USA Business Entity Search: The Complete Guide for Founders (All 50 States + DC)

Search any US business, in any state, on the official government portal. Free.

Before you sign a contract with a US company, register your own business name, or wire money to a new vendor, you should verify they legally exist. A US business entity search is the way. It's free, it takes about a minute per lookup, and it runs on each state's official Secretary of State portal.

There is one catch. The USA has no national business registry. Every entity is registered at the state level, which means the search you need depends on which state the company is registered in. This guide gives you the direct link to every state's official portal, shows you exactly how to run a search, and covers what each field means.

Quick Summary

• What it is: A free public lookup of every business registered in a given US state, run by that state's Secretary of State (or equivalent office).
• What you'll find: Legal entity name, entity type (LLC, C-Corp, LP, Nonprofit), status (Active, Delinquent, Dissolved), formation date, registered agent, principal office address, and full filing history.
• What you won't find: Sole proprietorships, general partnerships (in most states), county-level DBAs, EIN numbers, or federal tax status. Also no national registry, so if you don't know the state, you may need to check several.
• Cost: $0 for the search itself. Certified copies and Certificates of Good Standing cost small state fees.

Table of Contents

1. What is a US Business Entity Search?
2. Why Founders Run Entity Searches (5 real use cases)
3. How to Run a Business Entity Search (universal steps)
4. Every US State: Direct Links + Notes on What's Different (all 51 jurisdictions)
5. What Each Search Result Actually Tells You
6. Entity Search for Foreign Founders (What Nobody Else Covers)
7. Common Misconceptions
8. FAQs
9. Next Steps

What is a US Business Entity Search?

A US business entity search is a free, public online lookup maintained by each state's Secretary of State (SOS) or equivalent business filing office. It queries the state's official database of registered businesses and returns the public record for corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs, and (in some states) trade names.

Every legal business entity in the US files formation documents at the state level. Those filings become public record. The search is the interface to that record. If a business isn't registered in the state, it won't show up. If it's dissolved, delinquent, or administratively closed, that status will show.

The most important thing to know: the USA has no national business search. There is no federal database. If you don't know which state a business is registered in, you may need to search multiple states. Delaware, Wyoming, California, Florida, Texas, and New York are the most common starting points for US companies.

Why Founders Run Entity Searches (5 Real Use Cases)

1. Checking name availability before you file. Before filing your own LLC or C-Corp, verify the exact name isn't already registered in your chosen state. Most states won't approve a name that duplicates an existing entity (or is confusingly similar).
2. Due diligence on a new counterparty. Before signing a contract, extending credit, or paying an invoice, confirm the company legally exists, is in active status, and has a real registered agent.
3. Verifying a business partner or acquisition target. Formation date, filing history, and status changes reveal how long a business has actually been operating and whether it's had compliance lapses.
4. Checking your own entity's compliance. Miss an annual report and your entity's status can shift from Active to Delinquent (and eventually to Administratively Dissolved). Search your own record occasionally to catch this early.
5. Investigating a possible scam. If a company sent you an invoice or wire request that feels off, a 30-second entity search often reveals whether they even exist as a legal entity. Many fraudulent operators skip formal registration entirely.
6. Cross-referencing against federal trademarks. A state entity search only confirms the exact business name isn't already registered as an entity in that state. It does NOT tell you whether the name conflicts with a federal trademark. Before you commit to a brand name, run the state entity search alongside a USPTO trademark search. Both are free at the source. Skipping this step is how founders end up with a cease-and-desist letter three months after they've printed business cards.
7. Looking up an existing registered agent. Some state portals let you search by registered agent name to see every entity they represent. Useful when you are serving legal notice, evaluating an agent service before switching to them, or trying to reach an entity through official channels when direct contact fails.
8. Pulling the entity's file number for an upcoming filing. State amendments, foreign qualifications, annual reports, and dissolutions all require the entity's official state ID. That is the File Number in most states, DOS ID in New York, UBI in Washington, Charter Number in Missouri, and Business ID in Colorado. Run the search first to confirm the exact number the state uses before submitting anything.
9. Ordering official state documents. Certificate of Dissolution, Certificate of Good Standing, certified copies of Articles of Incorporation or Organization. The state's search portal is the entry point for ordering these documents. Wyoming's Certificate of Dissolution, for instance, is required when you are formally closing your US LLC and need to prove the entity is no longer active. Banks, the IRS, and future business partners will ask for it.

