Michigan Business Entity Search
Find a registered business through Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations Division. Use the official link below, then check the search options and name rules for Michigan.
Official website: mibusinessregistry.lara.state.mi.us · Opens in a new tab
Michigan search options and record coverage
MiBusiness Registry searches Michigan corporations, LLCs, assumed names, and other entities by legal name or identification information and displays status, resident agent, office, annual filings, and available documents. The portal supports formations, amendments, annual statements, agent changes, certificates, and copies. Search is registry-oriented; inspect the entity record for officers, managers, or members where filed.
Checking a business name in Michigan
Michigan requires corporation and LLC names to be distinguishable and requires statutory designators. LLC names may not suggest a purpose different from the Articles of Organization. Capitalization, punctuation, spacing, generic descriptors, and suffixes should not be assumed to cure confusing similarity. LARA acceptance does not clear trademark, assumed-name, professional, or marketplace rights.
Michigan name reservations
Michigan charges $10.00 for an Application of Reservation of Name. LARA's entrepreneur guide states the reservation lasts six months. Reservation protects filing priority only and does not clear trademarks, assumed names, professional restrictions, or the right to use the name in commerce.
DBA, trade names, and fictitious names
Michigan Certificate of Assumed Name uses form 541 and costs $25.00 for an LLC; corporate assumed-name fees are generally $10.00. File through https://mibusinessregistry.lara.state.mi.us/ or the LARA forms page. A certificate of assumed name is a state filing and does not change the legal name or create a separate entity.
What do you need after the search?
- Official proof of standing — find certificate fees and ordering instructions.
- A missed report or inactive registration — check deadlines and reinstatement rules.
- A new business registration — compare Michigan formation and filing fees.