How to Conduct a Pennsylvania Business Search

From here, you can look at the business’s filing history or request a certificate or access to more information. You’ll need a login to request access to more information.

Step 5: Take action

Now that you’ve completed your search, you can choose to take action.

• If the name you’ve chosen for your business isn’t used by any other business, you can apply to use that name for your LLC, C-corporation, or S-corporation.
• If the name you’ve chosen is confusingly similar or is already in use, you’ll need to choose a different potential name and run another search.

Why conduct a PA entity search?

Before starting a business in Pennsylvania, you must confirm that the name you’ve chosen for your business isn’t already in use. 

A PA entity search allows you to identify if another business has already chosen that name or uses a name that’s similar enough to cause confusion, which could lead to potential lawsuits. If either of those is the case, you’ll need to choose a different name for your business.

If the name you’ve chosen is available, then you can register your new business with the Pennsylvania Department of State. 

If you’re not quite ready for that step, you can reserve the business name. To do that, you’ll file a name reservation form and pay a $70 filing fee.

Understanding naming guidelines in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, there are a few business naming guidelines that you must follow:

• For sole proprietorships, the business’s name is your first and last name
• For a limited liability company (LLCs) and other corporations, you must include the business entity type designator at the end of your business’s legal name (e.g., LLC, Inc., Corp., Ltd.). 
• Your business name must be distinguishable from other business names and can’t cause consumer confusion. 
• Certain terms must be approved before use. Examples include: bank, insurance, college or university, engineer, or architect. For specialized and regulated industries such as these, you must provide evidence of industry-specific licenses, permits, and qualifications.
• Profanities or controversial language will undergo more intense scrutiny and are more likely to be rejected.

Other naming considerations

Before you reserve the name of your business, you’ll also want to ensure that you’re able to use that name online.

Checking domain name availability

For many businesses, your online presence is how you gain customers, build credibility, and sell products. Before registering your business name, be sure that you can purchase the domain name or URL and social media handles that match your business. 

You can research availability by searching relevant social media sites and looking up URL availability on a hosting website like GoDaddy. 

Conducting a trademark search

Federal trademark registration is more stringent and more expensive than state-level registration. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will carefully assess your mark to make sure it isn’t similar to any other registered trademark. If it’s not in use, they’ll grant you the trademark.

If you plan to operate a local brick-and-mortar or small business, you’re unlikely to need a trademark registration for your business name or brand logo.