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General Counsel Manual

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5. Entities You Will Not Find In The Database:

Practice Tip: Save search time by staying aware of the entities that are not in the database, as well as those that may not be required to file but do anyway.

The reason is that there are types of entities that do not file with the Secretary of State. They include:

  • Sole proprietorships
  • General partnerships
  • Some unincorporated nonprofit associations may only be included if they decide to file a Registered Agent with us
  • Many foreign business entities fall within an exception to the requirement to register or obtain a certificate of authority from the Secretary of State. For example, foreign business corporations that are engaged in interstate commerce do not have to get a certificate of authority from the Secretary of State. G.S. § 55-15-01(b)(8). Nonetheless, many chose to do so.
6. Meaning of the Status Designations on the Business Registration Webpage:

Practice Tip: If you use the Business Registration search feature often, keep these explanations of the status designations handy. The business entity status notations you are most likely to see when you search for a business entity are listed in the table below.

These are the most common statuses used in the North Carolina Business Registry. Each entry has an explanation of when the status is used.

The table of Most Common Business Status Definitions follows.

Most Common Business Status Definitions

Active/Not Current

  • The entity is considered to be active on the North Carolina Business Registry, but is delinquent on one or more required filings.

Active/Not Current

  • The entity is considered to be active on the North Carolina Business Registry, but the North Carolina Secretary of State has grounds for administrative dissolution and the business entity has been notified per statutory requirements.

Adm. Dissolved

  • The entity progressed through the administrative dissolution process without filing the required filings and a Certificate of Administrative Dissolution was issued. No documents, except changes to the Registered Agent can be filed on an administratively dissolved company.

Cancelled

  • An entity that filed a Certificate of Cancellation of its Registration of Limited Partnership, Limited Liability Partnership, or Limited Liability Limited Partnership. The entity is no longer active on the North Carolina Business Registry.
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