Last Updated on January 30, 2024
Being the chartering agent for corporations and business entities, the Secretary of State of Tennessee also maintains a business corporation register that holds records of every corporate business structure formed in the state. All the filing and authorization details of the entities headquartered in the state are stored in the same registry for reference. The registry acts as the recorder for the following entities registered with the Tennessee SOS.
- Corporations
- Limited Liability Companies
- Limited companies
- Limited partnership
- Limited Liability Partnerships
- Foreign Entities
You are at the right place if you are looking for registered entities in the US state of Tennessee. Here, we will guide you toward searching for a business entity in the online database of the Secretary of State of Tennessee. The online business search database facilitated by the SOS is a great tool for finding details of business entities in the state.
Also see: How to start an LLC in Tennessee
For your search to begin, you must have one of the following information handy:
- Entity Name
- Control number
Go through the detailed guidelines below that will assist you in your search:
Quick Links
Search by Business Name
Step 1 – Visit the Tennessee Secretary of State website and go to the search page to find registered business entities in the state. The search page looks something like the screenshot below.
Step 2 – You can search for the entities using entity name or control. Let us conduct a sample search assuming you have chosen the entity name as the criteria. Type in the entity name, say, “DeRoyal.” You can narrow down your search by clicking on Starting With or Contains. The search can also be reduced by choosing active corporations only. Let us have a look at the screenshot.
Step 3 – Click the search button, and the result page will appear with a list of entities, as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 4 – Click on the control number of any business entity to get further details about the business like;
- Entity Name
- Business owner name
- Tennessee SOS number (different from the Employer Identification Number from the IRS)
- Status (Active Good Standing, Inactive Dissolved, etc.)
- State of Formation
- Duration
- Principal Office Address
- Registered Agent Information
In addition, the Certificate of Existence can be requested for a $20 fee.
Search by Control Number
If you have the control number assigned to the entity by the Secretary of State, you can enter the number in the search field.
Business Name Availability
Before forming a Tennessee corporation or Limited Liability Company, a name has to be chosen. This name has to be unique, and no other registered entities can be using it. To check if the name is available, visit the Business Name Availability database.
Business Licenses
The business name registration is different from a small business license in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Revenue has more information regarding Tennessee business licenses.
Also see: How to do a Tennessee UCC search
Information on SOS Tennessee (TN)
Office :
The Secretary of State of Tennessee is an elected post within the US state of Tennessee created by the constitution of the state. The Tennessee Secretary of State is one of the three constitutional offices in the state of Tennessee other than the Governor of the state. The office holds no constitutional limits of terms of how many times one can be selected for this post.
The current office holder is Tre Hargett.
Functionalities :
The Secretary of State of Tennessee forms a part of the Legislative branch of the state and not the executive branch. The various duties of the Secretary of State of Tennessee include oversight of the following:
- Chartering of Corporations
- Registering trademarks and service marks
- Administering Elections
Secretary of State Contact Information
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, Snodgrass Tower, 6th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-2286
State Business Name Search Instructions
How much does it cost to do a business search in Tennessee?
There is no cost to search for businesses using the Tennessee business search database.