To look up an LLC, go to the business entity database maintained by the Secretary of State (or equivalent office) in the state where the company was formed, then search by the LLC’s exact legal name or its state-assigned entity number. Nearly every state offers this search free of charge, and the record will tell you whether the company is active, when it was formed, and who is authorized to accept legal documents on its behalf.
What to Have Ready Before You Search
The exact legal name matters more than anything else you bring to the search. Many businesses operate under a trade name, sometimes called a “doing business as” or DBA name, that differs from the official name on file with the state. Search for the trade name and you will usually get zero results, because state databases index only the legal name from the LLC’s formation documents. The legal name often appears in fine print on contracts, invoices, or the footer of the company’s own website.
If you have the state-assigned entity number, use it. Every state issues a unique filing number when an LLC is created, and that number pulls up the exact record without forcing you to sort through companies with similar names. Do not confuse the entity number with a federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. The EIN is a tax identifier, and state business databases will not recognize it as a search term.
You also need to know which state the LLC was formed in. That is not always the state where the company does most of its business. Check contracts, the website, or any correspondence that mentions where the company was organized. If you guess wrong, there are ways to widen the search, covered below.
Finding the Right State Registry
LLCs are creatures of state law, so no single federal database lists them all. Each state runs its own registry, usually through the Secretary of State, though a few states use names like Division of Corporations or Department of Financial Institutions. The National Association of Secretaries of State keeps a directory that links to every state’s business registration page, which saves you from hunting for the right office.1NASS. Corporate Registration
Stay on official .gov portals. Third-party lookup sites often appear as sponsored results at the top of search engine pages and may charge $25 to $100 for information the state provides free. Some of these sites look official enough to fool a hurried searcher, so check the URL before entering any payment details.
Running the Search
Once you are on the correct state portal, you will find a field for the LLC’s legal name or entity number. Most portals offer filters like “exact match,” “starts with,” or “contains.” Use exact match when you are confident in the full legal name. Use one of the broader options when you only know part of the name, and expect to scroll.
The system returns a list of matching entities. Generic names like “ABC Consulting LLC” can produce dozens of hits, so use the formation date, state of organization, and status columns to identify the right one. Click the entity name to open the full record. Everything on that page is pulled straight from the state’s official files.
What the Record Tells You
The most immediately useful field is the current status. An “active” or “in good standing” designation means the company has filed its required reports and paid its fees. A “delinquent,” “forfeited,” or “administratively dissolved” status means the company has fallen behind on those obligations. That distinction has real consequences, addressed further down.
You will also see the formation date and the registered agent’s name and street address. The registered agent is the person or company designated to accept lawsuits and legal notices for the LLC. If you are considering suing the company or need to serve legal papers, that address is where to start.
Some states publish the names of members or managers. Others do not. The level of transparency varies widely. Formation documents such as the Articles of Organization can sometimes be viewed online or downloaded, occasionally for free and occasionally for a small fee.
Certificates of Good Standing
When you need more than a screen printout, most states will issue a Certificate of Good Standing, also called a Certificate of Status or Certificate of Existence. Banks, landlords, and prospective business partners commonly request one during due diligence. It is not the same as a certified copy of the Articles of Organization, which shows what was originally filed rather than the LLC’s current compliance status. Fees generally fall between $5 and $50.
When the Company Operates in a Different State
An LLC formed in one state but doing business in another usually has to register as a “foreign LLC” in each additional state where it operates. That registration creates a separate record. A company formed in Delaware but operating in California will appear once in Delaware’s registry as a domestic LLC and again in California’s registry as a foreign LLC.
If your search in the state where the company does business shows a foreign LLC listing, the record will normally identify the state of formation. You can then go to that home state’s registry, where the original filing often contains more detail about the company’s structure and history.
When the Search Comes Up Empty
A blank result does not automatically mean the company is fake. The most common cause is searching the wrong state. A company headquartered in Texas but formed in Wyoming will not appear in a Texas domestic-entity search, though it may show up as a foreign registration. Try the state named on any contract or legal notice you have.
Name mismatches are the next likely culprit. The legal name might include a suffix like “LLC” or “L.L.C.” that you dropped, or the company might spell out a word you abbreviated. Try a partial-name search using the most distinctive word in the name. If the company uses a DBA, that trade name will not appear in most business entity databases at all; some states keep a separate assumed-name registry where DBA filings are indexed.
The LLC may also have been dissolved or merged into another entity. Many state databases include inactive records, but some purge them after a set number of years. If you think the company once existed, toggle any “include inactive” filter the portal offers.
Why the Status Field Matters
A delinquent or dissolved status is a red flag. An LLC that has been administratively dissolved for failing to file reports or pay fees generally loses the ability to conduct normal business in that state. In many jurisdictions it can only take actions related to winding down its affairs or seeking reinstatement.
The consequences cut both ways. A dissolved LLC may be unable to enforce contracts or maintain lawsuits until it reinstates. And the people running it can face personal liability for obligations incurred during the period of dissolution, because the liability shield that makes the LLC form attractive depends on the entity being in good standing. Courts have held individual owners personally responsible for debts taken on while the LLC was dissolved.
What State Records Will Not Tell You
If your goal is to find out who actually owns an LLC, state records will often disappoint you. Many states do not require LLCs to list their owners in public filings. You may see a registered agent and possibly a manager, but the people who hold ownership interests frequently are not disclosed.
The federal Corporate Transparency Act was designed to address this by requiring companies to report their beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Under a March 2025 interim final rule, all entities created in the United States are exempt from these reporting requirements. Only LLCs formed under the law of a foreign country and registered to do business in a U.S. state are currently required to file beneficial ownership reports with FinCEN.2FinCEN.gov. FinCEN Removes Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements for US Companies and US Persons
Even for those foreign-formed entities that do file, the information is not open to the public. Access is limited to federal law enforcement, certain state and local agencies with court authorization, financial institutions performing required due diligence, and a handful of other authorized recipients.3FinCEN.gov. Fact Sheet: Beneficial Ownership Information Access and Safeguards Final Rule Identifying the actual humans behind a domestic LLC still requires methods beyond public business-entity searches.