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Secretary of State Business Search: Links to All Official States

Article author
Written byLegal.com
Last Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Disclaimer:

This article provides general information for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultation with a qualified attorney. Laws vary by state, and individualized guidance is recommended.

Business Entity Search Across All 50 States - Look up any LLC, corporation, or registered partnership in the U.S.

Look up any LLC, corporation, or registered partnership in the U.S. — directly through each state's official government portal. Free, no account required in most states.

Every state in the U.S. requires businesses — LLCs, corporations, partnerships, and nonprofits — to register with a state agency before legally operating. That registration data is a matter of public record. Whether you're verifying a contractor, checking if a business is in good standing before signing a contract, or doing due diligence on a potential partner, you can access this information for free.

Below are direct links to every state's official business entity search portal, organized alphabetically. No third-party databases, no fees — just the primary source.

Legal tip: Always verify a business through the official state portal before entering any significant contract or financial arrangement. Third-party databases can be outdated. The Secretary of State's database is the authoritative, real-time source.

What These Searches Reveal

State business registries are designed for transparency. Here's what you can typically find — and what you generally can't.

Usually public: Business name and any DBAs, entity type, formation date, registered agent, status (active/dissolved), and principal office address.

Varies by state: Officer and director names, annual report history, and amendment records. Some states publish detailed filings; others show very little beyond name and status.

Not typically public: Ownership percentages, financial records, personal home addresses, and beneficial ownership (tracked federally by FinCEN, not state registries).

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All 50 States: Official Business Entity Search Links

A

State

Agency

Search Portal

Alabama

Alabama Secretary of State — Business Entity Records

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Alaska

Division of Corporations, Business & Professional Licensing

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Arizona

Arizona Corporation Commission — Arizona Business Center

Search →

Arkansas

Arkansas Secretary of State — Business & Commercial Services

Search →

Alabama

Agency

Alabama Secretary of State — Business Entity Records

Search Portal

Search →

Alaska

Agency

Division of Corporations, Business & Professional Licensing

Search Portal

Search →

Arizona

Agency

Arizona Corporation Commission — Arizona Business Center

Search Portal

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Arkansas

Agency

Arkansas Secretary of State — Business & Commercial Services

Search Portal

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C

State

Agency

Search Portal

California

California Secretary of State — Business Entities

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Colorado

Colorado Secretary of State — Business Organizations

Search →

Connecticut

Connecticut Secretary of State — Business Services

Search →

California

Agency

California Secretary of State — Business Entities

Search Portal

Search →

Colorado

Agency

Colorado Secretary of State — Business Organizations

Search Portal

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Connecticut

Agency

Connecticut Secretary of State — Business Services

Search Portal

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D

State

Agency

Search Portal

Delaware

Delaware Division of Corporations — Entity Search

Search →

Washington D.C.

Government of the District of Columbia Corporations Division — Business Entity Search

Search →

Delaware

Agency

Delaware Division of Corporations — Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

Washington D.C.

Agency

Government of the District of Columbia Corporations Division — Business Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

F

State

Agency

Search Portal

Florida

Florida Department of State — Sunbiz

Search →

Florida

Agency

Florida Department of State — Sunbiz

Search Portal

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G

State

Agency

Search Portal

Georgia

Georgia Secretary of State — Corporations Division

Search →

Georgia

Agency

Georgia Secretary of State — Corporations Division

Search Portal

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H

State

Agency

Search Portal

Hawaii

Hawaii DCCA — Business Registration Division

Search →

Hawaii

Agency

Hawaii DCCA — Business Registration Division

Search Portal

Search →

I

State

Agency

Search Portal

Idaho

Idaho Secretary of State — Business Entities

Search →

Illinois

Illinois Secretary of State — Corporation & LLC Search

Search →

Indiana

Indiana Secretary of State — INBiz Public Search

Search →

Iowa

Iowa Secretary of State — Business Entities Search

Search →

Idaho

Agency

Idaho Secretary of State — Business Entities

Search Portal

Search →

Illinois

Agency

Illinois Secretary of State — Corporation & LLC Search

Search Portal

Search →

Indiana

Agency

Indiana Secretary of State — INBiz Public Search

Search Portal

Search →

Iowa

Agency

Iowa Secretary of State — Business Entities Search

Search Portal

Search →

K

State

Agency

Search Portal

Kansas

Kansas Secretary of State — Business Entity Search Station

Search →

Kentucky

Kentucky Secretary of State — Business Entity Search

Search →

Kansas

Agency

Kansas Secretary of State — Business Entity Search Station

Search Portal

Search →

Kentucky

Agency

Kentucky Secretary of State — Business Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

