How to Conduct an Arizona Business Entity Search

An Arizona business search allows you to research filing histories for registered businesses. It also allows you to check name availability in Arizona. But unlike most states, Arizona actually has two different websites for business searches: one through the Secretary of State (SOS), which is primarily used for searching trade names and trademarks, and one through the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), which can be used to look up business records for LLCs and corporations or for completing a name availability search.

But how can you make the most of these search tools? In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to use both search tools so you can make the most of each query you run. We’ll also talk through what to do after you’ve picked a business name.

Let’s get started.

Arizona Secretary of State Contact Information

Arizona Business Name Guidelines

When you’re starting a business, one of the most important things you’ll do is pick your business name. And like other states, Arizona has several rules about naming your business. 

First, your name needs to be different from the names of other registered companies in the state, including both domestic and foreign corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and so on. Arizona also requires that your name be distinguishable from trade names on record, too. This is one of the simplest but most important naming standards. 

That said, uniqueness isn’t the only naming guideline to adhere to. Here are a few other rules your Arizona business name should follow: 

• The name needs to include a business entity identifier (sometimes called a designator), such as “corporation,” “incorporated,” or “company” for corporations or “Limited Liability Company” or “LLC” for LLCs. 
• Your name cannot include words like “bank,” “credit union,” or similar terms unless you are offering those services (and have the appropriate authorizations for those services). 
• Your name cannot imply that you’re conducting any activities that aren’t permitted by your formation documents or by state laws.

If you’re in a licensed trade or profession, keep in mind that you’ll need to meet any naming rules that your industry has in place, too. If your business name doesn’t meet these requirements, you’ll need to pick a new one.

Run an Entity Search with the Arizona Corporation Commission

The ACC offers an Entity Search that allows you to get business information and the filing histories of LLCs and corporations. This search can also be used to check name availability, too.

Step 1: Choose your search type

The ACC Entity Search has several different ways to adapt your search to help you find the exact result you need. For starters, at the upper left of the page, you’ll see a drop-down menu labeled “Search Type.” This menu will let you change how the search functions:

• Starts With: This option will retrieve all of the results that begin with the word(s) you type in the search fields.
• Contains: This method runs a broader search, yielding every name that includes the word(s) you typed.
• Exact Match: This option gets much more specific, only producing results that are identical to the search terms you enter.

Step 2: Type the name or number into the search fields

After you’ve picked the search type that best meets your needs, you’ll head to the section below it, where you’ll actually type your terms into the search fields. Currently, the ACC lets you search by entity name, statutory agent name, principal name, or the entity ID number.

Finally, the tool provides four ways to filter your results — you can bypass the filters entirely, use all four filters, or anything in between. You can filter by entity type (domestic or foreign), entity status (active, inactive, or both), and the entity’s home county in Arizona. The other filter — name type — has eight different options: true name, true name plus identifier, fictitious name, reserved name, former name, registered name, current name, and all of the above.

Step 3: Review the results

Once you make your selections from the drop-down menus and enter search criteria into the empty fields, hit “Search” at the bottom of the page. Your results screen will display all businesses with names that match your search criteria, along with the entity ID number, entity type, statutory agent name, and formation county for each one.

Clicking on any of the entity names in that list provides a wealth of related information about the entity, including its statutory agent, its principals, if it’s in good standing, and more.

A quick note: this search tool isn’t strictly intended to check trade names for you (keep reading for that tool). That said, the ACC’s entity search will display trade name results that match your search terms (if there are any).

Run a Name Availability Search Through the ACC

The ACC’s entity search also allows you to check if an entity name is available or not. To do this, you’ll need to type your desired name into the “Entity Name” search field. But instead of hitting “Search,” you’ll need to hit the “Name Availability Search” button.

You’ll see a pop-up window pretty quickly. If your name is available, the pop-up will say, “The name is available.” But if the name is already taken, it’ll say, “The entity name is not available.”

Run an Arizona SOS Business Search

The Arizona Secretary of State’s business search (also labeled the Entity Search or Trade Name and Trademark Search in certain places online) allows you to find trade names, trademarks, and partnerships. While it looks pretty similar to the Arizona Corporation Commission’s database tool at first glance, it operates differently.

Step 1: Choose which search fields to use

There are three fields in this search, and you can only fill out one of them at a time:

• Name: This field allows you to look for trademarks, trade names, and partnerships by their name. Depending on how much (or how little) of the name you type, you could get a lot of results or very specific ones.
• File Number: This field lets you check results by the filing number assigned to a particular business, if you know it. Searching by file number usually only yields one result, an exact match for the number typed.
• Name of Owner or Agent: This field allows you to type in the name of an entity’s owner or statutory agent.

Step 2: Type your query and review the results

After you’ve picked your search type, you’ll need to type in the name you’re investigating and hit “Search.” Once you do, you’ll see the results page (pictured below). The results will show you the business name, filing number, and entity type for each business that matches your criteria. As you can see, this tool also includes results for LLCs and corporations.

If you want more information about one of the results, click on the filing number. Each hyperlink will take you to additional information. For LLCs or corporations, you’ll be redirected to the Arizona Corporation Commission’s website to view more information on the company. But for trade name or trademark results, the link will take you to another Secretary of State page with additional information about the name, including its associated business address, mailing address, phone number, nature of business, and information about who registered the company and when.

What to Do After Searching Business Names in Arizona

After you’ve come up with a name and researched it, you’re probably feeling like you’ve done a lot of legwork. You’d hate for that hard work to go to waste, right? Here are some steps you can take to protect your Arizona business name and make the most of it. 

Reserve your Arizona business name (optional)

If you’ve picked the perfect company name but you’re not quite ready to file your business formation paperwork, Arizona allows you to reserve your business name. 

Arizona makes it pretty straightforward to reserve a company name by filing the name reservation form that matches your business type; you can find the form on the ACC’s website. There’s a base fee of $10 for this form (expedited filing costs $45). 

Your Arizona name reservation is valid for 120 days, and the reservation cannot be renewed. This step is optional, and you should only pursue it if you’ve picked a name but aren’t ready to file your formation paperwork yet.

Form an LLC or register your business

One of the best ways to protect your chosen name is to register your business. After you register a business under your company name, no one else in Arizona will be able to register their own company with the same name. 

Registering an Arizona business is an important legal process. Learn more about starting an Arizona LLC. 

Get a domain name that matches

You want it to be easy for your customers to find your business website. That means you need a domain name that matches your company name as closely as possible. A matching domain will help your brand maintain consistency both in person and online.

If you’re struggling to come up with a domain name (or the one that matches your name is already taken), try using a domain name generator. A generator can help you come up with a domain that matches your brand image. 

Set up your business online

Today, you can’t run a business without a good digital footprint. A good business website is a decent starting point. But don’t stop there; set up social media accounts like a Facebook page, a TikTok profile, and an Instagram account. Make sure your company name is included on each account so your brand is consistent across your online presence.

Last but not least, set up a Google Business Profile for your business (or claim it if it already exists). This profile will help you direct customers to your website or your store location. Plus, it’ll help you respond to customer reviews and build a good brand reputation within the Grand Canyon State.

Trademark your business name (optional)

If you want the most robust protections for your name, you could pursue trademark registration. Trademarks can be registered at the state or federal level (with federal protections being the strongest). 

Getting a trademark can be pretty complicated and time-consuming, especially at the federal level. If you go this route, it’s highly recommended to work with a trademark attorney.