How to Look Up a Business in Any State

Every business that formally registers in a US state creates a public record with that state's Secretary of State (SOS) office. These records — commonly called business entity filings — contain core information about the company: its legal name, entity type, formation date, current standing, registered agent, principal address, and officers or managers.

When a company files articles of incorporation (for a corporation) or articles of organization (for an LLC), the state assigns it a unique filing number and publishes a record. This record is updated when the business files annual reports, changes its registered agent, amends its name, or dissolves.

Business entity records are public information. Every state is required to make them accessible, though the format, search interface, and level of detail vary widely from state to state. Some states offer robust online search portals; others provide minimal data or require in-person requests.

Key fields you will typically find in a business entity record include:

• Entity Name — The legal name registered with the state (e.g., "Acme Holdings LLC")
• Entity Type — LLC, Corporation, Limited Partnership, General Partnership, etc.
• Filing Number — A unique identifier assigned by the state (e.g., "L21000123456")
• Status — Active, Inactive, Dissolved, or Administrative Dissolution
• Formation Date — When the entity was originally filed
• Jurisdiction — The state (or country) where the entity was first formed
• Registered Agent — The person or company designated to receive legal documents
• Principal Address — The primary business address on file
• Officers/Directors — Names and titles of people managing the entity

There are several common reasons to search business entity records:

Business Verification and Due Diligence

Before signing a contract, extending credit, or entering a partnership, you need to verify that the business you are dealing with actually exists and is in good standing. A business entity search confirms the company's legal name, its current status, and where it is registered. This is standard practice in B2B transactions, commercial lending, and vendor onboarding.

Legal Research and Service of Process

Attorneys and legal professionals frequently search business records to identify the correct legal entity name for lawsuits, to find the registered agent for service of process, or to understand corporate structure. If you need to serve legal papers on a company, you must serve its registered agent at the address on file with the state.

Compliance and KYB (Know Your Business)

Financial institutions, fintech companies, and payment processors are required to verify the businesses they work with under anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Business (KYB) regulations. Business entity searches are a core part of this compliance workflow.

Competitive Intelligence

Researchers and analysts use business filings to track new company formations, identify officers and directors, and monitor changes in corporate status. Formation dates and entity types can reveal patterns in business activity across states.

Name Availability

Entrepreneurs planning to register a new business use entity searches to check whether their desired name is already taken in a given state. Most states require that each registered entity name be distinguishable from existing ones.

Each US state maintains its own business entity search portal. The process is roughly the same across states, but the interface, data quality, and available fields differ significantly.

General Steps:

1. Navigate to the state's Secretary of State website (or equivalent agency — in some states, the Division of Corporations or Department of State handles filings).
2. Find the "Business Search" or "Entity Search" tool.
3. Enter the business name, filing number, or officer name.
4. Review the results and click into the entity for full details.

State-by-State Examples:

• Florida (Sunbiz): Florida's Division of Corporations runs Sunbiz (sunbiz.org), one of the most comprehensive free business search tools. You can search by entity name, officer/registered agent name, or document number. Results include filing history, annual reports, and registered agent details. See our Florida business records guide for a detailed walkthrough.

• California: The California Secretary of State offers a business search at bizfileOnline.sos.ca.gov. You can search by entity name or number. California records include entity type, status, formation date, and agent for service of process.

• Delaware: Delaware's Division of Corporations provides a basic entity search. Because Delaware is the most popular state for incorporations, its database is massive. However, the free search only returns limited information — you must pay for a certificate of good standing or detailed filing history.

• Texas: The Texas Comptroller and Secretary of State both maintain searchable databases. The SOS site allows searches by entity name, file number, or registered agent.

• New York: The NY Department of State offers entity search through its online portal. New York records include entity type, county of formation, and process agent information.

