How to Conduct an Arkansas Business Entity Search

The Arkansas corporation entity search, sometimes called the Arkansas business entity search or business name search, is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn about the business entities registered in the state. Whether you’re an established business owner who needs to get a Certificate of Good Standing or a soon-to-be entrepreneur who wants to check if your desired business name is available, this search is a go-to tool.

But using this search can feel a little overwhelming, especially if you’ve never used a tool like this before. That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll walk you through all the essential steps to running a business search. We’ll also cover some important business name guidelines and what to do after searching a business name.

Let’s get started.

Arkansas Secretary of State Contact Information

Mailing Address: State Capitol, Suite 256 500 Woodlane Street Little Rock, AR 72201	Email: corprequest@sos.arkansas.gov
Telephone (Main): 501-682-3409	Website: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/about-the-office/contact-us

Arkansas Business Name Guidelines

When you’re starting a business, one of the most important things you’ll do is pick your business name. And like other states, Arkansas has several rules about naming your business. 

First, your name needs to be different from the names of other registered companies in Arkansas, including both domestic and foreign corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships, and so on. This is one of the simplest but most important naming standards. 

That said, uniqueness isn’t the only naming guideline to adhere to. Here are a few other rules your Arkansas business name should follow: 

• Your business name needs to include a designator. For example, corporations need to include a word like “corporation,” “incorporated,” or “company.” You can also use an abbreviation of one of those words. Meanwhile, LLCs need to use the phrase “limited liability company” or “limited company.” You can use the abbreviations “LLC” or “LC” with or without periods, too.
• Your name cannot state or imply that your business conducts activities that aren’t permitted by law or by your company’s formation documents. 
• An LLC name cannot include the name of any person who isn’t a member (unless that person used to be a member). 
• In Arkansas, names aren’t considered distinguishable from names of other business entities if the only difference comes from:
  • A suffix
  • An indefinite or definite article (like “A” or “The”)
  • Changing the word “And” to “&” (or vice versa)
  • Making the matched word singular, plural, or possessive
  • A symbol or punctuation mark

If you’re in a licensed trade or profession, keep in mind that you’ll need to meet any naming rules that your industry has in place, too. If your business name doesn’t meet these requirements, you’ll need to pick a new one.

How to Run a Business Name Search with the Arkansas Secretary of State

The Arkansas corporation entity search tool actually offers several different search methods, including a name search, a filing number search, and a registered agent search. We’ll cover these three search types in this guide, but in this section, we’ll focus on name searches. Keep scrolling if you want to search by agent name or filing number.

Step 1: Set up your search

To get started, you’ll want to navigate to the Arkansas search homepage. Here, you’ll see that there are actually two different types of name searches: a standard name search or a fictitious name search.

But before you type your search in the corresponding bar, keep in mind that you can use the “Corporation Type” drop-down bar to filter your search. This filter allows you to limit your results to a particular entity type, such as a domestic LLC or foreign profit corporation. This is especially helpful if you’ll be searching a portion of a common name.

Next, type the company name (or part of the name) into the corresponding search bar: “Name” if it’s the legal name of the entity or “Fictitious Name” if it’s a company’s nickname. If you aren’t sure if the name you’re searching is a fictitious name or a legal name, you may need to run each search type to be sure (they function the same way, so it’s simple to repeat the search if needed).

After you’ve typed your search terms, click “Search.”

Step 2: Review your search results

After you click “Search,” the tool will pull up all of the businesses that match your search terms. For example, here’s a snapshot of what our results looked like when we did a name search of “America.”

Regardless of whether you searched a legal name or a fictitious name, you’ll see the legal name of each matching company on the left-hand side of the page. You’ll also see the city, state, and status for each matching entity.

If you’d like to see more information about a particular company, click on its name. An informational window will pop up.

In this window, you can see the company’s business structure and any fictitious names it has. You’ll also see its filing number, filing date, registered agent, and principal address. The “Officers” category will tell you the name(s) of certain key stakeholders, such as an incorporator or organizer, manager, director, or president.

Finally, at the bottom of the page, you’ll have the option to purchase a Certificate of Good Standing for the company or pay franchise taxes for it.

