Idaho Business Entity Search

A business entity defines a company’s formation type. There are different types of entities that a company owner can choose for the business. These include a corporation or a limited liability company (LLC).

Starting a Business in Idaho

A person must be 18 years or older to start an Idaho business that is officially registered with the Secretary of State. To start a business, you must first choose the type of entity that you wish to establish. This can be a sole proprietorship, corporation, LLC, general partnership, limited partnership (LP) or limited liability partnership (LLP). Then you’ll perform a business name search to make sure that no other business has the name that you wish to use. Once you clear this hurdle, if required, you can register the business with the Secretary of State.

Once registered, you may also need to register the company with applicable Idaho state agencies. These include the Idaho State Tax Commission, Idaho Industrial Commission and the Idaho Department of Labor. These registrations can be completed with one application, IBR-1. Then check with the local city clerk’s office to see if you need a business license and apply for one if required.

Forming an LLC in Idaho

In order to form an Idaho LLC, you need to file a Certificate of Organization with the Secretary of State. This will cost $100 to do online or $120 to do via mail. Be sure to do a name search before filing the Certificate of Organization to ensure that you are the only business entity using that name in Idaho.

Before you can register a new business, you want to do a name search. Idaho does not allow two businesses to have the same name. This is to help keep consumers from getting confused by having one company’s name infringe on the reputation of another. The search is easily done on the Idaho Secretary of State’s website.

Go to the website and enter the name you wish to use in the search bar. We did a sample search of “Ice Cream Heaven.” The search yielded no results, which means that the name is available for use. A clear search result means you’re ready to register your business.

If you have a business ID for a company and wish to search by that file number, you can do that from the same search bar on the Secretary of State’s website. You may want to do this to see if a company you have registered is up to date with fees and filings. Enter the file number in the search bar and wait for the results. Your business should appear. You can then select the business to see the public record of the company and ensure that everything is up to date.

A registered agent is a person or company who is legally appointed to receive certain legal documents on behalf of the company. These include tax forms and lawsuits. Every business must have an assigned registered agent, whether a third party or a named person within the company.

You can search for a business by the registered agent’s name. To do so, go to the search page on the Secretary of State’s website for business searches. Select the Advanced drop-down menu. Select Registered Agent and enter the name in. Now the directory will search based on the name.

Bottom Line

Because two businesses can’t use the same name in Idaho, conducting a business entity search is important. You’ll want to do this before you register the company to avoid wasting money on fees for an entity that you can’t use. Once you find a name that you want to use, either register it or save the name using the Application for Reservation of Legal Entity Name for a $20 fee.