L

State

Agency

Search Portal

Louisiana

Louisiana Secretary of State — Commercial Search

Search →

Louisiana

Agency

Louisiana Secretary of State — Commercial Search

Search Portal

Search →

M

State

Agency

Search Portal

Maine

Maine Secretary of State — Corporate Name Search

Search →

Maryland

Maryland Dept. of Assessments & Taxation — Business Express

Search →

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth — Corporations Division

Search →

Michigan

Michigan LARA — Business Registry

Search →

Minnesota

Minnesota Secretary of State — Business Filing Search

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Mississippi

Mississippi Secretary of State — Business Search

Search →

Missouri

Missouri Secretary of State — Business Entity Search

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Montana

Montana Secretary of State — Business Entities Search

Search →

Maine

Agency

Maine Secretary of State — Corporate Name Search

Search Portal

Search →

Maryland

Agency

Maryland Dept. of Assessments & Taxation — Business Express

Search Portal

Search →

Massachusetts

Agency

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth — Corporations Division

Search Portal

Search →

Michigan

Agency

Michigan LARA — Business Registry

Search Portal

Search →

Minnesota

Agency

Minnesota Secretary of State — Business Filing Search

Search Portal

Search →

Mississippi

Agency

Mississippi Secretary of State — Business Search

Search Portal

Search →

Missouri

Agency

Missouri Secretary of State — Business Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

Montana

Agency

Montana Secretary of State — Business Entities Search

Search Portal

Search →

N

State

Agency

Search Portal

Nebraska

Nebraska Secretary of State — Corporation Search

Search →

Nevada

Nevada Secretary of State — Online Entity Search

Search →

New Hampshire

NH Secretary of State — QuickStart Business Search (use Firefox or Edge)

Search →

New Jersey

NJ Dept. of Treasury — Business Entity Name Search

Search →

New Mexico

New Mexico Secretary of State — Business Search

Search →

New York

New York Department of State — Corporation & Business Search

Search →

North Carolina

NC Secretary of State — Business Registration Search

Search →

North Dakota

North Dakota Secretary of State — FirstStop Business Search

Search →

Nebraska

Agency

Nebraska Secretary of State — Corporation Search

Search Portal

Search →

Nevada

Agency

Nevada Secretary of State — Online Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

New Hampshire

Agency

NH Secretary of State — QuickStart Business Search (use Firefox or Edge)

Search Portal

Search →

New Jersey

Agency

NJ Dept. of Treasury — Business Entity Name Search

Search Portal

Search →

New Mexico

Agency

New Mexico Secretary of State — Business Search

Search Portal

Search →

New York

Agency

New York Department of State — Corporation & Business Search

Search Portal

Search →

North Carolina

Agency

NC Secretary of State — Business Registration Search

Search Portal

Search →

North Dakota

Agency

North Dakota Secretary of State — FirstStop Business Search

Search Portal

Search →

O

State

Agency

Search Portal

Ohio

Ohio Secretary of State — Business Search

Search →

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Secretary of State — Business Entities Search

Search →

Oregon

Oregon Secretary of State — Business Registry Search

Search →

Ohio

Agency

Ohio Secretary of State — Business Search

Search Portal

Search →

Oklahoma

Agency

Oklahoma Secretary of State — Business Entities Search

Search Portal

Search →

Oregon

Agency

Oregon Secretary of State — Business Registry Search

Search Portal

Search →

P

State

Agency

Search Portal

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of State — Corporation Search

Search →

Pennsylvania

Agency

Pennsylvania Department of State — Corporation Search

Search Portal

Search →

R

State

Agency

Search Portal

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Secretary of State — Corp Search

