SOS Entity SearchPublic registry guide

21 · jurisdiction profile

Kentucky business filings, made easier to navigate.

This is the practical starting point for researching entities administered by Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings. Find the public search tool, understand the state’s filing rhythm, and plan the evidence and maintenance steps that follow.

Open official entity search

Domestic LLC

Kentucky domestic profit LLC Articles of Organization cost $40.00. The filing must use a distinguishable LLC name, provide a Kentucky registered agent and registered office, identify organizers and management information required by the Kentucky Revised Limited Liability Company Act, and include the prescribed filing data. No online-versus-paper price delta is listed in the current public fee schedule.

Domestic corporation

Kentucky domestic for-profit corporation Articles of Incorporation cost $50.00 under the current fee schedule. The articles must state authorized shares, incorporator, Kentucky registered agent and office, and other statutory provisions. Kentucky also imposes a corporate organization tax based on authorized shares, separate from the Secretary's filing fee; the minimum organization-tax amount is $10 for 1,000 or fewer shares.

Standard turnaround

Kentucky FastTrack provides electronic submission and a receipt, but acceptance depends on name distinguishability, statutory completeness, and payment. The public pages do not promise one universal approval time; online filing is normally faster than mailed paper processing. A receipt is not a substitute for the accepted certificate or active record.

Executive overview

What this state profile helps you decide

A state registry profile has two jobs. First, it tells you where the official record lives and how to search it. Second, it gives you enough compliance context to understand what the record means after you find it.

For Kentucky, the filing office is Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings. The current public-facing portal is powered or identified as Kentucky FastTrack Business Organization Search. The agency page and search engine should be treated as the final source for live forms, accepted payment methods, processing queues, and entity-specific notices.

Use this page when you need a high-level answer. Use the linked modules when you are preparing an actual filing, trying to cure a delinquency, ordering documentary evidence, or changing the statutory agent.

State filing snapshot

The numbers and obligations to surface first

Decision pointWhat the current profile says
Domestic formationLLC: Kentucky domestic profit LLC Articles of Organization cost $40.00. The filing must use a distinguishable LLC name, provide a Kentucky registered agent and registered office, identify organizers and management information required by the Kentucky Revised Limited Liability Company Act, and include the prescribed filing data. No online-versus-paper price delta is listed in the current public fee schedule.
Corporation: Kentucky domestic for-profit corporation Articles of Incorporation cost $50.00 under the current fee schedule. The articles must state authorized shares, incorporator, Kentucky registered agent and office, and other statutory provisions. Kentucky also imposes a corporate organization tax based on authorized shares, separate from the Secretary's filing fee; the minimum organization-tax amount is $10 for 1,000 or fewer shares.
Foreign qualificationLLC: A foreign LLC files an Application for Certificate of Authority for $90.00. It must provide home-jurisdiction information, a Kentucky registered agent and office, and the required certificate or existence evidence. Foreign entities may also need an assumed or registered name if their legal name is unavailable in Kentucky, with separate name fees.
Corporation: A foreign profit corporation files an Application for Certificate of Authority for $90.00. The application requires a current home-jurisdiction certificate, Kentucky registered agent and office, authorized/issued share data, and a distinguishable Kentucky name or registered-name filing where needed. Annual report obligations begin after authority is issued.
Recurring maintenanceLLC: Kentucky requires every business entity conducting business in the Commonwealth to file an annual report by June 30, accompanied by a $15.00 fee. The report updates the registered agent, office, principal information, and governing persons. Failure to file places the entity in bad standing and can lead to administrative dissolution or revocation of a foreign certificate of authority.
Corporation: Kentucky domestic and foreign for-profit corporations file annual reports by June 30 for $15.00. A foreign entity that misses the deadline can have its certificate of authority revoked. The report is separate from Kentucky corporate income tax, limited liability entity tax, organization tax, and license-tax returns.
Registered agentA Kentucky registered agent must maintain a Kentucky registered office and be an eligible individual resident or authorized business entity capable of receiving service. The name and street address are public. The office cannot be only a P.O. box, and the agent should be available for process during ordinary business hours. A commercial registered agent can serve multiple entities but must remain authorized and current.

Choose your next guide

Formation is the beginning, not the compliance plan

The cheapest formation route is not always the simplest operating route. Before filing, confirm the name standard, statutory agent requirements, authorized-share or member information, local licensing, tax registrations, and any professional-entity restrictions that apply to the planned activity.

After formation, calendar the first report or statement immediately. A newly created entity may have a first-year exception, an anniversary-month due date, a quarterly filing window, or a separate tax obligation. Treat the agency record, revenue department account, and local license file as related—but separate—workstreams.

How to use the official record responsibly

Save the entity ID, legal name, status, registered agent and office, formation or qualification date, and the most recent filed document. When a third party asks for “proof,” ask whether it needs a current certificate, certified charter, tax clearance, apostille, or a plain search result. Those are different documents with different evidentiary value.