Ohio Business Search
Ohio trade name search
Quick answer. An Ohio trade name search uses the same Secretary of State business database as an entity search. A trade name or fictitious name registration is its own record. It does not create an LLC, and the LLC’s charter number is not the trade name’s registration number.
Official office
Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services
Phone: (614) 466-3910
180 Civic Center Drive, Columbus, OH 43215
Business filings: (614) 466-3910 or (877) 767-3453. General office: (614) 466-2655.
Steps
-
Search the name people actually say
Open Business Search from Business Services and enter the trade name. Ohio.gov describes the database as including the filings the Secretary of State has approved, which includes trade names and fictitious names.
-
Open the registrant, not just the name
The useful fact is who registered the name. Show Details should identify the registrant. Follow that name into a second search if you need the LLC or corporation behind it.
-
Check whether the registration is current
Trade name filings expire or must be renewed on the schedule in the Secretary of State’s forms and fees. An old registration that still appears may be inactive. Read the status instead of stopping at the fact that the name once matched.
-
Do not use a trade name record as good standing for the company
A certificate of good standing is ordered for the entity number of the LLC or corporation, at cogs.ohiosos.gov. A trade name printout will not satisfy that request.
Trade name, fictitious name, and legal name
The legal name is the one on the articles or the certificate of organization. A trade name is a name the business registers in order to use it. A person can register a trade name without forming an LLC. Quoting the trade name on a contract, without the legal entity, is a common way to sue or pay the wrong party.
Trademarks and service marks are also in the Secretary of State’s reports, and they are a third category. A mark registration is not a trade name registration.
Common mistakes
- Forming an LLC in the trade name when the trade name is already registered to someone else.
- Giving a bank the trade-name document and never showing the LLC record.
- Searching only the LLC name when the invoice uses a DBA.
Questions
Are Ohio trade names in the business search?
Yes. The Secretary of State’s business database includes trade name and fictitious name filings along with corporations and LLCs.
Does a trade name search tell me the LLC is in good standing?
No. Look up the entity itself and, if someone asked for a certificate, order it with the entity number.
Who publishes the renewal rule?
The Ohio Secretary of State, on the forms and fees material linked from Business Services. Read the current instruction before you renew.