About Us

What This Site Is For

Looking up a business entity in the U.S. should be simple. The information is public — every state Secretary of State (or equivalent state agency in some jurisdictions like Arizona’s Corporation Commission and Maryland’s State Department of Assessments and Taxation) publishes a free business entity search — but the URLs are inconsistent, the search interfaces vary wildly, and finding the right portal across 51 jurisdictions is its own minor research project.

SOSBusinessSearch.org consolidates that into one consistent format. For every state, the page answers the same questions in the same order: where is the official business entity search, what types of records are searchable, what does and doesn’t appear in results, how to obtain a good-standing certificate, and how to get a certified copy of formation documents — all linked back to the state’s own portal.

We are completely independent. We are not a Secretary of State, not a corporate-formation service, not a registered agent provider, not a UCC filing service, and not affiliated with any state agency or commercial business-data reseller. We are an editorial reference, full stop.

The U.S. Business Entity System — Briefly

U.S. business entities are formed and regulated at the state level — there is no federal business registry. The Secretary of State (or equivalent) of each state runs that state’s official business entity records:

What You’ll Find on Each State Page

For every U.S. state and territory we cover, the page answers the same set of questions in the same order:

• Official business entity search portal — direct, verified URL to the state’s own search tool
• Search options — by entity name, entity ID, registered agent, individual name where supported
• Entity types covered — LLC, corporation, LP, LLP, nonprofit, professional entities, statutory/business trust, foreign registrations
• What’s in results — registration date, status, registered agent, principal office, officer/manager/member listings where disclosed at state level
• What’s NOT in results — federal EIN, beneficial-ownership data (FinCEN’s CTA registry is separate), tax filings, court records
• Document orders — how to order a copy of formation documents, with current state fee
• Good standing certificate — how to order, current fee, typical turnaround
• Annual report filing — link to the filing portal, due date, late-filing consequences
• UCC search — link to the state’s UCC-1 financing statement search where the SOS administers it
• Trade name / DBA / fictitious name — where filed at state level (many states delegate this to county clerks)
• Apostille / authentication — link to the state’s apostille service for international document use

How We Verify the Information

Everything factual on a state page comes from one of three places, in this order of priority:

1. The state’s official business entity search portal (typically a .gov domain such as businesssearch.sos.ca.gov, icis.corp.delaware.gov/Ecorp/EntitySearch, apps.dos.ny.gov/publicInquiry) — for portals, fees, and filing procedures
2. The state’s Secretary of State homepage or equivalent — for organizational structure and contact information
3. State statutes and administrative codes — for the underlying legal framework (e.g., Delaware General Corporation Law, California Corporations Code, Texas Business Organizations Code)

Every state page is reviewed at least quarterly. Filing fees, document-order fees, and portal URLs are time-sensitive content — we treat them with explicit “last reviewed” dates and verify URLs live before publication. The full source hierarchy and methodology is on the Sources & Methodology page.

Who This Site Is For

• Small-business owners checking whether a name they want is available in a given state
• Founders deciding where to incorporate (Delaware, Wyoming, Nevada, or home state) and comparing search interfaces and document availability
• Counterparties doing diligence — confirming a vendor or potential business partner is actually registered, in good standing, and has the registered agent they claim
• Lawyers and paralegals performing pre-litigation due diligence, confirming entity existence before filing, and ordering certified document copies
• Compliance professionals checking foreign-qualification status across multiple states
• Genealogists and journalists tracing historical business records and corporate filings
• Anyone who’s received an unfamiliar invoice or contract and wants to confirm the entity behind it actually exists

The site is not a substitute for legal advice. Complex questions — piercing the corporate veil, dissolution proceedings, name disputes, foreign-qualification thresholds, beneficial-ownership reporting under the Corporate Transparency Act — need a licensed attorney, not a directory.

What We Don’t Do

• We don’t form business entities. The Secretary of State does that — or you use a formation service like a law firm or filing agent.
• We don’t act as a registered agent.
• We don’t process annual reports or any other state filings on your behalf.
• We don’t sell certified copies, good-standing certificates, or apostilles. Those come from the state directly.
• We don’t operate a paid business-data reseller service.
• We don’t represent any state agency.
• We don’t sell your data — see our Privacy Policy for the position under CCPA/CPRA, the Texas TDPSA, and other state privacy laws.

How We Pay for the Site

SOSBusinessSearch.org runs on display advertising shown alongside content. We do not accept paid placements that pretend to be editorial content. State pages are never edited to favor or disfavor any commercial service — including formation, registered-agent, or filing services that may advertise on the site. Full position in our Editorial Policy.

Corrections and Feedback

State business search portals change — URLs are migrated, fees are adjusted, search interfaces are redesigned, and occasionally an entire system gets rebuilt (Delaware’s iCIS, California’s bizfile Online platform). If you spot something on the site that doesn’t match the state’s current information, please email us. Reader-reported corrections are our priority queue and get a response within seven business days.