How to Check Name Availability

Is your Arkansas LLC name available? This is an important question to answer if you’re starting a new business; you have to check that your name doesn’t infringe on the names of existing companies in the state. Unfortunately, the state website doesn’t offer a dedicated name availability search tool. But you can still use the name search to research the accessibility of your desired name.

To do so, head to the search homepage and type your desired business name into the “Name” search bar. But you’ll want to leave certain words out of your name, such as your business designator and articles like “A” or “The” (remember, these words don’t make a name distinguishable). Then, hit “Search.”

Ideally, you’ll see a message that reads “No results found.” If you see that, your name might be available. But if the name is already claimed, you’ll see a listing for the entity that has already registered that name.

But a single search with zero exact matches doesn’t guarantee that you have a unique business name. Arkansas has exacting standards about what makes a name distinguishable (see the name guidelines section above for more information). If there are plural or possessive words in your name, it’s worth searching for their alternatives (singular or non-possessive words) to check that your name is truly unique.

How to Run an Arkansas Registered Agent Search

Arkansas also allows you to look up a company by searching the name of the agent that represents it. This search option is located on the same search homepage, under the search bar labeled “Fictitious Name.”

To get started, simply navigate to the search page and type the agent’s name into the search bar. If you don’t know the full name, you can type just part of their name. You can also add the agent’s city and state to help filter your results (this is especially helpful if you’re searching a common name, like “John Smith”). Then, click the “Search” button or hit “Enter.”

The search tool will pull up a list of all the businesses that are represented by an agent with the name you searched. For example, here’s what our results list looked like when we searched “Smith” in the agent name bar.

As before, you can click on a business name to get more detailed information about the company, request certificates, and more.

How to Search by Arkansas Secretary of State Filing Number

The Arkansas Secretary of State assigns a unique filing number to each registered business entity, and you can search by that filing number. A filing number search is the best way to find a specific business quickly.

To get started, head to the search page and then scroll to the final search bar, labeled “Filing #.” Then, carefully type in the filing number.

As long as you typed the number correctly, the search tool will retrieve the listing for the corresponding business. For example, here’s what we saw when we searched the filing number from our example business above.

You can click on the company name to learn more about the company, request certificates, and pay taxes.

What to Do After Searching Business Names in Arkansas

After you’ve come up with a name and searched it, you’re probably feeling like you’ve done a lot of legwork. You’d hate for that hard work to go to waste, right? Here are some steps you can take to protect your Arkansas business name and make the most of it. 

Reserve your Arkansas business name (optional)

If you’ve picked the perfect business name but you’re not quite ready to file your business formation paperwork, Arkansas allows you to reserve a business name.

You can request a name reservation by filing the Application for Reservation of Entity Name form. Arkansas allows you to file this form online or on paper; online filings cost $22.50, while paper ones cost $25. 

After your paperwork is submitted and approved, your name reservation will be valid for 120 days. Corporate reservations can’t be renewed, but LLCs can renew a reservation once, if needed. This step is optional, and you should only pursue it if you’ve picked a name but aren’t ready to file your formation paperwork yet.

Form an LLC or register your business

One of the best ways to protect your business name is to register your business. After you register a business under your chosen name, no one else in Arkansas will be able to register their own company with the same name. 

Registering an Arkansas business is an important legal process. Learn more about starting an Arkansas LLC. 

Get a domain name that matches

You want it to be easy for your customers to find your business website. That means you need a domain name that matches your business name as closely as possible. A matching domain name will help your brand maintain consistency both in person and online.

If you’re struggling to come up with a domain name (or the one that matches your name is already taken), try using a domain name generator. A generator can help you come up with a domain that matches your brand image. 

Set up your business online

Today, you can’t run a business without a good digital footprint. A good business website is a decent starting point. But don’t stop there; set up social media accounts like a Facebook page, a TikTok profile, and an Instagram account. Make sure your business name is included on each account so your brand is consistent across your online presence.

Last but not least, set up a Google Business Profile for your business (or claim it if it already exists). This profile will help you direct customers to your website or your store location. Plus, it’ll help you respond to customer reviews and build a good brand reputation in the Land of Opportunity.

Trademark your business name (optional)

If you want the most robust protections for your business name, you could pursue trademark registration. Trademarks can be registered at the state or federal level (with federal protections being the strongest). 

Getting a trademark can be pretty complicated and time-consuming. If you go this route, it’s highly recommended to work with a trademark attorney.