How to Conduct a Washington Business Entity Search

The Washington Secretary of State business search, sometimes called the corporation search, is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to learn more about the businesses on file with the state. Whether you’re a seasoned business owner looking for company records or a new entrepreneur checking if your desired business name is available, this search is a go-to resource.

But how do you use the search tool? It can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve never used a search like this before. That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll walk you through the essential tips and tricks to using the corporation search effectively. We’ll also talk through some important business naming guidelines and what to do after searching a business name.

Let’s get started.

Washington Secretary of State Contact Information

Washington 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, Washington has several rules about naming your business. 

First, your name needs to be different from the names of other registered companies in Washington, 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 Washington business name should follow: 

• Your business name should include a designator. For example, a corporation needs to include a word like “corporation,” “company,” “incorporated,” or an acceptable abbreviation. Meanwhile, an LLC would need to use the phrase “limited liability company” or “LLC” with or without periods.
• Certain words, such as “bank,” “banking,” “trust, “cooperative,” and others, are considered restricted words and can’t be used in a business name.
• Your name can’t imply that you’re conducting activities that aren’t permitted by your company’s formation documents.

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 different name.

Search by business entity name

The Washington corporation search tool actually has several different capabilities, including a name search, a UBI number search, and an advanced search. We’ll cover the other search types later, but in this section, we’ll focus on searching by a company name.

Step 1: Set your filter and type your search

If you’re running a name search, the first thing you’ll want to do is tell the tool what results you’d like to see. Here are the three filters you can use:

• Contains: The “contains” search tool will yield any results that include the word(s) you type. It functions similarly to a keyword search. For example, if you searched the word “America,” the tool would pull up business names that include any form of “America” in their name, such as “American” or “Americana.”
• Begins With: This filter will provide a list of results that start with the same terms you search. Going back to our “America” example, if you used this filter, every name on the results page would start with “America.”
• Exact Match: This filter shows only those results that are identical to the search term you type, making it a very helpful filter if you want to check name availability.

After you’ve selected a filter, you’ll need to type your search terms into the search bar and hit “Search.”

Step 2: Review your results

After you hit “Search,” the tool will pull up a list of all the business names that match your query. For example, here’s what the results table looked like when we searched “Smith.”

This first page will show you various basic information sorted into columns, including the business name, UBI number, business type, principal office address, registered agent name, and finally, the business’s status.

If you click on a business name (every name is linked), you’ll be directed to a second page that shows even more data about that company. This page will show you the company’s formation date, expiration date, or inactive date (depending on its circumstances). You can also see the business’s mailing address, its activities, and even information about its governors.

At the very bottom of the page, you can hit the button labeled “Filing History” to access the company’s business filings, such as its annual reports, registration paperwork, and more.

Search the Washington state database by UBI Number

You should perform a UBI number search if you need to look up a specific business and you know the UBI number assigned to it. The advantage of completing this search is that each UBI number is unique, so a search like this will only yield one result.

To get started, simply navigate to the search page and then type the UBI number into the search bar on the left. Then hit “Search.”

As long as you typed the UBI number correctly, your results page should look something like this:

You can click on the business name to view additional information about the company and review its filing history.

How to Run an Advanced Search

The Secretary of State database tool also offers an Advanced Search feature, which allows you to look up businesses by some additional criteria.

Here are the different ways you can use the search:

• Advanced Business Search: This search section allows you to run a much more detailed name search of the state department’s records. You can use the same “Contains,” “Starts With,” and “Exact Match” filters as before. But you can add on filters for a particular entity type, status, or the company’s expiration date. Using any combination of these should help narrow down your results.
• Date of Incorporation/Formation/Registration: Use this in conjunction with another search method to look for entities that formed during a specific date range, such as between January 1 and today.
• Registered Agent Search: This search lets you look up a company’s information by its registered agent’s name or address.
• Governor Search: This search allows you to look up a company by one of its governors’ names, such as the name of an LLC’s member or a corporation’s CEO.

Using one or more of these extra search criteria can help you find the exact information you’re looking for without sorting through hundreds of company names. When you use this search, you’ll see a similar list of results like the ones we’ve shown above; you can click on any company name post-search to learn more about the company and review their filings.

What to Do After Searching Business Names in Washington

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 Washington business name and make the most of it. 

Reserve your Washington business name (optional)

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

You can get a Washington name reservation by filing a name reservation form with the Secretary of State. For most entity types, there’s a $30 filing fee for reserving a name. 

After your paperwork is filed and approved, your name reservation will be valid for 180 days. 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 business name is to register your business. After you register a business under your chosen name, no one else in Washington will be able to register their own company with the same name. 

Registering a Washington business is an important legal process. Learn more about starting a Washington 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 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 Evergreen 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.