How to Run a Business Entity Search (Universal Steps)

Every state's portal is slightly different, but the workflow is nearly identical:

1. Open the state's official Secretary of State entity search portal. Use only .gov or official state URLs. Third-party aggregators may charge for data that's free at the source, and their data can be stale.
2. Choose your search type. Most portals support: search by business name (partial or exact), search by entity ID / file number, or search by registered agent name.
3. Enter your query. Name-based searches often benefit from a "starts with" or "contains" match rather than exact match, because business names include suffixes like "LLC", "Corp", "Inc." that vary in formatting.
4. Review the result list and click into the record. The detail page shows the full information: legal name, entity type, status, formation date, registered agent, principal office, and often a downloadable filing history.
5. Note the entity ID / file number. This is the unique identifier the state uses. Future filings, requests for Certificates of Good Standing, and document orders will require it.

Tip: Search by entity ID whenever you have it. Name searches sometimes return multiple near-duplicate matches, especially in states with common naming patterns. ID searches return exactly one record.

Every US State: Direct Links + Notes on What's Different

Every state's official business entity search portal, with the direct link and a Notes column highlighting what's different (agency name, portal quirks, ID format, browser issues). Bookmark this table.

What Each Search Result Actually Tells You

When you click into a business record, you'll typically see:

• Legal Entity Name: The exact name as registered with the state. This is the name that appears on contracts, tax filings, and bank accounts.
• Entity Type: LLC, C-Corporation, S-Corporation (rare in public search), Limited Partnership (LP), Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), Nonprofit Corporation, or Statutory Trust.
• Entity ID / File Number: The unique identifier assigned by the state. Save this. You'll need it for every future filing.
• Status: Active, Good Standing, Delinquent, Suspended, Dissolved, Merged, or Administratively Closed. Status reflects the entity's standing with the state, NOT its tax standing with the IRS.
• Formation Date: When the entity was legally formed. Useful for confirming a business has actually been operating as long as they claim.
• Registered Agent: The person or company designated to receive legal notices on behalf of the entity. Every state requires one.
• Principal Office Address: The entity's main business address on file. This can differ from the registered agent address.
• Filing History: Amendments, annual reports, mergers, name changes, dissolution notices. A clean history shows a compliant operator. Gaps and delinquency notices are worth a second look.
• Foreign Status (in some states): If the entity was formed elsewhere and registered to do business in this state, it will show as "Foreign" (meaning foreign to this state, not foreign to the US). This is common when a Delaware C-Corp registers to operate in California.

Entity Search for Foreign Founders (What Nobody Else Covers)

This is where most guides stop. If you're a foreign founder based outside the USA who has incorporated a US entity (or is about to), there are a few extra things worth knowing.

Your entity will always appear in the state where it was formed, not where you live. If you incorporated a Delaware C-Corp from Bangalore, your entity is searchable on Delaware's portal. Your Indian address doesn't show up anywhere in the US search results. This is fine and normal.

Foreign qualification creates a second record. If you formed in Delaware but operate physically in California, you'll need to "foreign qualify" your Delaware entity in California. Once you do, the entity appears in BOTH state searches. California's search will show it as a Foreign entity (foreign to California), which is distinct from a Delaware Foreign Corporation (foreign to Delaware).

Your address changes need to propagate. When you move (in your home country or between countries), your entity's registered address needs to update with the state, the IRS, your registered agent, and your US bank. Mismatches between what the state shows and what your bank has on file are one of the fastest ways to trigger a re-verification. If you want the full deep dive on banking implications, see our multiple US bank accounts guide.

Foreign-owned entities carry extra filing obligations. If you own a US single-member LLC or a US corporation with 25%+ foreign ownership, Form 5472 filing is mandatory. This doesn't show up in the state entity search (the SOS doesn't track IRS filings), but it's often the first thing that surprises foreign founders when they realize state compliance and federal compliance are separate systems.