Search →

Rhode Island

Agency

Rhode Island Secretary of State — Corp Search

Search Portal

Search →

S

State

Agency

Search Portal

South Carolina

South Carolina Secretary of State — Business Filing Entity Search

Search →

South Dakota

South Dakota Secretary of State — Business Services Filing Search

Search →

South Carolina

Agency

South Carolina Secretary of State — Business Filing Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

South Dakota

Agency

South Dakota Secretary of State — Business Services Filing Search

Search Portal

Search →

T

State

Agency

Search Portal

Tennessee

Tennessee Secretary of State — TNBear Filing Search

Search →

Texas

Texas Comptroller — Taxable Entity Search

Search →

Tennessee

Agency

Tennessee Secretary of State — TNBear Filing Search

Search Portal

Search →

Texas

Agency

Texas Comptroller — Taxable Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

U

State

Agency

Search Portal

Utah

Utah Division of Corporations — Business Entity Search

Search →

Utah

Agency

Utah Division of Corporations — Business Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

V

State

Agency

Search Portal

Vermont

Vermont Secretary of State — Business Filings Inquiry

Search →

Virginia

Virginia State Corporation Commission — CIS

Search →

Vermont

Agency

Vermont Secretary of State — Business Filings Inquiry

Search Portal

Search →

Virginia

Agency

Virginia State Corporation Commission — CIS

Search Portal

Search →

W

State

Agency

Search Portal

Washington

Washington Secretary of State — Corporation & Charities Filing System

Search →

West Virginia

West Virginia Secretary of State — Business Entity Search

Search →

Wisconsin

Wisconsin DFI — Corporate Records Search

Search →

Wyoming

Wyoming Secretary of State — Business Center Entity Search

Search →

Washington

Agency

Washington Secretary of State — Corporation & Charities Filing System

Search Portal

Search →

West Virginia

Agency

West Virginia Secretary of State — Business Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

Wisconsin

Agency

Wisconsin DFI — Corporate Records Search

Search Portal

Search →

Wyoming

Agency

Wyoming Secretary of State — Business Center Entity Search

Search Portal

Search →

Legal.com Liability Disclaimer

All content published by Legal.com is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, does not constitute a legal opinion, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultation with a qualified attorney. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this article, using Legal.com templates, or contacting Legal.com. Legal.com disclaims all liability for actions taken or not taken based on this publication.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Links were verified as of March 2026; individual state portals may update their URLs periodically. For guidance specific to your situation, consult a licensed attorney.

© Legal.com — Making legal information accessible to everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — in every state, basic entity searches are free and publicly accessible without creating an account. Some states charge for certified copies of filed documents or for more detailed historical records, but the search itself costs nothing. Washington D.C. is the one notable exception that requires a free account login even for basic searches.

"Active" means the business is in good standing with the state — it has filed required annual reports and paid any necessary fees. "Dissolved" or "revoked" typically means the entity was either voluntarily shut down or had its registration canceled by the state (often for failure to file or pay fees). A dissolved business may still owe obligations; its legal capacity to enter new contracts is limited or eliminated. Always check status before signing anything.

It depends on the state. Some states (like California and New York) require manager or member names in filed documents. Others — most notoriously Delaware and Wyoming — do not require disclosure of member names, making true ownership nearly impossible to determine from the registry alone. As of 2024, FinCEN's Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) rule requires most LLCs to report owners federally, but that data is not yet publicly accessible.

State registries are the authoritative, real-time source. Third-party aggregators (like OpenCorporates or paid data services) pull from state databases but may be days, weeks, or even months behind. For due diligence, litigation research, or anything legally consequential, you should always verify directly with the official state portal. Third-party tools are useful for searching across multiple states at once, but should always be confirmed through the primary source.

Sole proprietorships operating under the owner's legal name don't require state registration. However, if a business is operating under a trade name, representing itself as an LLC or corporation, and no record exists — that is a significant red flag. Some businesses may be registered in a different state than where they operate (Delaware is a common incorporation state for companies operating elsewhere). Try searching the state where the business claims to be incorporated, not just where it does business.

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