Washington Secretary of State business search — LLC name check, trademark & domain lookup
Washington has no income tax but a business & occupation tax on gross receipts, so a name that reads 'holding company' can still owe tax on revenue. The Corporations and Charities Filing System search is thorough — it indexes trade names registered with the Department of Revenue too — and the 180-day reservation is one of the longer ones.
Check a Washington business name now — Enter the exact name you're considering — it's searched against state registry records, federal trademark filings, and domain registrars. Free, no signup to start.
Check this name →How to check a business name in Washington
- Type the exact name, suffix included. The checker runs it against the Washington registry, the federal trademark register and domain registrars in one pass.
- Read the close matches, not just the verdict. Washington refuses names that aren't distinguishable — a near-miss on the list is the one that will block you.
- Reserve or file while it's clear. Washington will hold it for 180 days for $30. Confirm at the official Washington Secretary of State search first.
Washington naming rules: what the Washington Secretary of State will and won't accept
Washington applies one test to every proposed name: it must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State. Swapping 'Inc.' for 'LLC', adding 'The', or changing a comma does not make a name distinguishable here. For an LLC the accepted endings are LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company and Limited Liability Co.; corporations take Corporation, Corp. and Incorporated.
Some words need permission first. In Washington that list includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Cooperative, Engineer, Architect and Partnership — using one implies a regulated activity and the filing will be held until the relevant regulator consents.
The fees are straightforward: forming an LLC costs $200, a corporation $200 and a name reservation is $30 and holds the name for 180 days. Ccfs online filings usually 1-2 business days.
After you file: Annual report, $70, due by the end of the anniversary month. An entity that stops filing loses good standing, and with it the exclusive claim to its name.
As published by the Washington Secretary of State, (360) 725-0377 — official website (fee schedule). Fees change; confirm before filing.
How busy is Washington right now?
The U.S. Census Bureau counted 117,824 business applications from Washington in the twelve months ending August 2026 — -19.4% on the year before, the 15th-highest total of any state and 14.8 per 1,000 residents (ranked 34th per person). April was the busiest month with 12,855 applications, and Washington accounts for 1.9% of all U.S. filings.
That volume is the reason exact-name checks age quickly here: the registry changes by the hundreds every business day.
Where America starts businesses — all 50 states ranked →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (monthly, not seasonally adjusted). 2019 comparison: 70,395 applications in calendar 2019.
What people are checking in Washington
In the past 90 days this site checked 21 names against the Washington registry, and 81% of them came back clear at the state level. The words that came up most: Removal, Tre, Jewelry, Dog and Hauling. (Aggregate figures only — we don't publish individual searches.)
How Washington decides whether a name is taken
Three things the Washington Secretary of State looks at, and one it doesn't:
- Status. Only entities in an active status hold their names. Dissolved, revoked and withdrawn registrations release the name — with the caveat that a very recent lapse can still be reinstated, which our result notes when it applies.
- Distinguishability. Your name must differ from every active Washington name by more than punctuation, spacing, capitalisation or the entity designator. Two names that read the same aloud are usually treated as the same name.
- Designator. The recorded name of an LLC ends in an LLC designator and a corporation's in Inc., Corp. or an accepted equivalent; leave it off and the filing is returned.
- Not trademarks. The registry never checks the USPTO. A name can be free in Washington and still infringe a federal mark, so run both — the checker on this page does.
About the Washington Secretary of State
The Washington Secretary of State maintains Washington's registry of corporations, LLCs, and other registered entities — it is the system of record for Washington business names. Useful official resources:
- Official Washington business entity search — the state's own lookup.
- Washington Secretary of State — official website — filings, forms, fees, and contact details.
Before you file in Washington: a two-minute double check
- Run the name through the checker above — registry, USPTO and domain in one pass.
- Repeat the search on the official Washington lookup, spelling the name exactly as it will be filed, with the designator.
- For every match returned, note the status. Active blocks; dissolved or revoked usually doesn't; a recent lapse deserves a second look.
- Compare spellings, not just exact hits — Washington treats near-identical names as the same name.
- Clear on both? Reserve or file straight away. Names are first-come, first-served.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to register a business name in Washington?
- The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $200 for an LLC and $200 for a corporation, then annual report, $70, due by the end of the anniversary month.
- Are there words I can't use in a Washington business name?
- Words that imply a regulated business need consent first. In Washington that includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Cooperative and Engineer. Names that suggest a government agency are refused outright.
- How many new businesses start in Washington each year?
- The Census Bureau counted 117,824 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, -19.4% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.
- Does a Washington registration protect my name in other states?
- No. It protects the name inside Washington's registry only. Nationwide protection comes from a federal trademark, which is why the checker runs the USPTO search alongside the Washington lookup.
- What does a Washington LLC name have to end with?
- One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company and Limited Liability Co.. The checker searches the name with and without the suffix, because the suffix alone never makes a name distinguishable.
- Can I reserve a business name in Washington before I file?
- Yes. The Washington Secretary of State charges $30 to reserve a name for 180 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.
Still choosing a name? Try the Washington business name generator — every idea checked against the same registry.
Check other states
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming