To check if a company is legally registered in the United States, search the business entity database maintained by the Secretary of State (or equivalent agency) in the state where the company was formed. The search is free, takes a minute, and returns the company’s legal name, entity type, formation date, current status, and registered agent. For companies that claim to be publicly traded, federally licensed, tax-exempt, or a federal contractor, additional federal databases confirm those specific registrations.
Search the State Business Entity Database
Every state keeps a public database of entities that have filed formation documents there: corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships. The agency is usually the Secretary of State, though names vary. California, for instance, runs its lookup through the Secretary of State’s bizfile Online portal. To find the right one, search for “Secretary of State [state name] business search” or “[state name] business entity search.”
On the search portal, enter the company’s legal name. Most states also let you search by registered agent or filing number. No account is required. Results typically show the official legal name, entity type, formation or registration date, current status, and the registered agent’s name and address. Some states include free PDF copies of the actual formation documents and the company’s annual filings.
What the Status Field Means
The status field is the most important line on the results page. “Active” or “in good standing” means the company legally exists and has kept up with its required filings. That’s what you want to see.
Other labels tell a different story. “Administratively dissolved” or “revoked” means the state stripped the company of its legal authority, usually because it failed to file annual reports or pay fees. A dissolved company cannot legally conduct business, file lawsuits, or enter into enforceable contracts, and people who continue acting on its behalf can be held personally liable for debts the company takes on while in that status. Treat this label as a serious warning.
Most states require annual reports to keep an entity active, and missing that deadline triggers administrative dissolution, sometimes after a short grace period. Plenty of business owners don’t notice and keep operating anyway. The search results usually show the date of the last annual report filing, which lets you gauge whether the company is current. A last filing from several years ago points to a defunct or badly out-of-compliance entity.
Certificates of Good Standing
If you need formal proof rather than a screen printout, you can ask the company to provide a Certificate of Good Standing (also called a Certificate of Existence or Certificate of Status depending on the state). Banks and lenders require these routinely, and asking a prospective business partner for a current one is normal due diligence. Fees generally run between $5 and $50, and in most states only the company itself or its representative can order the certificate.
When a Company Doesn’t Appear
A blank search result doesn’t automatically mean fraud. Several legitimate businesses won’t turn up in a state’s entity database.
- Sole proprietorships. Someone doing business under their own legal name has no filing requirement with the Secretary of State. The business is real; there’s just no entity record.
- DBAs and fictitious business names. If a sole proprietor or partnership operates under a trade name, that name is usually registered at the county clerk’s office, not the state. Search at the county level.
- Wrong state. A company formed in Delaware but operating in Texas may not appear in the Texas database if it hasn’t filed for foreign qualification there. Check the state listed in its formation documents or website footer.
- Name mismatch. Companies often trade under names that differ from what’s on file. “Smith’s Plumbing” might be registered as “Smith Home Services, LLC.” Try partial name searches or an owner-name search if the portal allows it.
When a company that claims to be an LLC or corporation genuinely cannot be found in any state registry, that is a serious red flag. LLCs and corporations cannot legally exist without state formation documents on file somewhere.
One related concept worth knowing: when a company formed in one state does business in another, it’s supposed to register in the second state by obtaining a Certificate of Authority, sometimes called foreign qualification. If your state’s database shows the company as a “foreign” LLC or corporation with an active Certificate of Authority, that’s a good sign. If the company operates locally but doesn’t appear at all, check the state of formation instead.
Federal Registration Checks
Not every business needs federal registration. It applies to companies in regulated industries or those that interact with federal oversight in specific ways.
Publicly Traded Companies
Any company that issues securities to the public must register with the Securities and Exchange Commission and file registration statements, annual and quarterly reports, and disclosures about major events on an ongoing basis.1U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Public Companies Those filings are free to the public through the SEC’s EDGAR database. You can search by company name, stock ticker, or CIK number.2U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. About EDGAR If a company claims to be publicly traded and nothing comes up in EDGAR, walk away.