Common Limitations of State Websites:

• No standardized format. Every state returns data differently. Field names, date formats, and entity type labels vary.
• No bulk access. State websites are designed for one-off lookups. There is no way to programmatically query them at scale.
• Inconsistent data depth. Some states return full officer lists and filing histories. Others return only the entity name and status.
• Downtime and rate limiting. Many state portals are outdated and experience frequent downtime or slow response times.
• No cross-state search. Each state is a separate silo. To search across multiple states, you must visit each one individually.

For a full list of supported states with direct links, see our state coverage page.

If you need to look up businesses programmatically — whether for a single verification or thousands of lookups per day — a business entity API eliminates the limitations of manual state website searches.

The Filed API provides a single, normalized interface to search business entity records across multiple US states. Instead of navigating different websites and parsing different data formats, you make one API call and get structured JSON back.

Example: Search for a business by name

curl "https://api.filed.dev/v1/search?q=Acme+Holdings&state=FL" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key"

Response:

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "fl-L21000123456",
      "name": "ACME HOLDINGS LLC",
      "state": "FL",
      "type": "Florida Limited Liability Company",
      "status": "Active",
      "filing_date": "2021-03-15",
      "filing_number": "L21000123456",
      "registered_agent": {
        "name": "John Smith",
        "address": "123 Main St, Miami, FL 33101"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Key advantages of using an API:

• Normalized data. All states return data in the same consistent JSON format. No more parsing HTML or dealing with state-specific field names.
• Cross-state search. Search across all supported states in a single request by omitting the state parameter.
• Bulk lookups. Process hundreds or thousands of business lookups programmatically. Ideal for compliance workflows, CRM enrichment, and automated verification.
• Real-time data. The API pulls from regularly updated state records, so you get current filing status and details.
• Reliable uptime. Unlike some state portals, the API is designed for production use with consistent availability and response times.

The Filed API currently covers business entities in Florida, California, Texas, New York, Delaware, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, and more states are added regularly. Check our state coverage page for the latest list.

Use a state website when:

• You need to look up a single business as a one-off task.
• You need official certificates or certified copies (which only the state can issue).
• You need filing documents (articles of incorporation, amendments) that may only be available as PDFs from the state.

Use an API when:

• You are building an application that requires business verification (onboarding flows, compliance checks, KYB).
• You need to search across multiple states without visiting each website individually.
• You process more than a handful of lookups per week and need structured data.
• You want to enrich your CRM, ERP, or database with business entity information.
• You need to monitor entity status changes over time (e.g., a business going from Active to Dissolved).

For most developers and businesses performing regular lookups, an API is the more practical and scalable approach. Manual state website searches are fine for occasional, one-off research.

Whether you are searching manually or via API, these tips will help you get better results:

1. Search by filing number when possible. If you have the entity's state filing number (sometimes called a document number or charter number), use it. Name searches can return many results, but a filing number is unique and returns an exact match.

2. Try variations of the business name. Businesses may be registered under a name slightly different from their trade name. "ABC Corp" might be filed as "ABC Corporation" or "ABC Corp Inc." Drop common suffixes like "LLC," "Inc.," or "Corp" from your search to cast a wider net.

3. Check the right state. A business operating in California may actually be registered in Delaware or Wyoming. If you cannot find a company in the state where it operates, try common formation states (Delaware, Wyoming, Nevada).

4. Verify status, not just existence. Finding a record is not enough. Check that the entity's status is "Active" or "In Good Standing." A business that shows as "Dissolved," "Revoked," or "Administratively Dissolved" is not currently valid.

5. Cross-reference officer names. If you are verifying a specific person's involvement with a company, check the officers/directors list in the filing. Be aware that some states only list initial officers and may not update them with annual reports.

6. Check the registered agent. The registered agent is the person or entity authorized to receive legal documents. If a business uses a commercial registered agent service (like CT Corporation, CSC Global, or Registered Agents Inc.), that is normal — it does not indicate anything suspicious. If the registered agent is the same as the business owner, that is also common for small businesses.