How to Look Up an LLC: State Business Searches and What They Show

How to look up an LLC in Texas

Texas has two official places to look. The first is the Comptroller’s Franchise Tax Account Status search. The page does not list a fee to search. The second is SOSPortal at the Texas Secretary of State. The Secretary of State says “There is a $1.00 statutorily authorized fee associated with each search.”

The Comptroller’s search form takes one of three inputs. The first is a taxpayer number, which the form describes as the “11-digit Comptroller’s Taxpayer Number or the 9-digit Federal EIN.” The second is an entity name, which must be between 2 and 50 characters. The third is a Texas Secretary of State file number, which must be 6 to 10 digits.

The result list has three columns: Name, Taxpayer Number, and Zip. When you click a name, a detail page opens. Its first five fields are Texas Taxpayer Number, Mailing Address, Right to Transact Business in Texas, State of Formation, and SOS Registration Status. The next four are Effective SOS Registration Date, Texas SOS File Number, Registered Agent Name, and Registered Office Street Address. The page notes that the SOS status is “updated each business day.”

Below those fields is a Public Information Report table with two columns, Title and Name and Address. The Comptroller says each taxable entity formed as a corporation, LLC, limited partnership, professional association, or financial institution must file a Public Information Report. The rule covers an entity that is organized in Texas or has nexus in Texas. The Comptroller also says “The search results can be printed and reflect the Comptroller’s records at the time the query is made.”

The Right to Transact Business field has a short key on the page. “Active” means “The entity’s right to transact business in Texas is intact.” “Forfeited” means “The entity’s right to transact business in Texas is forfeited.” “Not Established” means the entity “has not completed a franchise tax accountability questionnaire with the Comptroller.” If you see a forfeiture on the Secretary of State side, our guide to “Forfeited Existence” for a Texas LLC explains what it means and what to file.

1. 1Open the Comptroller’s Franchise Tax Account Status search.
2. 2Enter the LLC’s name, its taxpayer number, or its Texas Secretary of State file number.
3. 3Click the LLC’s name in the result list.
4. 4Read the Right to Transact Business in Texas field and the SOS Registration Status field.
5. 5Check the mailing address, registered agent, and registered office street address.

How to look up an LLC in Delaware

Delaware’s Division of Corporations runs a free General Information Name Search. You can search by entity name or by file number. The page says the name field “is not case sensitive” and tells you to use quotation marks for exact searches.

The search page says the free information “consists of the entity name, file number, incorporation/formation date, registered agent name, address, phone number and residency.” The Division’s FAQ gives a slightly longer list. The FAQ list also includes the entity kind and type.

The free search does not tell you whether the LLC is in good standing. The search page says the results “will return both active and inactive entities from our database.” The page adds: “This is not an indication of the current status of an entity.”

To see status, you pay. The Division’s FAQ says “You may check status on the web for a fee of $10.00 per entity for status or $20.00 per entity for more detailed information including current franchise tax assessment, current filing history and more.” The FAQ also says “this is not a good standing certificate, certified by the Secretary of State,” and “All transactions submitted on this site are non-refundable.”

How to look up an LLC in California

The California Secretary of State’s Business Search is on its bizfile Online site. We could not open the live search screen, so this section is based on the Field Descriptions section of the Secretary of State’s Business Search FAQ page. The fields that page lists are Entity Number, Registration Date, Jurisdiction, Status, Agent for Service of Process, Entity Address, and Entity Mailing Address. The page also lists an LLC Management field for California LLCs only. The live screen may label some fields differently.

The page explains each one. A California LLC’s entity number “is a 12 digit number with no letter at the beginning.” The Entity Address is “The executive office of a business entity.” LLC Management shows whether the LLC is managed by its members, by managers, or by one manager.

The same page says a record can also list the LLC’s Statements of Information. The page says “The search results only include copies of filed Statements of Information for corporations and limited liability companies that have been imaged.” If a copy says “Image not available online,” you can order it from the Secretary of State.

California’s Status field has its own definitions, such as Active, SOS Suspended, and FTB Suspended. Our guide to SOS Suspended and FTB Suspended explains the difference between those statuses and how to fix each one.

What an LLC lookup does not show

A state record may not tell you who owns the LLC. Delaware’s FAQ asks how to find the current officers and managers of a business entity. Its answer says “Current officers and directors for Delaware corporations can be found on the most recent annual report. Alternative entities are not required to list members and/or managers.” Members and managers are the people who own and run an LLC.

Texas shows the names in an LLC’s Public Information Report, and keeps one other kind of report off its page. The Comptroller says Ownership Information Reports are filed by some entities that are not corporations or LLCs. It says “Ownership Information Reports are confidential and will not display on this page.” Our guide to who owns an LLC explains why a formation filing does not prove ownership.

A search result also does not prove that a business is honest. It shows that a company with that name is on file with the state. California’s Business Search disclaimer says “All such information is provided ‘as is.’” To check an LLC before you pay it or sign with it, compare the exact name, the status, and the state of formation with what the company told you. If you need an official document, Delaware’s search page explains how to order a Certificate of Status. California’s pages explain how to order a status report.

How to check if an LLC name is available

A business search shows names already on file. It does not always tell you whether a new name will be accepted. California’s name reservation page says “The Business Search is only a preliminary search and not intended to serve as a formal name availability search.”

California also checks names only against the same kind of entity. Its page says “names are checked only against names of like entities registered with the California Secretary of State.” A proposed LLC name may be adopted if it “is distinguishable in the records from other limited liability companies of record or reserved with the California Secretary of State.” California says a name can be reserved “for a period of 60 days.”

Delaware has an online name availability check. Its FAQ says you can reserve an LLC name “for a period of 120 days for a fee of $75.00 per name.” The application must include the name and address of the applicant. The FAQ says “the address cannot be an alternate address of the applicant, such as a registered agent or virtual office address.” That FAQ answer is about the applicant’s address on a name reservation. It does not say what other Delaware forms accept.

Which addresses show up when someone looks up your LLC

The addresses on a state record are the addresses the LLC gave the state. In Texas, the Comptroller’s detail page shows a mailing address and a registered office street address. In Delaware, the free search shows the registered agent’s name, address, and phone number. In California, the Secretary of State’s field descriptions list the entity address, the entity mailing address, and the agent for service of process.

California says plainly that these addresses are public. Its FAQ says “the name and the physical street address of the agent for service of process is a public record, open to all (as are all the addresses of the corporation provided in filings made with the California Secretary of State.)” Our guide on whether your business address is public record shows where a business address appears and how to check your own records.

Each state sets the rules for each address field on its forms, so read the field’s instructions before you file. For the LLC’s everyday mail, our Silicon Valley virtual office address and Los Angeles business address pages describe the business addresses save office offers.