In Utah the Secretary of State question has a short answer: the state has no Secretary of State. The Lieutenant Governor handles elections, and business records belong to the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code in the Utah Department of Commerce. Its pages now sit at commerce.utah.gov/corporations, which is where the old corporations.utah.gov address points.
What makes Utah worth a closer look is cost. The $59 LLC filing and the $18 yearly LLC renewal are both small sums, but the renewal is not optional. A company that skips it slides from Current to Delinquent and then toward Expired.
How the Utah business entity search works
The division's searches page offers two tools. Business Entity Search finds one company by name. Business Entity List builds a custom list of entities, which helps if you research a whole sector or town.
| Official business search | commerce.utah.gov/corporations/searches (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Name availability check | commerce.utah.gov/corporations/faqs/how-can-you-find-out-if-the-name-is-available (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
| What a result means | Availability is not guaranteed by the search: 'Although a name may appear to be available, this may not be the case.' A dissolved entity has five years to apply for reinstatement and its name is held for that period. (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
The division gives a few tips for getting clean results. They may describe an older search screen, so treat them as a guide.
- Use the 'Exact Name' option to search registered names.
- Capitalize the first letter of each word as appropriate.
- If the name starts with initials, use the 'Alphabetic' option to find names that contain them.
From commerce.utah.gov, checked .
A name that seems free in the search may still be taken, as the division itself warns. A dissolved entity also keeps a claim on its name for five years, the period in which it may apply for reinstatement.
Utah status words and what to do about them
A Utah record shows one of a handful of statuses. Current, also shown as Active, is the one you want. Delinquent is fixable with an online renewal. Expired and the closed statuses are harder to undo, and the fix depends on the type of entity.
| Status shown | What it means |
|---|---|
| Current (Active) | The entity has filed its renewal and is active. All registered entities must file a renewal to stay active. |
| Delinquent | The entity has not filed its renewal on time. Fixed by renewing online. A Certificate of Existence can still be ordered. |
| Expired | Registration has lapsed. No Certificate of Existence can be ordered; the fix depends on entity type. |
| Dissolved (Involuntarily or Voluntarily), Revoked, Cancelled | Closed statuses. No Certificate of Existence can be ordered. |
Status wording from commerce.utah.gov, checked .
The status also decides whether you can get proof of standing, because a Certificate of Existence is only issued for Current or Delinquent records.
Utah Division of Corporations fees
The numbers below come from the division's fee schedule for the current fiscal year. An LLC is formed with a Certificate of Organization for $59. If you need the filing back quickly, expedited service adds $75 per document and takes 1 to 2 business days.
| Form an LLC | $59 (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: $18 (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
| Faster processing | $75 extra per document for a 1 to 2 business day expedite (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Utah. State fees are separate.
Fees for corporations and name reservations were not on the fee text we could read. Check the division's fee schedule for those, and see our LLC filing fees by state page to compare Utah with its neighbours.
The yearly Utah renewal
Utah calls its yearly filing a renewal, not an annual report. Every registered entity must file it to stay active, and an LLC pays $18. Missing it moves the record to Delinquent, which you clear by renewing online.
| Fee | LLC: $18 (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
|---|
If you have never filed one, our guide to filing an annual report covers the general steps.
Naming a Utah business
Utah tests names by key words. A key word is any word other than articles, prepositions, conjunctions and entity words such as corporation, company or Inc.. Your name needs at least one key word that differs from names already on file. Changing only the ending, for example from Inc. to LLC, does not make a name new, and moving the same key words around does not either.
| How different a name must be | One key word must be different. A key word is any word other than articles, prepositions, conjunctions or entity identifiers (corporation, incorporated, company and so on). The same key words in a different order are not distinguishable by order alone, per the text seen. Differences in last-word designators such as corp., co., inc., Ltd., LLC, LC, LP or L3C do not make a name distinguishable. (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
|---|
Certificate of Existence in Utah
What other states call a certificate of good standing, Utah calls a Certificate of Existence. You can order it while the record is Current or Delinquent. Once a record is Expired, Revoked, Cancelled or Dissolved, the division will not issue one.
What it costs, where to order it and what blocks it are in our Utah good standing guide.
Our page on the certificate of good standing explains when a bank or another state is likely to ask for it.
Assumed names (DBA) in Utah
Assumed names (DBAs) are registered with the state Division of Corporations (the division registers 'sole proprietors with an assumed name'). (commerce.utah.gov, checked )
A sole proprietor who trades under a name other than their own registers that assumed name with the division. The DBA fee was not on the fee text we could read, so confirm it on the division's site before you file.
Contacting the Utah Division of Corporations
| Office | Utah Department of Commerce, Division of Corporations and Commercial Code (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Division of Corporations and Commercial Code (commerce.utah.gov, checked ) |
We do not list a phone number or address for the division yet, because we could not read them on its own pages. Use the contact details on commerce.utah.gov/corporations, and keep your entity number at hand when you get in touch.
Sources
- commerce.utah.gov/corporations/about/: office name, division. Checked .
- commerce.utah.gov/corporations/searches/: business search. Checked .
- commerce.utah.gov/corporations/faqs/how-can-you-find-out-if-the-name-is-available/: name check, search tips. Checked .
- commerce.utah.gov/corporations/business-entities/business-name-conventions-and-policies/: search disclaimer, name rule. Checked .
- commerce.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/currentfees.pdf: LLC filing fee, report fee, expedite fees. Checked .
- commerce.utah.gov/corporations/faqs/how-to-fix-the-delinquent-expired-status-on-a-business/: status terms. Checked .
- commerce.utah.gov/corporations/business-entities/dba/: assumed names (DBA). Checked .