How do I search for a business in Arizona?
The official AZ business search is the Arizona Business Center, run by the Arizona Corporation Commission. It is free, needs no account, and covers every LLC and corporation registered in the state. It replaced the old eCorp system on January 12, 2026.
One search is rarely enough, though. Trade names (DBAs) sit with the Secretary of State, contractor licenses with the Registrar of Contractors, and sales-tax licenses with the Department of Revenue. All four lookups are linked below.
Arizona is unusual. In most states the Secretary of State registers companies. Here, the Arizona Corporation Commission does, and the Secretary of State only handles trade names, trademarks and partnerships. That split is why people searching “AZ business search” end up on the wrong website about half the time. This page puts all of the state’s public business lookups in one place, tells you which one answers which question, and links straight to each official tool.
Which Arizona business search do you need?
Pick the lookup by the question you are trying to answer. Each row links to the official state tool, not a third-party copy of it.
| Your question | Agency | Official search |
|---|---|---|
| Is this LLC or corporation real and active? Who is behind it? | Arizona Corporation Commission | Arizona Business Center search |
| Who owns this trade name / DBA? Is my name taken? | Arizona Secretary of State | Registered name search |
| Is this contractor licensed? Any complaints? | Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) | ROC contractor search |
| Does this business hold a valid sales-tax (TPT) license? | Arizona Department of Revenue | AZTaxes license verification |
| Is this pest control company licensed? | Dept. of Agriculture, Pest Management Division | PMD business search |
1. Arizona Corporation Commission entity search
The Arizona Business Center is the state’s only official database of LLCs and corporations. The Corporation Commission launched it at 8:00 a.m. on January 12, 2026 to replace eCorp, and old eCorp bookmarks now land on the new portal. If a guide still tells you to “go to eCorp,” it was written before 2026.
How to run the search
- Open the Arizona Business Center business search. You do not need to log in.
- Search by business name, Business ID (the entity number on its filings), statutory agent name, or the name of a principal.
- For names, start broad. Use “Contains” with the most distinctive word, and leave off “LLC,” “Inc.” and punctuation.
- Click the entity to open its record and its filed documents.
What the record tells you
⚠️ What the Corporation Commission search does not cover
Sole proprietors and general partnerships never register with the Commission, so a legitimate one-person business may not appear at all. Limited partnerships and LLPs file with the Secretary of State instead. “Not found” means “not an LLC or corporation under that name.” It does not mean “fake.”
Stuck? The Corporations Division answers at (602) 542-3026 or answers@azcc.gov, with counters at 1300 W. Washington Street by the Capitol in Phoenix and 400 W. Congress Street in downtown Tucson.
2. Arizona business name search: is the name taken?
To check whether a business name is available in Arizona, search two places: the Corporation Commission for LLC and corporation names, and the Secretary of State for trade names. The two agencies cross-index their records, so a name that collides with either list can be rejected.
- Search the root word. The Secretary of State’s own guidance is to drop plurals, punctuation and “a” or “the.” Looking for “Professional”? Search “pro.”
- “Distinguishable” is the legal test. Adding “LLC” or changing “and” to “&” does not make a name different. The Commission publishes its rules under Determining Distinguishability.
- Hold the name for $10. An Application to Reserve LLC Name costs $10 ($45 expedited) on the Commission’s March 2026 fee schedule. Articles of Organization are $50 ($85 expedited).
An LLC whose address is in Maricopa or Pima County skips the newspaper publication step. Everywhere else in the state, from Flagstaff to Yuma, a new LLC still has to publish notice of its formation.
3. AZ trade name (DBA) search at the Secretary of State
A DBA in Arizona is called a trade name, and it is registered with the Secretary of State for $10. It lasts five years from the date of receipt and can be renewed starting six months before it expires. Let it lapse and someone else can register it.
Use the Secretary of State registered name search when the name on the truck or the storefront does not match any LLC. The record shows who owns the trade name, which is often how you connect “Sonoran Something Services” to the actual person or entity behind it.
💡 Three things most people get wrong about Arizona trade names
Registration is optional. The Secretary of State says plainly that a trade name is not legally required, only accepted business practice. Plenty of real businesses never file one.
It is not ownership of the name. A trade name does not grant exclusive rights, and it is not an LLC. It gives no liability protection.
Review is slow. Applications needing review take 3 to 4 weeks. New filings go through Arizona Business One Stop; details are on the state’s trade name and trademark page.
