How to Conduct a Vermont Business Entity Search

The Vermont business search, sometimes called a business entity search, is a helpful resource for anyone who needs to learn about business entities registered in the state. Whether you’re an established business owner who wants to verify the good standing of a potential business partner or an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to check if your desired business name is available, this search is your go-to tool.

But using this tool can feel overwhelming at first, especially if you’re busy with other business startup or maintenance tasks. That’s where this guide comes in. We’ve assembled a step-by-step guide to using the state business entity search to get the information you need. We’ll also walk through some essential Vermont business naming guidelines and what you should do after you’ve searched your business name.

Let’s get started.

Vermont Secretary of State Contact Information

Address: 128 State Street Montpelier, VT 05633-1104	Email: SOS.CorporationsSupport@vermont.gov
Telephone: (802) 828-2386	Website: https://bizfilings.vermont.gov/online

Vermont 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, Vermont has several rules about naming your business. 

First, your name needs to be different from the names of other registered companies in Vermont, including both domestic and foreign corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships, and so on. 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 Vermont business name should follow: 

• Your business name needs to include a designator. For example, corporations need to include a designator like “corporation,” “company,” “incorporated,” or an acceptable abbreviation. An LLC would need to include the phrase “limited liability company,” “limited company,” or an abbreviation. Low-profit LLCs would have to use L3C as their designator.
• Your name can’t use language that implies you’re organized to conduct activities that aren’t permitted by law or by your formation documents.
• Certain words or phrases are prohibited or restricted. For example, corporations can’t use the word “cooperative” in their name unless they uphold specific requirements. Meanwhile, LLCs can’t register a name for a postsecondary school unless they have a certificate of approval from the State Board of Education.

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 company name doesn’t meet these requirements, you’ll need to pick a new one.

Run a Vermont Secretary of State business search by business name

Searching for a company by its business name is the most common and straightforward way to consult the state’s official database. Here’s how to run a Vermont business search as efficiently as possible.

Step 1: Choose your search type

The business name search actually allows you to use three different search methods, so you’ll want to pick the option that best meets your needs. You can find these three options directly underneath the search bar, pictured below:

• Starts With: This search will show you any business names that begin with the same words you search. For example, if you wanted to find businesses with “American” as their first word, you’d use this search.
• Contains (Default): This search will show you any business names that include the words you search, regardless of their location in the business name. Use this search tool if you know a business keyword or only part of the business name. It could also be helpful if you want to check for similar-sounding business names.
• Exact Match: This search will only display business names that are identical to your search terms (not including business designators like “inc.” or “LLC”). Use this search method if you’re starting a new business and you want to check business name availability.

Step 2: Select any desired filters and type your search

The Vermont business search tool also lets you refine your search in several ways, if needed. While you aren’t required to use these filters, they can help you find exactly what you’re looking for more easily. Here’s how these filters function:

• Business type: This filter will limit the results to a particular business structure, such as an LLC, corporation, benefit corporation, and more.
• Business standing: This filter will limit the results to display businesses with a particular status, such as companies that are active and in good standing, inactive businesses, withdrawn businesses, and more.
• Date of formation: This filter will limit results to businesses that filed their formation paperwork within a particular date range (a maximum of 31 days).

Set any of these filters if you want, and then type your search terms into the search bar. When you’re ready, hit “search.”

Step 3: Review your results

After you hit search, the business search tool will pull up any existing businesses that match the search terms you entered (or it will return a “No search result found” message if no matches are found).

For each matching business, you’ll see the full company name, record number, business entity type, and physical address that’s on file with the Secretary of State. You’ll also see their business standing.

If you click on a company name (linked on the left side of the page), you’ll be directed to another page with even more information.

This page provides a lot of details about the company, including its annual report information, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and business purpose, registered agent information, principal information, any assumed business names they have, and more. You can also review their filing history on this page.

How to Check Name Availability

If you’re starting a new business, it’s your responsibility to check that your desired business name isn’t already claimed by another company. Vermont doesn’t currently have a dedicated name availability search tool, but you can use this business search to do a preliminary check.

To get started, set the business search to the “Exact Match” filter. Then, type in your desired business name (but leave off the entity designator like “LLC” or “Company”). Then, click “Search.”

Ideally, you’ll see a message that reads, “No search result found.” If that happens, there’s a good chance that your name is available. However, if there are any matches for your name, the search will retrieve them and list them for you. If this happens, you’ll probably need to update your business name so it’s unique.

While you’re at it, it’s helpful to run a “Contains” search against the keywords in your business name. This extra search can help you determine if your name is truly unique compared to those your competition is using.

Search the Vermont SOS by record number (business ID)

Vermont actually offers multiple search options through their search tool, and another helpful one you could run is a record number search. This search type lets you look up information and records for a company if you know the ID number assigned to it by the Secretary of State.

To search by record number, you’ll use the same page linked above, but you don’t need to worry about setting any filters; business ID searches only yield one result (or none, if there are no matches). Simply type in the business record number and hit “Search.”

As long as there’s a match in the official database, your results should look something like this:

Use the Vermont advanced search

The Vermont state website also offers an advanced search tool; it’s located on the same business search page we covered above, but you’ll find it directly under the standard search section. Let’s walk through the different search options available with the Advanced Search:

• Principal Name: This search lets you look up businesses by the name of their principal. For example, if you know “John Smith” is the principal for a Vermont LLC, you could look up other information about that LLC by searching his name in this tool.
• Filing Number: The Vermont Secretary of State assigns a filing number to every form that a company submits. If you know the filing number for one such form, you can use the filing number search to retrieve additional information about the company that filed that form. This search should only reveal one result.
• Registered Agent Name: This search lets you look up the businesses that are represented by a particular registered agent.

These searches all function similarly to the record number or business name searches we covered above. Just select your advanced search type, type in the search terms, and hit “Search” to view any results.

For example, here’s what our results page looked like when we searched a specific registered agent’s name:

As before, you can click on any name from the results list to learn more business information about that company.

What to Do After Searching Business Names in Vermont

After you’ve come up with a name and searched 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 Vermont business name and make the most of it. 

Reserve your Vermont business name (optional)

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

You can get a Vermont business name reservation by filing an Application for Reserved Name form with the Secretary of State. The filing fee you’ll pay will vary depending on your business type. For example, LLCs pay $25 while business corporations pay $40 for their reservation application.

After your paperwork is filed and approved, your name reservation is valid for 120 days. If you need more time, you can request a renewal during the last 45 days of your previous reservation. State law says that you can only renew a reservation twice. 

This name reservation 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 business name is to register your business. After you register a business under your chosen name, no one else in Vermont will be able to register their own company with the same name. 

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

Get a domain name that matches

You want your customers to find your business website easily. That means you need a domain name that matches your business 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 business 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 in the Green Mountain State.

Trademark your business name (optional)

If you want the most robust protections for your business 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. If you go this route, it’s highly recommended to work with a trademark attorney.