Washington Business Search: How to Look Up Any LLC, Corporation or Trade Name (CCFS and DOR)

Before you sign a lease, pay an invoice, or hire a contractor, you probably want to know who you're dealing with. In Washington, a business search isn't one database. The Secretary of State (SOS) and the Department of Revenue (DOR) keep separate records that answer different questions. If you search only one, you can miss a business entirely or conclude wrongly that it doesn't exist.

This guide covers the three lookups that matter, what each one shows, and where each one stops. It also covers the name check you should run before you form a new entity.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. For a dispute, a merger, or a name that may infringe someone else's rights, talk with a qualified attorney or CPA.

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Start by Knowing Which Agency Holds the Record

Washington divides business records by entity type:

Secretary of State: LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, and nonprofits. These are filed through the Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS).
Department of Revenue: trade names (doing business as, or DBA) and the statewide business license, which issues the 9-digit Unified Business Identifier (UBI).
Neither as a formation filing: sole proprietors and general partnerships. The SOS does not file them, so they never appear in CCFS.

Lookup 1: The Secretary of State Business Search (CCFS)

The search at ccfs.sos.wa.gov is free. Enter a business name and you'll get a list of matches. Open a record and check four things:

Status: whether the entity is currently listed as active. Don't assume a name in the results is an operating business.
Registered agent: the Washington term for the business's official contact for legal papers. Under RCW 23.95.405, every domestic entity and registered foreign entity must designate and maintain one. The agent must have a physical street address in Washington. PO Boxes and private mailbox addresses are not accepted.
Annual report history: which annual reports have been filed. The annual report fee is $70. It is due by the last day of the month in which the entity was originally formed or registered, and it can be filed up to 180 days early. A late filing carries a delinquency fee, for a total of $95.
Governors: the people listed as governing the entity, such as managers or directors.

The governor list is not an ownership list. The record does not tell you who owns the business. If you need to know who controls an entity, contact the SOS Corporations Division directly rather than inferring it from the record.

A CCFS record is also the first place to confirm a new LLC or corporation exists. Formation requires a Certificate of Formation with Initial Report for an LLC, or Articles of Incorporation with Initial Report for a corporation. Each carries a $180 filing fee.

Lookup 2: DOR for Trade Names and UBI Status

A DBA will not show up in CCFS. Trade names are not registered with the SOS or the county. They are registered with DOR's Business Licensing Service through the Business License Application. To check a UBI and license status, use the business lookup on dor.wa.gov. Confirm on that site whether trade name registrations appear in the lookup results, since the search tools can change.

If you're registering a trade name yourself, the costs are:

Trade name: $5 for each name registered.
Business License Application processing fee: $50 to open or reopen a business, or $10 when the filing is for another purpose, such as adding a trade name to an existing business. This fee is non-refundable.

Processing times vary by filing method. Online applications take about 10 business days. When city or state endorsements need approval, add 2 to 3 weeks. Mailed applications can take up to six weeks.

Lookup 3: Sole Proprietors and General Partnerships

Sole proprietors and general partnerships are not formed with the Secretary of State, so a search of CCFS returns nothing for them. An empty CCFS result does not mean a business is unregistered. To check whether one holds a UBI or a registered trade name, search DOR's business lookup instead.

A sole proprietor operating under the owner's full legal name may not need a trade name or a UBI unless another trigger applies. Those triggers include city, county, or state endorsements, hiring employees within 90 days, selling taxable goods, or gross income of $12,000 per year or more. A missing record is not proof of anything.

Which Search Answers Which Question

Search	Agency	What it covers	What it misses	Cost
CCFS business search	Secretary of State	LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, nonprofits: status, registered agent, annual report history, governors	Sole proprietors, general partnerships, DBAs, ownership details	Free
DOR business lookup	Department of Revenue	UBI and license status; trade name details if shown in the lookup (confirm on dor.wa.gov)	Governors, registered agent, annual report history	Free
Trade name registration	Department of Revenue	New DBA registration	Searching existing records	$5 per name, plus the BLS processing fee

What Neither Search Covers: Trademarks

A clean result in either search does not clear a name for trademark use. The business name check does not search trademarks. State trademarks are filed with the Secretary of State, and federal trademarks are filed with the USPTO. If your brand matters to you, run a separate trademark search before you invest in signage, packaging, or a website. A trademark attorney can tell you whether a name is safe to use.

Name Check Before You File

Before you form an LLC, check the name in CCFS. The name must be distinguishable from every other business name on record with the Secretary of State. Under RCW 23.95.305, an LLC name must include Limited Liability Company, Limited Liability Co., L.L.C., or LLC. It also cannot include bank, banking, banker, trust, cooperative, any combination of industrial and loan, or any combination of two or more of building, savings, loan, home, association, and society.

If you need time to file, you can reserve a name for 180 days for a $30 fee. Name reservations are filed with the Secretary of State by mail or in person, not through the online business search. The SOS fee schedule is at sos.wa.gov.

Licenses Beyond the State Business Search

Finding a business in a search does not mean it is licensed to do the work it advertises. Washington has no corporate income tax and no personal income tax on wages, but almost every business pays the state business and occupation (B&O) tax, a gross receipts tax with no deduction for labor or materials. Many cities also levy their own B&O tax, which DOR does not administer. Roughly 54 cities add one.

Occupational licenses come from specific agencies, not from the SOS or DOR. Examples include:

Labor and Industries (L&I): contractor registration, electrical, and plumbing licenses.
Department of Licensing (DOL): real estate, cosmetology, notaries, security, and tow operators.
Department of Health (DOH): health professions, home care, and lodging.
Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA): cottage food, food processors, and pesticides.
Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB): liquor, cannabis, and tobacco.
Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF): child care.
Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS): adult family homes.
Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC): movers and charter operators.

Washington has 39 counties and 281 incorporated places (cities and towns). Cities and counties may require their own business licenses, and local health district permits can apply to food, lodging, and other regulated businesses. Check with the city or county where you operate, and confirm any trade-specific license with the agency that issues it.

Common Lookup Mistakes

Searching only CCFS and concluding that a DBA doesn't exist.
Treating an empty CCFS result as proof that a sole proprietor is unregistered.
Assuming the registered agent is the owner or the operator.
Reading a listing as current because the entity appears. Check the annual report history.
Treating a clean name check as trademark clearance.

Official Resources

Searches are quick, but they answer narrow questions. Use the CCFS search for entity records, DOR for trade names and UBI status, and a separate trademark search for brand protection. For a business that will sign contracts, hold licenses, or change ownership, confirm the details with a qualified attorney or CPA. This article is informational, not legal or tax advice.