4. Arizona contractor license lookup (AZ ROC)
Any job in Arizona over $1,000 in combined labor and materials, or any job that needs a permit at any price, requires a contractor licensed by the Registrar of Contractors. The ROC has licensed contractors since 1931 and regulates more than 45,000 of them.
Run the ROC contractor search by license number or name. Two quirks trip people up: license numbers are six digits, so “1234” must be entered as “001234,” and a person’s name goes in first-then-last (“John Doe,” not “Doe, John”).
- Status should be current, not suspended, expired or revoked.
- Classification must match the work. A residential license does not cover commercial jobs. The ROC lists every class on its license classifications page.
- The name on the license should match the name on your contract and on the check you write.
⚡ AZ INSIDER TIP
The week after a big monsoon storm or a haboob rolls through the Valley, roofers and tree crews nobody has heard of start knocking on doors. That is exactly when to spend two minutes on the ROC search. Hiring a licensed residential contractor is also what makes you eligible for the state’s Residential Contractors’ Recovery Fund, which can pay an owner-occupant up to $30,000 when a licensed contractor fails to make things right. Unlicensed work gets you none of that.
Once a contractor checks out, compare options on our lists of Arizona roofing companies, the best plumbers in Phoenix, Phoenix painting contractors and garage door replacement costs and installers.
5. Arizona business license lookup (TPT)
Arizona has no general statewide business license. What most people mean by “business license” is the transaction privilege tax (TPT) license issued by the Department of Revenue to businesses that sell, rent, contract or serve food here. TPT licenses run January 1 through December 31 and must be renewed every year.
The AZTaxes license verification tool confirms whether a license is valid, but it only works with the eight-digit TPT license number. You cannot search it by name. Ask the business for the number; it is printed in the upper right of their license certificate, and a legitimate retailer or contractor will have it handy.
Licensed professions have their own boards. Pest control companies, for example, are licensed by the Department of Agriculture’s Pest Management Division, which lets consumers check a company’s license status and complaint history online. Worth a minute before you sign a scorpion contract; then see our picks for the best pest control company in Phoenix.
A 5-minute check before you hire or pay anyone
✅ The order we’d run it in
- Corporation Commission search: entity exists, status active, formation date matches the “in business since” claim.
- No LLC found? Secretary of State trade name search to see who owns the name.
- Construction, repair or remodel over $1,000? ROC search: status, classification, complaint history.
- Ask for the TPT number and verify it on AZTaxes.
- Confirm the name on the contract matches the name on the state records.
State records tell you a business is legal. They do not tell you it is any good. That second question is what a curated directory is for. AZ Charged is hand-selected, and no business can pay to rank higher on any list on this site. Browse by trade: plumbers, roofers, AC repair, pest control and business services.
Just searched a name because you’re starting a business?
Once the name clears and the Articles are filed, the next jobs are finding a desk and finding customers. Two places to start: our guide to the best coworking spaces in Phoenix and our list of Phoenix business coaches.
When you’re open, apply for an AZ Charged listing. We review every business before it goes up.
Arizona business search FAQ
How do I find out who owns a business in Arizona?
Search the business on the Arizona Business Center and open its record. LLCs list their members or managers, and corporations list officers and directors. If the business uses a trade name, the Secretary of State’s registered name search shows the owner of that name. Sole proprietors appear in neither unless they filed a trade name.
Is the Arizona business entity search free?
Yes. Searching and viewing records on the Arizona Business Center costs nothing and needs no account. The state charges only for official paperwork, such as $10 for a Certificate of Good Standing or $5 plus $0.50 a page for copies of LLC documents. Sites that charge for an “Arizona entity search” are reselling public data.
What happened to eCorp?
The Corporation Commission retired eCorp and opened the Arizona Business Center on January 12, 2026. The new portal added a filing tracker, annual report reminders, online certified copies, Spanish-language support and QR-code verification of Certificates of Good Standing.
Do I need a business license if I have an LLC in Arizona?
Forming an LLC does not license you to do anything. If you sell goods, rent property, contract or run a restaurant you need a TPT license from the Department of Revenue, and regulated trades need their own license, such as an ROC license for contracting. Your city may add its own requirements, so check with the city clerk where you operate.
Does the Arizona Secretary of State have a business search?
Only for trade names, trademarks and partnerships. LLCs and corporations are registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission, a separate state agency. If you searched the Secretary of State for an LLC and found nothing, you were in the wrong database.
Own an Arizona business worth finding?
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📞 Got a business to recommend or list? Call (888) 863-7421 — serving all of Arizona
