The program does NOT:

• Help participants change their identities or relocate.
• Remove or delete existing public records.
• Offer legal advice.
• Relieve participants of their legal or financial responsibilities.

Under the Tennessee Public Records Act, T.C.A. § 10-7-501 et. seq., all state or local government records are considered public and are available for public inspection and copying, unless specifically protected by other law. This means that any member of the public can request that a state or local government official allow them to inspect and/or take a copy of certain records, which may contain an another individual’s name, address, or phone number. This means that an abuser may be able to track or discover the residential address of a victim through public records. The primary goal of the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program is to prevent this from happening and provide victims of domestic violence and other crimes with a sense of security in their own homes and freedom from intimidation or further abuse.

The Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program is a statewide address confidentiality program administered by the Office of the Tennessee Secretary of State. It is open to all victims of domestic abuse, stalking, human trafficking, rape, sexual battery, or any other sexual offense who satisfy eligibility and application requirements at no cost. Once a participant has been approved, they are provided with a ‘substitute’ address that can be used by them and their children as their official mailing address for all state and local government purposes, including public school or public benefits enrollment, subject only to a few limited exceptions.

A Certificate of Authority to transact business in Tennessee may be filed online or by paper if your Corporation, Nonprofit Corporation, or Limited Liability Company was formed in another state.  Foreign Limited Liability Partnership and Foreign Limited Partnerships must be filed by paper.  All paper forms can be found on our Business Forms and Fee page.

You can file form SS-4800 to change the mailing address by mail or in person. A change in Registered Agent or principal address requires filing Articles of Amendment and paying the statutory $20 filing fee.  Forms can be found on our the Forms & Fees page for mail and in person filings.

An Administrative dissolution occurs for the following reasons:

• Failure to file an annual report
• Being without a registered agent
• A foreign entity fails to maintain its assumed name due to a name conflict
• Returned payment by a financial institution

A certificate of existence is a document issued by our office that certifies that an entity is active and in good standing.

An assumed name is a name other than the true entity name under which it conducts business.  Tennessee does not recognize 'DBAs' (doing business as) or fictitious names.  The assumed name is good for 5 years and can be renewed.

1. The correct fee is not paid. The annual report fee for a corporation is $20, and an additional $20 is required if any change is made concerning the registered agent/registered office. The annual report fee for LLCs is $300 minimum up to a maximum of $3000. The fee increases by an additional $50 per member for every member over 6 members up to a maximum of $3,000.
2. An officer is not listed. If the business is a Tennessee for-profit corporation, the corporation must list at least one officer. If the business is a Tennessee nonprofit corporation, a president and secretary or required.
3. The board of directors are not listed, the box indicating that the board is the same as the officers listed is not marked, or the box indicating that the corporation does not have directors is not marked.
4. The annual report is not signed and/or dated.
5. The annual report is not typed or filled out in ink.

• The required filing fee was not enclosed.
• The document has not been signed
• The document is not clear and legible.
• The document was not enclosed.
• The document is not dated.
• An email address was not provided.
• The name that you have requested is unavailable because it is not distinguishable from another business entity on file.
• We were not able to obtain tax clearance from the Department of Revenue.  Please, contact the Tennessee Department of Revenue at (615) 253-0600 or (800) 342-1003.  Once you have satisfied their requirements, resubmit your document to our office for filing.
• The address of the registered office must be a physical Tennessee address; it cannot be a post office box, route number, or box number alone.

A business entity that has failed to file its annual report on a timely basis may be administratively dissolved and placed in inactive status. The filing history of every business is shown in the Business Information Search. Click on “filing history” for details on your business.

A registered agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail on behalf of your entity.  Tennessee requires that all entities (except General Partnerships (GP) to maintain a registered agent/office in the State of Tennessee at all times.

Tax clearances are required to obtain a certificate of existence, to reinstate, and to terminate, cancel or withdraw an entity from Tennessee.