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Educational, reviewed business guides. We prioritize official sources and clearly separate general information from legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice.

Business Entity Search: State Directory

A business entity search allows you to query official state databases—typically maintained by the Secretary of State—to look up registered LLCs, corporations, and partnerships. This tool is essential for checking business name availability, finding a registered agent's service address, verifying an entity's legal standing, or performing due diligence on client and vendor businesses.

Available State Lookup Guides

Select a state below to view step-by-step instructions, official search portal links, fee information, and instructions for checking registered agents and good standing.

California Business Entity Search Search the CA Secretary of State database, check LLC status, and look up registered agents. 7 min read Texas Business Entity Search Look up Texas Secretary of State records, check active status, and verify taxable entity standings. 7 min read Wyoming Business Entity Search Query Wyoming business records, check anonymous LLC active status, and identify registered agents. 6 min read

Other States (Guides Coming Soon)

We are building detailed search guides for all 50 states. Below are the next states scheduled for publication. You can still use our general hubs to find general state rules:

  • 📍 Illinois (Search Portal lookup guide coming soon)
  • 📍 Michigan (LARA database lookup guide coming soon)
  • 📍 New Mexico (NM SOS lookup guide coming soon)
  • 📍 Nevada (SilverFlume lookup guide coming soon)
  • 📍 Florida (Sunbiz lookup guide coming soon)
  • 📍 New York (NYS Division of Corporations coming soon)

Business Search FAQs

A business entity search is a query of a state's official registry (usually maintained by the Secretary of State) to retrieve public records about an LLC, corporation, or partnership. It confirms if a business is legally active and provides key details like registration dates and registered agents.
In most US states, conducting a basic online business name search to check entity details is completely free. However, obtaining official documents like a Certificate of Good Standing or certified filing copies usually requires paying a state fee.
It depends on the state. Some states require member or manager names to be listed in public filings, which will show up in a lookup. Other states, known as anonymous states (such as Wyoming and New Mexico), do not list LLC owners on the public record.
Disclaimer: This directory is for general educational purposes only. State databases, search portals, and fees change frequently. Always verify entity status directly on the official state Secretary of State website before making corporate filings or signing business agreements.

Popular next steps

Use these core resources to move between formation, taxes, compliance, and service comparisons.

Start an LLC Follow the step-by-step formation guide. LLC tax strategy Compare common tax-planning decisions. State LLC guides Review filing costs and annual rules by state. Compliance checklist Protect your LLC after formation. Free business tools Use calculators, checklists, and estimators.