To run a Washington LLC lookup, go to the Secretary of State’s Corporations and Charities Filing System at ccfs.sos.wa.gov and search by the business name or its UBI number.1Washington Secretary of State. Corporations and Charities System The search is free, takes under a minute, and returns the LLC’s legal name, status, formation date, registered agent, and principal office address.
Running the Search on CCFS
The CCFS search bar accepts two kinds of input: the LLC’s business name or its Unified Business Identifier. A UBI is a nine-digit number Washington assigns to every registered business and reuses across state agencies as a tax registration number, business registration number, and business license number.2Washington Department of Revenue. Business Licensing and Renewals FAQs
If you have the UBI, use it. One number, one record. Most people don’t have it, though, so name searches do the heavy lifting. You don’t need the exact legal name. Type the most distinctive word or two, hit Search, and scan the list of matches for the entity you’re after. Click through to open its detail page.
What the Results Show
The detail page for a Washington LLC displays:1Washington Secretary of State. Corporations and Charities System
- Legal name and UBI number
- Status (active, inactive, dissolved, or withdrawn)
- Formation date
- Registered agent name and address
- Principal office address
The registered agent is worth paying attention to. Washington requires every LLC to continuously maintain a registered agent in the state to receive legal documents and official correspondence.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 25.15.021 – Registered Agent If the principal office is a P.O. box or an address that won’t accept service, the registered agent is your point of contact for anything formal.
What the Status Labels Mean
The status field is usually the reason people run a lookup in the first place. Here’s how to read it:
- Active. The LLC is in good standing, current on its annual report, and maintaining a registered agent. This is what you want to see before signing a contract or sending money.
- Inactive. The LLC still exists but has fallen behind, usually on annual reports or the registered agent requirement. It hasn’t been dissolved, but it may face restrictions until it catches up.
- Administratively dissolved. The state shut the LLC down for noncompliance, most often for missed annual reports or a lapsed registered agent. The company no longer has authority to conduct business in Washington.
- Voluntarily dissolved. The owners chose to close the business and filed dissolution paperwork. An intentional wind-down.
- Withdrawn. Applies to foreign LLCs (companies formed in another state) that had registered to operate in Washington and have since ended that registration.
An administratively dissolved LLC can’t legally transact business. Contracts you make with one may be unenforceable, and there may not be a valid entity standing behind any guarantee it offered you.
Why Owner Names Usually Aren’t Listed
If you’re hoping the search will tell you who owns the LLC, it probably won’t. Washington doesn’t require LLC owners (called members) or managers to be named in the certificate of formation. The filing only requires the LLC’s name, registered agent, principal office address, and the name of the person who signed the formation document.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 25.15.071 – Formation, Certificate of Formation That signer can be an attorney or a formation service rather than a real owner.
So a CCFS search reliably tells you the registered agent and the filer, but not who actually runs the business. This isn’t a bug. Washington simply doesn’t collect member or manager names as part of standard LLC filings.
How Current Is the Information
Search results are only as current as the company’s most recent filing. Washington requires LLCs to file an annual report to keep their registration active, and the filing window opens 180 days before the LLC’s expiration date. Filing early doesn’t move the renewal cycle up.
An LLC that misses its annual report can be flipped to inactive status and eventually pushed toward administrative dissolution. That’s why an “active” result carries some weight: it means someone met the filing obligation within the past year. An inactive or dissolved status often signals a neglected or abandoned business, even one that operated legitimately at some point.
When You Need an Official Certificate
The free CCFS search is a snapshot, not an official document. If a bank, lender, or contracting partner wants formal proof that a Washington LLC exists and is in good standing, you’ll need a Certificate of Existence from the Secretary of State. Washington charges $20 for a standard certificate and an additional $50 for expedited processing, and you can order one through CCFS.
The certificate confirms the LLC’s name, formation date, and current status as of the date issued. It isn’t a background check on the company. It’s the state’s official confirmation that the entity is registered and in good standing at that moment.