Checked .