Business search · Minnesota

Minnesota business search

The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services keeps the official record of every company, LLC and corporation registered in Minnesota. Look one up by name and see status, entity type, formation date and registered agent. Clerkfield reads the state's own search directly, each time you search, and every result shows the source and the date of the data.

What Minnesota's records include

The fields a Clerkfield result returns for Minnesota, taken from the state's own record.

  • Legal name
  • File number
  • Status, exactly as the state words it
  • Business type
  • Minnesota statute chapter the entity is filed under
  • Home jurisdiction
  • Filing date
  • Renewal due date
  • Principal place of business address (or registered office address)
  • Registered agent name and address, when listed
  • Other people on the record with their role, such as the applicant for an assumed name
  • Name type (Minnesota business name or assumed name)

Not in Minnesota's free records

Nothing we know of: the free records carry every field listed here.

What Minnesota's statuses mean

Minnesota uses its own words for a business's standing. Clerkfield keeps the state's wording in every result and marks each one active or inactive.

StatusWhat it means
Active / In Good StandingThe entity exists and is current with its filings, including its annual renewal.
Active / Not In Good StandingThe entity still exists, but the state does not list it in good standing. Ask the merchant why and check its renewal history. Clerkfield flags it for review instead of passing it.
InactiveThe entity is no longer active, for example after it dissolved, was administratively dissolved for a missed renewal, or merged into another. Clerkfield treats any Inactive match as a failed check.

How to search Minnesota records by hand

The state's own search is at mblsportal.sos.mn.gov.

  1. Open the Business Record Search at mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/Search.
  2. Type only part of the business name, or enter the file number.
  3. Choose Begins With or Contains, and include Inactive records and prior names so a dissolved company is not missed.
  4. Click Details on the match and read the Status and Renewal Due Date.
  5. Scroll to Filing History and Renewal History to see when the company last renewed.

Fees and how current the data is

Fees

Searching is free with no account. Ordering a certificate or copies needs a free online account with the Secretary of State.

How current it is

Read live from the Secretary of State's search at the moment of each check

Good to know about Minnesota records

01

Clerkfield reads Minnesota's own search when you run a check, so the result is as current as the state's record. Full details are pulled for the closest few matches.

02

Clerkfield searches both active and inactive Minnesota records, so a dissolved company shows up as inactive instead of looking unregistered.

03

Assumed names (DBAs) are registered with the Secretary of State and appear in the same search, with their own file number and the applicant who uses the name.

Liens on Minnesota businesses

Minnesota UCC filings are kept by the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, UCC and Tax Liens and searched at mblsportal.sos.mn.gov. Looking up a known file number is free. Searching by debtor name needs a paid subscription, and a standard search request costs $20. Clerkfield doesn't search Minnesota liens yet.

Frequently asked questions.

Straight answers. Still have a question?

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  • It reflects the Secretary of State's record when you run the check, because Clerkfield reads Minnesota's own search each time. There is no monthly snapshot in between.

  • The company still exists, but the state does not list it in good standing. Clerkfield flags it for review: ask the merchant why, and look at the renewal history on the state's record.

  • Yes. A Minnesota corporation files an annual renewal by December 31, and the record shows the next renewal due date. A corporation that misses it is administratively dissolved, and it can be reinstated by filing the renewal with a $25 fee.

  • Minnesota files assumed names (DBAs) with the Secretary of State under statute chapter 333, so they sit in the same database as companies. The record names the applicant, which tells you which business or person uses the DBA.

  • Yes, the Secretary of State runs UCC and tax lien search on the same portal. Looking up a file number is free, but debtor-name searches need a paid subscription. Clerkfield does not cover Minnesota liens yet.