Federally Licensed Industries
Some businesses need federal permits on top of state registration. Companies that import, produce, or wholesale alcohol must hold a basic permit under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act.3eCFR. 27 CFR Part 1 – Basic Permit Requirements Under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act Firearms dealers need a Federal Firearms License from the ATF. Banks are chartered and supervised by the OCC, FDIC, or state banking regulators. Airlines, trucking companies, and freight brokers register with the Department of Transportation. Each agency runs its own public lookup where you can verify license status.
Federal Contractors
Companies that bid on or hold federal contracts must register in the System for Award Management at SAM.gov. Active registration lasts 365 days and must be renewed annually.4SAM.gov. Check Entity Status You can search by Unique Entity ID or CAGE code, though some entities opt out of public display.
Tax-Exempt Nonprofits
If an organization claims 501(c)(3) or other tax-exempt status, the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search at apps.irs.gov/app/eos verifies it for free.5Internal Revenue Service. Search for Tax Exempt Organizations The tool searches several IRS databases at once. Publication 78 data confirms eligibility to receive tax-deductible contributions. The auto-revocation list identifies organizations that lost their status for failing to file annual returns three years running, with the revocation date. You can also pull actual Form 990 filings showing revenue, expenses, and executive compensation. A legitimate nonprofit should appear. If a group soliciting donations doesn’t show up, or shows up on the revocation list, that answers your question.
Sanctions and Consumer Complaints
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control keeps a list of individuals and companies that U.S. persons are prohibited from doing business with. The Sanctions List Search at sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov uses approximate matching to catch misspellings and name variations.6U.S. Department of the Treasury. OFAC Sanctions List Search This matters most for international trade, large transactions, or unfamiliar foreign-connected entities. A match on the SDN list means dealing with that entity could expose you to federal penalties.
For financial companies, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau publishes a public database of consumer complaints covering banks, lenders, debt collectors, credit bureaus, and other financial service providers. Each published complaint shows the product type, the issue, the company’s response, and whether the consumer disputed the outcome.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Consumer Complaint Database The CFPB is a federal agency, which makes this more authoritative than private review sites. The database isn’t a statistical sample and doesn’t verify individual complaints, so read a high complaint volume as a data point rather than a verdict.
Red Flags After a Clean Search
Registration confirms legal existence, not legitimacy. Watch for these patterns once the basic search comes back clean.
- A very recent formation date paired with claims of a long track record. Formation dates don’t lie.
- A registered agent that’s a commercial service at a strip-mall address, combined with a principal business address at a virtual office or mail service, with no evidence of actual physical operations. Registered agent services alone are common and fine; the pattern only matters when every address is a mail drop.
- A status of “inactive,” “dissolved,” or “revoked” that was never reinstated.
- No matching records in any state registry, in SEC EDGAR if the company claims to be publicly traded, or in the IRS exempt organization search if it claims nonprofit status.
- Inconsistent details across sources: the registered name doesn’t match the website, the formation state doesn’t match the claimed headquarters, or the registered agent’s address is in a different state entirely. One quirk can be explained; several at once usually cannot.
Domain registration adds another layer. ICANN’s lookup tool at lookup.icann.org shows when a website domain was registered. A company claiming decades of experience whose domain was registered last month deserves more questions.
Professional Licenses
Some businesses need state-issued professional licenses on top of their entity registration. Contractors, healthcare providers, attorneys, real estate agents, and financial advisors all work in regulated professions where state boards oversee qualifications and discipline. Each state board runs a public lookup. Searching “[profession] license lookup [state name]” usually finds it.
This check matters most for service providers who work in your home or handle your money. A contractor without a current license may not carry required insurance or bonding. A financial advisor whose registration has lapsed may be operating outside the law. The business itself can be a legitimate active LLC in the state registry while the people behind it aren’t qualified or authorized to do the work they’re selling.
For investment advisors and broker-dealers, the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database and FINRA’s BrokerCheck tool cover individual advisors and firms, including registration status, employment history, and disciplinary actions.