South Carolina Secretary of State: Business Search, Filings and Certificates

The South Carolina Secretary of State (SOS) is the office that forms, amends and tracks business entities. If you need to check whether a name is taken, look up an existing corporation or LLC, file formation or amendment paperwork, or order a certificate, this is where you start. Most people searching for the sc secretary of state, the sc sos or the south carolina business entity search want three things: a working search tool, a clear fee schedule, and an honest account of what the office does not do. This guide covers all three.

This guide is informational, not legal or tax advice. Entity choice, tax treatment and licensing depend on your situation. Talk with a South Carolina attorney or a CPA before you file anything complex.

What the SC Secretary of State Handles

The SOS takes business entity filings through its online portal, Business Entities Online, at businessfilings.sc.gov. The agency's overview page is at sos.sc.gov/online-filings/business-entities. The SOS does not publish a separate expedite fee for entity filings. Filing online is the fast path, with documents returned within 24 to 48 business hours.

The table below lists the SOS fees for the filings most owners need. Confirm any fee you do not see here on the agency page before you pay.

Filing	SOS Fee	Notes
LLC Articles of Organization	$110	Formation document for a domestic LLC
LLC amendment	$110	Changes to an existing LLC's filed information
Corporation formation	$135 total	$10 filing fee plus $100, plus a $25 initial License Fee on Form CL-1. A South Carolina attorney must sign.
Corporate amendment	$110	$10 filing fee plus $100
Foreign LLC	$110	Out-of-state LLC authorized to do business in South Carolina
Registered agent change	$10	Filed as a statement of change
Certificate of existence	$10	Confirms the entity is on record with the state
Name reservation	$25	Holds a name for 120 days, nonrenewable
Indistinguishable name application	$10	Needed when a name is too close to an existing registered name, unless written consent is filed
LLC reinstatement	$25	After administrative dissolution, within 2 years

Sole proprietors and general partnerships do not file organizing documents with the Secretary of State at all. If you operate under your own name with no entity, you skip the SOS entirely.

Registered Agent Rules

Every LLC and every foreign LLC authorized to do business in South Carolina must keep an office and an agent for service of process in the state (S.C. Code Section 33-44-108). The office does not have to be a place of business in South Carolina, but the agent must have a street address here. The agent must be an individual South Carolina resident, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or a foreign corporation or company authorized to do business in the state. The agent's name and address appear on the formation document. To change the agent, file a statement of change with the SOS for $10.

What the Secretary of State Does Not Do

Many owners assume the SOS is a one-stop shop. It is not. These obligations sit with other agencies or with your county and city.

• No DBA or trade name registration. The SOS does not register DBAs or trade names. There is no separate DBA filing. List the trade name on your local business license, your IRS EIN application and your SCDOR Business Tax Application. Limited partnerships and foreign corporations may file an assumed or fictitious name with the SOS instead. The state guidance is at scbos.sc.gov.
• No statewide business license. South Carolina has no general business license, and SOS registration is not a business license. Apply for a local license with the county and/or municipality where you operate. Most cities levy a local business license tax, and only nine counties do: Beaufort, Charleston, Dorchester, Horry, Jasper, Marion, Orangeburg, Richland and Sumter. The license year runs May 1 to April 30, and the license is due April 30. Renew at localblrenewal.com.
• No retail license. If you sell tangible goods, you need a Retail License from the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR). It is a one-time, nonrefundable $50 fee per location, applied for through the Business Tax Application on MyDORWAY.
• No LLC annual report. An LLC that is not taxed as a corporation files no annual report and pays no corporate License Fee. An LLC that elects corporate tax treatment must file Form CL-1 with a one-time $25 initial License Fee within 60 days of starting business, then follow the corporate annual report rules.
• The corporate annual report goes to SCDOR. Corporations file their annual report as Schedule D with the SC1120 or SC1120S. It is due by the 15th day of the fourth month after the end of the business year. The recurring License Fee is 0.1 percent of capital and paid-in surplus plus $15, with a $25 minimum.

