To look up a business license, start at your state’s Secretary of State website to confirm the company is a registered entity, then check the appropriate state occupational licensing board for the specific trade, and finish with the relevant federal agency if the work falls under federal regulation. Nearly every one of these records is searchable online at no cost, and a thorough check usually takes under ten minutes once you know which agency issues which credential.
No single portal covers every license type in the United States. Business entity registration, professional licensing, and federal permits are each handled by different agencies, and you often need to check more than one.
Gather the Right Information First
The most common reason a license search comes up empty is searching the wrong name. A company’s legal name on file with the state often looks nothing like its brand name. A plumber doing business as “Dave’s Drain Service” might be registered as “David R. Kowalski LLC.” Check the company’s website footer, invoices, or contracts for the formal corporate name before you search. If all you have is the trade name, most Secretary of State databases also let you search by DBA or fictitious name.
A few other details speed things up:
- The license or permit number, which is usually printed on the physical license, contracts, or advertising materials and gives you an exact match.
- The city or county where the business operates, since local licenses are issued at the municipal level.
- Owner or officer names, which help when a company name is generic.
Do not confuse a federal Employer Identification Number with a business license number. An EIN is a tax ID issued by the IRS for paying federal taxes, hiring employees, and opening bank accounts. It does not prove the business holds any license or permit. A business license number is issued by a state or local agency and confirms the company has met specific regulatory requirements to operate.
Search the Secretary of State Database
The Secretary of State in each state maintains a public database of corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and other formally registered entities. This is the usual starting point. Most states let you search by entity name, DBA, or filing number directly on the Secretary of State’s website, and results load immediately.
A typical result shows:
- Entity status: active, inactive, dissolved, or administratively revoked.
- Formation date, meaning when the entity was originally created or registered in that state.
- Registered agent and address, which is the person or company designated to receive legal documents on the business’s behalf. This is especially useful if you need to serve legal papers.
- Principal office address.
- Officers, directors, or managing members, depending on the entity type.
A Secretary of State filing proves a business entity legally exists. It does not confirm the business holds every license required for its specific work. A roofing company might be a properly formed LLC in good standing but still lack the contractor’s license its state requires. You need both checks.
Check the Professional Licensing Board for the Trade
Dozens of professions require a separate state-issued occupational license on top of basic business registration. Contractors, electricians, plumbers, doctors, dentists, nurses, real estate agents, accountants, cosmetologists, and attorneys all fall into this category. Each state runs its own licensing boards, sometimes under an umbrella agency like a Department of Consumer Affairs or Department of Professional Regulation, and sometimes as standalone boards for each profession.
These board websites almost always include a public license lookup. Results typically show whether the license is current, when it expires, and whether the professional has any disciplinary history. Disciplinary records can include formal complaints, fines, license suspensions, or revocations. This is where you find out if a contractor lost their license for shoddy work or a healthcare provider was sanctioned for malpractice. For most hiring decisions, this check matters more than the entity registration, because it tells you about quality and compliance, not just existence.
A general business license does not authorize anyone to perform regulated professional work. If you are hiring someone for a job that requires specialized credentials, verify through the relevant professional board, not just the Secretary of State database.
Check Federal Agencies for Regulated Industries
Most business licensing happens at the state and local level, but certain industries require federal permits. The SBA maintains a reference table matching regulated activities to the federal agency that issues the permit, covering agriculture, alcoholic beverages, aviation, firearms, commercial fishing, maritime transportation, mining, nuclear energy, and broadcasting, among others.
Several federal agencies offer their own public verification tools:
- Firearms dealers and manufacturers can be checked through the ATF’s FFL eZ Check system, where a Federal Firearms Licensee verifies another licensee by entering the first three and last five digits of the license number. The results display the license number, expiration date, business name, trade name, and address.
- Broadcasting and telecommunications licenses are searchable through the FCC, which maintains over 40 databases covering radio station licenses, call signs, equipment authorizations, and other telecommunications permits.
- Pilots and remote drone operators holding FAA certificates can be looked up by name through the FAA’s airmen certificate inquiry.
- Ocean freight forwarders and non-vessel operating common carriers appear in the Federal Maritime Commission’s directory of licensed ocean transportation intermediaries.
If a business claims to hold a federal permit, go directly to the issuing agency’s website. There is no single federal portal that aggregates every license type.
