What entity statuses should bridge lenders watch for in Ohio?

Active/Good Standing means the entity can legally transact business. Suspended, Forfeited, Revoked, or Dissolved statuses indicate the entity cannot legally hold title or sign loan documents — these are hard stops for any bridge loan. Re-instatement is sometimes possible but adds time and risk.

What data is available from the Ohio Ohio Secretary of State Business Search?

Entity name. Entity number. Formation date. Status. Registered agent. Filing history. All free, no account required for basic searches.

What are the common Ohio SOS gotchas for lenders?

Ohio uses the term 'Statutory Agent' instead of 'Registered Agent'. Ohio does NOT require annual reports for most entity types. This means you can't gauge activity from filing history as easily as other states. See the full guide for the rest.

Lender Guides · SOS Lookup

Ohio Secretary of State Entity Search

Q: How do I look up an LLC or corporation in Ohio?

Use Ohio Secretary of State Business Search (https://businesssearch.ohiosos.gov/). Free, real-time results. Search by entity name to confirm the entity exists, view its current status, formation date, registered agent, and filing history. Real-time.

How bridge lenders verify an LLC or corporation in Ohio — portal, steps, returned data, and the gotchas.

Methodology authored by Zach Wade, Wade Intel — operator-led lender tech methodology firm. State-specific procedures validated against production validation runs with working bridge lenders. · Last reviewed 2026-07-10

How do I look up an LLC or corporation in Ohio?

Use Ohio Secretary of State Business Search. Free, real-time results. Real-time processing.

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Step-by-step lookup

Step 1. Go to the Ohio SOS business search portal.
Step 2. Enter the entity name and click Search.
Step 3. Click the entity in results to view details.
Step 4. Check Status — ‘Active’ is good. ‘Cancelled’ or ‘Dissolved’ indicate the entity no longer exists.
Step 5. Review filing history for recent amendments or agent changes.
Step 6. Verify statutory agent (Ohio’s term for registered agent).

What data the Ohio Secretary of State Business Search returns

Entity name
Entity number
Formation date
Status
Registered agent
Filing history

Ohio gotchas for lenders

Ohio uses the term ‘Statutory Agent’ instead of ‘Registered Agent’.
Ohio does NOT require annual reports for most entity types. This means you can’t gauge activity from filing history as easily as other states.
Because there are no annual reports, an Ohio LLC can exist indefinitely without any filings after formation. Check the statutory agent for signs of activity.