Tennessee Business Entity Search
Find a Tennessee LLC or corporation in the Tennessee Secretary of State's records, and read what its status means.
Tennessee at a glance
How Tennessee keeps its business records
LLC fees scale with membership: $50 per member, with a $300 minimum and $3,000 maximum, for both the Articles of Organization and each annual report, while a corporation's annual report is $20. A tax clearance from the Department of Revenue is required before the state issues a Certificate of Existence.
The public record of every Tennessee LLC and corporation belongs to the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations, whose search goes by TNCaB.
Statuses you may see in Tennessee
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active | The entity is in existence and current with its filings. |
| Inactive | The entity is no longer active, for example after administrative dissolution for not filing an annual report, not keeping a registered agent, or a returned payment; the filing history shows the reason. |
Source, checked 2026-10-26. Words other states use are in the business entity status guide.
Questions
Is this the official Tennessee business search?
No. This is an independent site, not run by or affiliated with the Tennessee Secretary of State. The search itself runs on the state's own site (TNCaB Business Entity Search), which this page links to.
What is TNCaB?
TNCaB is what many people call the Tennessee Secretary of State's online business records. The official search linked on this page is part of the same system.
How do I check if a business name is available in Tennessee?
Search the Business Entity Search on TNCaB. A new name must be distinguishable from names already on record, unless the holder of the existing name gives written consent filed with Form SS-9411 for an extra $20.
Does Tennessee charge a franchise tax or a similar yearly tax?
Corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and business trusts registered or doing business in Tennessee pay a franchise tax based on net worth, with a $100 minimum owed even by inactive entities, plus an excise tax on net earnings, both collected by the Department of Revenue.
More about a Tennessee business
- How to find a business's EIN
- Check if an LLC name is available
- What each entity status means
- What a registered agent is
- Business lookup in other states
Every fee and rule above links to the official page it came from. How we check our facts · Report an error