Other Federal Databases Worth Knowing
A few additional federal tools help you verify related claims:
The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search confirms whether a nonprofit is genuinely tax-exempt. You can search by EIN or organization name to check whether the entity appears in the IRS Publication 78 data, has had its exemption revoked, or has filed required annual returns.
The SEC’s EDGAR database at sec.gov contains every filing a public company has made, including annual reports, quarterly financials, insider trading disclosures, and registration statements. You can search by company name, stock ticker, or CIK number. EDGAR confirms whether a company claiming to be publicly traded actually is.
SAM.gov, the federal System for Award Management, shows whether a business is registered as a federal government contractor. The system also lists excluded entities, meaning companies or individuals barred from receiving federal contracts due to fraud, misconduct, or other violations. If you are subcontracting on a government project, this check is essential.
Read the Results Carefully
When search results appear, pay attention to these details:
- Status. “Active” or “current” means the license is valid. Anything else, including expired, suspended, revoked, or pending renewal, means the business is not currently authorized under that license.
- Expiration date. A license that expires next week tells a different story than one renewed six months ago. Businesses in the middle of renewal sometimes show a brief gap in active status.
- License type. Make sure the license covers the work you are hiring them to do. A general contractor license may not authorize electrical or plumbing work, which often requires separate specialty licenses.
- Disciplinary actions. Some databases flag complaints, fines, or sanctions on the results page. Others require you to click through to a detailed record.
Print or save a screenshot of the results page with the date visible. Online records change, and a timestamped copy protects you if a dispute arises later about whether the business was licensed at the time you hired them.
If the Online Search Returns Nothing
Not every license is searchable online. Some smaller municipalities still keep paper records, and certain older filings may not have been digitized. An empty result does not automatically mean the business is unlicensed. You may be searching the wrong agency, using the wrong name variation, or dealing with a jurisdiction that has not moved its records online.
Try these next steps:
- Call the licensing office directly. Staff can search variations of the business name or owner name that the online tool may not support. Ask for the license number, status, and expiration date.
- Request a Certificate of Good Standing, sometimes called a Certificate of Existence or Certificate of Status. This is an official state document confirming the entity is properly registered and current on its filings. It costs roughly $5 to $65 depending on the state, with most falling between $10 and $25. Mailed requests generally take one to three weeks, though many states now offer electronic certificates that arrive within a few business days.
- Visit the agency in person. County clerk offices and some state agencies allow walk-in access to paper filing records and physical permit logs. This is sometimes the only way to verify very old registrations or local-level permits.
Spot Fake or Fraudulent Licenses
Scam operations sometimes display official-looking license numbers or certificates that do not hold up under scrutiny. A few warning signs:
The license number does not check out. Every legitimate license number should produce a result in the issuing agency’s verification tool. If you get no results, or the name and address on the verification results do not match the business you are checking, something is wrong. This is the simplest and most reliable test.
The “licensing agency” does not exist. The Department of Defense has flagged scams involving fictitious entities like the “United States Business Regulations Department” that contact business owners about registration requirements and threaten financial penalties. Before trusting any communication about licensing, confirm the agency exists and that its website uses a .gov domain. Legitimate U.S. government websites exclusively use .gov, or .mil for military agencies. A site claiming to be a government licensing authority but using .com, .org, or another extension is almost certainly fraudulent.
The business cannot produce the actual license. Licensed businesses should be able to show you a physical or digital copy on request. Many states require certain professionals, contractors in particular, to include their license number on all advertising, business cards, and contracts. If a business becomes evasive when asked for their license number, treat that as a serious red flag and verify independently before proceeding.
Why This Check Matters Before You Pay
In many states, contracts with unlicensed businesses for work that requires a license are unenforceable. The business cannot sue you for payment, but you may also have limited recourse if the work is defective. Homeowner’s insurance policies frequently exclude coverage for damage caused by unlicensed contractors, leaving you to absorb repair costs out of pocket. If someone is injured on your property during work performed by an unlicensed and uninsured operator, you could face personal liability.
For business-to-business transactions, verifying a partner’s licenses and registrations is basic due diligence. A company that lets its registration lapse may be unable to enter enforceable contracts, maintain required insurance, or qualify for bonding. Discovering any of that after money has changed hands puts you in a far worse position than spending a few minutes on a Secretary of State website beforehand.