To look up a business, search the free online database maintained by the government office that registered it: a state Secretary of State (or equivalent) for corporations and LLCs, the SEC’s EDGAR system for publicly traded companies, the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for nonprofits, SAM.gov for federal contractors, and a county clerk for most sole proprietorships. A basic search takes a few minutes and returns the company’s legal name, formation date, current status, and the people authorized to act for it.
What to Gather Before You Start
Start with the company’s formal legal name, meaning the name on its formation paperwork rather than the name on its sign or website. Many businesses operate under a trade name, sometimes called a “Doing Business As” or DBA name, that differs from the legal name on file with the state.1U.S. Small Business Administration. Register Your Business “Smith Holdings LLC” might do business as “Smith’s Auto Repair,” and a search for the trade name alone may return nothing.
You also need to know, or at least guess, the state where the company was formed. Business records are organized by state, so a company formed in Delaware won’t appear in Ohio’s database unless it separately registered there. A federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) or a state-assigned entity number will pinpoint the exact record if you have one. An officer’s or owner’s name helps when several businesses share similar names.
Pick the Right Database for the Type of Business
Searching the wrong database returns nothing even when the company is perfectly legitimate, because different kinds of entities register in different places.
Corporations and LLCs
Corporations, limited liability companies, and limited partnerships register with a state-level office, usually the Secretary of State, though some states use a Department of Commerce or a similarly named agency.1U.S. Small Business Administration. Register Your Business That office keeps the articles of incorporation or organization, annual reports, and current status. Nearly every state offers a free online portal where you can search by entity name or ID number.
Sole Proprietorships and General Partnerships
Smaller unincorporated businesses usually don’t file with the state. They may register a trade name with a county clerk or municipal office instead.1U.S. Small Business Administration. Register Your Business Local records are less standardized: some counties have online search tools, others require a phone call or in-person visit. A sole proprietorship that doesn’t use a trade name may have no public registration beyond a basic business license.
Publicly Traded Companies
If the company sells stock to the public, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR system is the deepest source. EDGAR gives free access to annual reports, quarterly reports, insider ownership filings, proxy statements, and registration documents.2U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Search Filings You can search by company name, ticker symbol, or CIK number.3U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Full Text Search
Nonprofits
Charities and foundations can be verified through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. The free tool takes a name or EIN and shows whether the organization holds a current tax exemption, has had its exemption revoked, or has filed its required annual returns.4Internal Revenue Service. Tax Exempt Organization Search Checking this before donating confirms whether your gift will qualify as a tax deduction.
Federal Contractors
Businesses that contract with the federal government must register with the System for Award Management. The site is free to search and shows which entities are authorized for federal contracting along with their registration details.5SAM.gov. SAM.gov Home If a company claims to hold government contracts, this is where to check.
Licensed Professions
Medical practices, law firms, contractors, real estate brokerages, and other regulated professions hold licenses issued by specialized state boards, sometimes in addition to a general business registration. Most states maintain separate online license verification portals that show whether a license is current, expired, or has been subject to discipline. The state’s consumer affairs or professional regulation website usually links out to the right board.
Running the Search
Once you’re on the correct state’s portal, the process is broadly similar everywhere. Enter the business name or ID number in the search bar. Most portals offer match options like “exact,” “begins with,” or “contains” that control how strictly the database compares your entry to its records.
Use “begins with” or “contains” if you’re unsure of the exact legal name. Exact-match is faster but misses the record when a single word is off. A common name may return dozens of hits; each result appears as a clickable link showing the entity name, state ID, and status. Click through to the correct one for the full profile. Many portals also let you filter by status (active, inactive, dissolved) or search by the name of a registered agent or officer, which helps when you know who runs a business but not its legal name.
When the Search Returns Nothing
Zero results doesn’t mean the business doesn’t exist. Common causes:
- Suffix variations. Many databases treat “Inc.,” “LLC,” and “Corp.” as interchangeable or ignore them entirely. Try the search with and without the suffix.
- Articles and punctuation. Leading words like “The,” “A,” and “An” are often disregarded, and punctuation, ampersands versus “and,” and singular versus plural forms may be treated the same.
- Wrong state. The company may have been formed in another state and registered as a “foreign entity” where it operates.
- Unregistered entity. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships may only appear in county records.
If nothing works, shorten the search to the single most distinctive word in the name, or call the state office for help.
What the Record Tells You
A business profile in a state database usually covers several categories that together tell you whether the company is legitimate and operating properly.
Entity Status
The most immediately useful piece is the current status. Common labels include “active,” “inactive,” “dissolved,” and “good standing.” Active means the entity still exists on the state’s records. Good standing goes further: the company has filed required reports, kept a registered agent, and paid franchise taxes or fees owed to the state. A business can be technically active without being in good standing.
Registered Agent
Every formally registered business must designate a registered agent, meaning a person or company authorized to accept legal documents, including lawsuits, on its behalf. The agent’s name and physical street address are public. That matters if you ever need to serve legal papers on the company, because delivery to the registered agent is the standard method for starting a lawsuit against a business entity.
Officers, Directors, and Members
The names and sometimes addresses of principal officers, directors (for corporations), or managing members (for LLCs) are listed. Annual reports update this information, so more recent filings reflect current leadership.
Formation Date and Documents
The formation date shows how long the entity has legally existed. Many state portals also let you view or download scanned copies of the formation documents themselves, such as articles of incorporation or articles of organization. Officially certified copies usually carry a fee that varies by state and document length.
Businesses That Operate in More Than One State
A company formed in one state that does business in another must typically register as a “foreign entity” in each additional state, a process called foreign qualification that involves filing a Certificate of Authority.1U.S. Small Business Administration. Register Your Business For your search, that means a company may appear in several states’ databases: once in its home state as a domestic entity, and again in each state where it holds a Certificate of Authority. If you search only the state where the business operates and the company never registered there, you’ll find nothing. The home state’s records are the most complete, holding the original formation documents and full filing history.
What You Won’t See: Who Really Owns the Company
State records list officers, directors, and registered agents, but they don’t always reveal who actually owns the company. Congress passed the Corporate Transparency Act in 2021 to address that gap by requiring companies to report their true beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). In March 2025, FinCEN issued an interim final rule exempting all U.S.-created entities from the beneficial ownership reporting requirement.6Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Only entities formed under foreign law and registered to do business in the United States are still required to file.
Even for the reports that are filed, the information is not available to the general public. Access is restricted to law enforcement, certain financial institutions for compliance purposes, and Treasury Department personnel.7Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Fact Sheet: Beneficial Ownership Information Access and Safeguards Final Rule Public records alone may not tell you who truly owns a private company.
Reading a “Dissolved” or “Inactive” Result
A dissolved or inactive listing doesn’t always mean the business is permanently gone. Companies can lose active status for something as small as a missed annual report or an unpaid fee. In many states, an administratively dissolved business can apply for reinstatement by filing overdue paperwork and paying back fees and penalties.
The status still carries real consequences. A business operating without proper standing may be unable to file lawsuits in the state’s courts, which limits its ability to enforce contracts. If a company you’re about to deal with shows as dissolved or not in good standing, ask for proof of reinstatement or current status before signing anything.
Skip the Paid Middlemen
Third-party websites sometimes charge to search business records that are free directly from state government portals. Before paying a business search service, check whether the state’s Secretary of State office offers the same data at no cost; in nearly every case it does. Paid services can be convenient if you need to search many states at once, but the underlying data comes from the same public records you can reach yourself. Certified documents and Certificates of Good Standing do carry state fees, as do the annual report filings the business itself must submit to stay in good standing.