Country-specific incorporation guides. If you haven't yet registered, we cover the process from major jurisdictions:

• How to register a US company from India

Common Misconceptions

"There's a national database if I just look hard enough." There isn't. If you don't know the state, you'll need to check several. Delaware, Wyoming, California, Florida, Texas, and New York cover the majority of US-registered businesses. Third-party aggregators like OpenCorporates try to unify this but their data can lag the state source.

"If a business doesn't show up, they're a scam." Not always. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships (in most states) don't register at the state level. County-level DBAs (fictitious business names) are filed with counties, not the state. A legitimate small business might not appear in any Secretary of State search. That said, if a company presents as an LLC or Corp and doesn't show up in the state they claim to be registered in, that's a serious red flag.

"An Active status means everything is fine." Active with the Secretary of State only means the state hasn't administratively dissolved the entity. It says nothing about the entity's IRS status, tax compliance, litigation history, or actual operating condition. A company can be Active on the state's books and completely defunct in practice.

"Certified copies are free." The search itself is free. Certified copies of formation documents, Certificates of Good Standing, and other official documents carry state fees (typically $10 to $50).

FAQs

Is there a national US business entity search? No. The USA has no federal business registry. Every entity registers at the state level, and each state maintains its own separate search portal. If you don't know which state a company is registered in, you may need to check multiple states or use a third-party aggregator like OpenCorporates as a starting point.

How do I check if a US company is legit? Search the state where they claim to be registered. If they're an LLC or Corp, they must be in a state's Secretary of State database. Confirm the exact legal name matches, the status is Active or in Good Standing, and the formation date lines up with how long they've claimed to be in business. Then cross-check the registered agent and principal office address.

Can I search all 50 states at once? Not through any official government tool. Some third-party services attempt this but their data can be stale. For accuracy, always confirm the record on the state's official portal.

Do I need to pay for a business entity search? No. Every state's Secretary of State entity search is free. Third-party sites that charge for basic entity information are re-selling data the state gives away at no cost. You pay only for certified copies or Certificates of Good Standing, and those are ordered through the same state portal.

What's the difference between the Secretary of State's search and the IRS? The Secretary of State handles entity formation, state filings, and state-level compliance. The IRS handles federal tax filings and EIN assignments. A company can be Active with the state but non-compliant with the IRS, or vice versa. Entity search only shows the state side. For IRS status, you need Form 4506 or the entity's own tax documentation.

What if the state search shows the entity but the business feels off? Status "Active" is a low bar. Look at: (a) filing history for gaps or repeated delinquencies, (b) how long the entity has been formed (very new entities warrant extra caution), (c) whether the registered agent is a real professional service or a random residential address, (d) whether they've filed recent annual reports. Combine the entity search with a USPTO trademark search, a Google/LinkedIn search on the founders, and (for larger transactions) a paid due diligence report.

Does the state search show ownership? Rarely at full detail. Some states publish the names of managers, members, officers, or directors on the record; others do not. In many states, an entity's public record shows only the registered agent and organizer, with owners protected as private. If you need beneficial ownership data, the FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report is now the federal registry for that, though public access is restricted.

Next Steps

We started Ledgerline to help founders like you navigate US business setup, compliance, and taxes without the usual chaos.

At Ledgerline, our focus is on founders (especially global founders setting up in the USA). We understand that navigating 50 different state systems, plus federal IRS obligations, plus banking, plus foreign-country reporting is overwhelming when you'd rather be building your business. Our mission is to deliver real value by reducing your stress, keeping communication proactive, and supporting the mission and vision of your business.

If you're planning to form a US entity, verifying a counterparty for a large deal, or trying to figure out which state your existing entity should register in, book a free demo call with us.

Related Ledgerline guides:

• How to register a US company from India
• Ignoring Form 5472 can drive $25,000 penalty
• Cash vs. Accrual accounting
• US tax filing deadlines for foreign owners
• Why foreign founders need multiple US bank accounts