To run a Louisiana LLC lookup, go to the Secretary of State’s Commercial Database at coraweb.sos.la.gov and search by entity name, charter number, or officer or agent name. The search is free, takes a couple of minutes, and returns the LLC’s legal name, current status, formation date, and registered agent.1Louisiana Secretary of State. Search for Louisiana Business Filings
Use the Commercial Database, Not geauxBIZ
Louisiana’s Secretary of State runs two online tools that are easy to mix up. The Commercial Database is the public search portal where you look up any registered business entity in the state.1Louisiana Secretary of State. Search for Louisiana Business Filings geauxBIZ, a joint platform with the Department of Revenue and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, is built for filing new business documents, reserving names, and managing tax registrations.2Louisiana Secretary of State. Start a Business If you’re trying to find an existing LLC, the Commercial Database is the one you want.
How to Run the Search
The search page gives you three ways in:
- Entity Name. Type the full or partial name of the LLC. This is the most common approach when you know the business name but not its filing details.
- Charter Number. If you have the LLC’s charter number, trade registration number, or name reservation number, this option pulls the exact record immediately. Charter numbers appear on official filings and are sometimes listed on contracts.
- Officer or Agent Name. Useful when you know who runs the business but not the LLC’s exact legal name. Many LLCs use commercial registered agent services, so an agent search can return a long list.
Enter your terms, complete any security verification the page shows, and click the matching entity from the results list to open its detail page.
A few tips. Every Louisiana LLC must include “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Limited Liability Company” in its registered name, so the legal name may not match the name on a storefront or website. If the first search returns nothing, drop the entity suffix or try a shorter fragment of the name.
What the Results Show
The detail page for a Louisiana LLC displays:
- Legal name as registered with the Secretary of State
- Status: Active, Inactive, or Dissolved
- Formation date (when articles of organization were filed)
- Registered agent name and address
- Principal business address
- Filing history, including annual reports and other submitted documents
Everything on the page comes from the LLC’s own filings. If the company hasn’t updated its records, the agent or principal address may be stale even when the entity itself is active.
What Active, Inactive, and Dissolved Mean
The status field is usually the whole reason people run the search.
Active means the LLC is current on its filings and legally authorized to do business in Louisiana. If you’re verifying a company you’re about to contract with, Active is the result you want.
Inactive typically means the LLC has fallen behind on its annual reports. The company hasn’t formally dissolved, and the owners can often bring it back into good standing by filing the overdue reports and paying the fees. While inactive, though, the LLC’s authority to operate is in question, which is worth taking seriously before signing anything.
Dissolved means the LLC has wound down, usually by filing articles of dissolution. A dissolved LLC is no longer a functioning legal entity. Dissolution can be voluntary, or involuntary if the state revoked the charter for prolonged noncompliance.
If the LLC doesn’t appear at all, recheck your spelling, try a partial name, or consider that the business may be registered under a different legal name than the one it uses publicly. It may also simply not be registered in Louisiana.
Why So Many LLCs Show As Inactive
Louisiana requires every LLC to file an annual report with the Secretary of State. The fee is $25, and the report is due each year on the anniversary of the LLC’s formation date, with a 30-day window before that date to file.3Louisiana Secretary of State. Fee Schedule The requirement is set out in Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 12:1308.1.
Missed annual reports are the single most common reason an LLC shows as Inactive in the database. Owners forget, move without updating their address, or assume the deadline is a fixed calendar date rather than the formation anniversary. Reinstatement is available under R.S. 12:1308.2 by filing the overdue reports and paying associated fees, though there is a time limit after which reinstatement is no longer possible.
When to Order a Certificate Instead
The free online search is enough for everyday due diligence. For situations that need official proof, Louisiana’s Secretary of State issues several documents, each $20:4Louisiana Secretary of State. Order Documents and Certificates
- Certificate of Good Standing. Confirms the LLC is active and current. Banks often require one to open a business account, and other states may require it when the LLC registers to do business there.
- Certificate of Existence. Verifies that the LLC exists in Louisiana’s records.
- Certificate of No Record. Confirms no entity by a given name is registered, useful during name research.
- Certified Copies. Exact copies of filed documents bearing the state seal, accepted as proof of authenticity for banking, lending, or international transactions.
Orders can be placed by mail with a check or money order, by fax with a credit card, or online through the Commercial Database using a geauxBIZ account.4Louisiana Secretary of State. Order Documents and Certificates
Looking Up an LLC Is Not the Same as Checking Name Availability
If you’re forming a new LLC and want to know whether your preferred name is taken, the Commercial Database is a reasonable starting point but not the final word. A name that doesn’t appear could still conflict with a trademark or a reserved name that hasn’t been fully filed. The Secretary of State performs a formal name review when you submit your articles of organization, and that review is more thorough than any search you can run on your own.