How to Use the South Carolina Business Search

The South Carolina business search is at businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Entity/Search. People also call it the sc business search, the south carolina secretary of state business search or the south carolina corporation search. It covers the entities the SOS registers, including corporations and LLCs. Use it in this order:

1. Start with the core name. Enter the distinctive part of the name first, then add entity words only if the results are too broad.
2. Check the naming variants. South Carolina LLC names must include “limited liability company” or “limited company,” or the abbreviation LLC, L.L.C., LC or L.C. “Limited” may be abbreviated as Ltd and “Company” as Co. Search each version, because a name that is close to an existing one can be blocked.
3. Open the entity record and read the status first. The record shows the entity's status and related filing details. If the status shows that the entity has been dissolved, look at the reinstatement rules below before you rely on it, sign a contract with it or treat it as in good standing.
4. Check the registered agent. The agent listed on the record is the person or company who receives legal papers for the entity.

A search result does not reserve a name for you. If you want to hold a name while you prepare paperwork, file a name reservation. It costs $25 and lasts 120 days, and the form is on the SOS download page at the SOS forms page.

Filing Online and Processing Times

Documents filed through Business Entities Online are returned within 24 to 48 business hours. Mailed and in-person filings take longer, and the SOS does not publish a mail turnaround window, so plan for that delay if you file on paper. Check the portal for accepted payment methods before you submit, because the SOS does not list them in this guide.

Ordering a Certificate of Existence

A certificate of existence costs $10 from the SOS. Banks, lenders and other institutions often ask for one as proof that an entity is on record. Request it directly through Business Entities Online at businessfilings.sc.gov. Check that the certificate shows the entity name and status you expected before you send it to anyone.

Reinstating an Administratively Dissolved Entity

When an entity is administratively dissolved, the time you have to reinstate it depends on its type:

• Corporations can be reinstated at any time.
• LLCs and nonprofits must be reinstated within 2 years. The LLC reinstatement fee is $25.
• Tax-related dissolutions require a Certificate of Tax Compliance from SCDOR before the SOS will reinstate the entity.

If a tax problem caused the dissolution, contact SCDOR at dor.sc.gov first and get the certificate before you file reinstatement paperwork. A CPA can help you work through the tax side, and an attorney can advise you on whether reinstatement or a new entity makes more sense.

Watch for Certificate Mailers

The SOS has warned about third-party certificate mailers. These companies send official-looking letters offering certificates or compliance documents and charge hundreds of dollars for them. The state charges $10 for a certificate of existence. Order only through the official site, businessfilings.sc.gov, or the agency page at sos.sc.gov. Do not pay a mailer based on a letter you received in the mail.

Next Steps After Your SOS Filing

A completed SOS filing does not make you ready to open. Most owners also need the following:

• Local business license. Apply with your county and/or municipality. Remember the nine counties that levy a license tax, and the April 30 due date.
• Retail License. Required if you sell tangible goods, at $50 per location through SCDOR.
• Food permits. Retail food permits come from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, not DHEC, which was split in 2024. Older guides may still name the wrong agency.
• Contractor licenses. Commercial contractor licenses are required for work above $10,000. Residential specialty registration applies above $500. Confirm the current thresholds with the licensing authority before you bid on a job.
• Free counseling. The South Carolina Small Business Development Centers can help with planning at scsbdc.com. The SBA's South Carolina district page is at sba.gov/district/south-carolina.

When to Get Professional Help

Simple sole proprietorships and single-owner LLCs often need only the SOS filing and local registrations. Consult a South Carolina attorney before you choose an entity type, draft operating agreements or bylaws, or deal with a dissolution or reinstatement. A CPA should review any LLC that elects corporate tax treatment, any corporation's annual report, and any tax-related dissolution. Ask each professional to confirm current fees and deadlines, because the rules and agency pages change.

Disclaimer: This guide is general information about South Carolina Secretary of State services. It is not legal or tax advice, and it does not create an attorney-client or accountant-client relationship. Confirm all fees, deadlines and requirements on the official agency pages before you file.