Iowa (IA) Secretary of State (SOS) LLC & Business Search

The Iowa Secretary of State website provides a business entities search database which enables users to search the database and view publicly available information about businesses. The business entity database can be searched by:

• Business name
• Business number

Search by business name

Iowa’s business entity search database can be searched by business name which can be the first few letters of the name or the full name.

The search generates a list of businesses that contain the letters or name searched and the list has details about the businesses including business number, business name, status and type.

You can view further details about the business by clicking on the business number highlighted in blue. The record is displayed and this includes information such as:

• Business number
• Legal name
• Status
• Type
• State of incorporation
• Modified
• Expiration date
• Effective date
• Filing date
• Chapter
• Registered agent or reserving party
• Home office
• Filings
• Names
• Officers
• Stock

Search by business number

The database can also be searched by business number.

The results from this search should take you straight into the business record where you can view a wide range of information about the business such as address, agent details, officers and filings, plus other details as outlined above.

Contact details

Website: https://sos.iowa.gov/

Phone: (515) 281-5204

Address: First Floor, Lucas Building, 321 E. 12^th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319

Hours: Monday-Friday 8.00am-4.30pm

Email: sos@sos.iowa.gov

How to register a business in Iowa

If you are starting a business in Iowa you will need to register it with the Iowa Department of Revenue by following these steps:

1. Choose your business name so that you can register the business in the right name but first check that it isn’t already in use by looking on the Iowa business entity search database.
2. Decide what type of business you are going to operate as such as LLC, LLP, or sole proprietor as this will be required when registering the business and will determine how you operate your business.
3. Register your business on iowa.gov which will require you to set up a GovConnectIowa account if you don’t have one. When you select to register your business there will be prompts to help take you through the process. If you need to file Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation they both have a fee of $20 or $50 depending on your business type.

How much does an Iowa business entity search cost?

There are no charges for conducting a business entity search on the Iowa business entity search facility.

How can I get a business license in Iowa?

There are no statewide business licenses in Iowa however other licenses may apply depending on the nature of the business or professional occupation. The Business License Information Center provides information that can searched to help you find out what licenses you may need.