Florida Business Search

A field guide to the public business registry, written beside the official search.

Florida Business Search

Fictitious Name Search

Quick answer. A fictitious-name search looks for a registered trade name. Florida’s Sunbiz fictitious-name index and Pennsylvania’s fictitious-name filings are state systems. They are not the same click as the entity detail in every design, but they are official indexes. A Florida business search can mean the Division of Corporations entity index, a fictitious-name filing, or a city or county business tax receipt. Those are different offices. This site keeps them apart and links the official desk for each.

Official office

Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations

Open the official search

Phone: (850) 245-6052

The Centre of Tallahassee, 2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 810, Tallahassee, FL 32303

Search is online. Division phone lines are staffed on state business days.

Steps

  1. Decide which Florida record you need

    Entity or fictitious name: Sunbiz. Local tax receipt: the city or county. Professional license: the state board for that trade.

  2. For entities, open Sunbiz

    Use the Division’s name search. Copy the document number. Do not stop on a similar name.

  3. For a DBA, use the fictitious-name search

    Sunbiz’s fictitious-name inquiry is not the same result list as the corporation search. Read the registrant.

  4. For a receipt, switch to the local office

    Search the address or the business name on the county or city site linked from the county page.

  5. Write down which office answered

    A note that says only “Florida business search clear” is incomplete. Name Sunbiz, the county, or the board.

Fictitious names are their own filing

In Florida, search fictitious names on the Division of Corporations index at search.sunbiz.org, separate from assuming the corporation detail lists every DBA. In Pennsylvania, fictitious names are part of the Department of State business records. Read the registrant: it may be an entity or a person.

A fictitious name does not create an LLC. If you need the company behind the sign, open the entity named as owner of the fictitious name.

Three Florida records people collapse into one

Sunbiz, run by the Department of State at dos.fl.gov/sunbiz, is the entity and fictitious-name index. A florida sos business search in that sense starts at search.sunbiz.org. It shows formations and registered fictitious names. It does not show a Miami business tax receipt.

Local business tax, still called an occupational license by many people, is imposed by counties and cities. The receipt number and the expiration live on that local portal. A state professional license, when the trade needs one, is a third file at the licensing board.

County pages on this site point at the local portal we have on file for that county. Confirm the fee and the current URL on that portal before you pay. Statewide entity status stays on Sunbiz.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a Sunbiz active status as a local business tax receipt.
  • Searching only the corporation index for a fictitious name.
  • Using a DBPR professional license as proof of a city receipt.
  • Assuming every county uses the same receipt portal.

Questions

Is Sunbiz the Florida business search?

Sunbiz is the Division of Corporations search for entities and fictitious names. Local business tax receipts are issued by cities and counties.

How much is a Florida business license?

There is no single statewide price. Local business tax is set by the city or county. Sunbiz filing fees are on the Division’s fee schedule and are a different bill.

Do I need a business license in Florida?

Many local governments require a business tax receipt, and some trades need a state license. The entity filing alone does not answer either question.

Sources reviewed