How to Search Business Records and Corporate Filings

Business records are among the most useful and underutilized categories of public data in the United States. Every time someone forms an LLC, incorporates a company, or files an annual report with the state, they create a public record that anyone can look up. If you're considering doing business with a company, vetting a contractor, researching a potential employer, or conducting due diligence on a transaction, knowing how to search business records is a fundamental skill. I've used these databases hundreds of times, and this guide covers what I've learned about where to look and what you'll actually find.

Where Business Records Live

Business records in the U.S. are scattered across multiple systems at the state and federal level. There is no single national registry of businesses (unlike in many other countries). Here are the primary sources.

Secretary of State Databases

Every state maintains a business entity database through the Secretary of State's office (or equivalent agency -- in some states it's the Department of State, Division of Corporations, or similar). When someone forms a corporation, LLC, limited partnership, or other formal business entity, they file formation documents -- articles of incorporation for corporations, articles of organization for LLCs -- with the Secretary of State. These filings create the public record of the business's legal existence.

Most states now offer free online search portals where you can look up any business entity by name, filing number, or sometimes by officer or registered agent name. Some of the better state databases include:

• California -- bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov (comprehensive, searchable by entity name, number, or officer)
• Delaware -- icis.corp.delaware.gov (important because a huge number of U.S. businesses are incorporated in Delaware)
• Texas -- direct.sos.state.tx.us (robust search with good historical data)
• Florida -- search.sunbiz.org (excellent interface, detailed filing history)
• New York -- appext20.dos.ny.gov/corp_public (functional but less user-friendly)

The quality and depth of these databases varies. Florida's Sunbiz system, for instance, provides detailed filing history, officer and director names, annual report filings, and document images going back decades. Some smaller states offer only basic entity status information with limited historical data.

SEC EDGAR (For Public Companies)

If the company you're researching is publicly traded -- meaning its stock is listed on a stock exchange and available for purchase by the general public -- the Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR system (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) is where you'll find the most detailed financial and operational information.

EDGAR, available for free at sec.gov/edgar, contains every filing made by public companies and certain other entities. The most important filing types include:

• 10-K -- Annual report. This is the most comprehensive filing, covering the company's business description, risk factors, financial statements (audited), management discussion, and legal proceedings. If you want to truly understand what a public company does and how it's performing, the 10-K is where you start.
• 10-Q -- Quarterly report. Similar to the 10-K but less detailed, covering the most recent quarter's financial results.
• 8-K -- Current report for material events. Companies must file an 8-K when something significant happens: a major acquisition, a CEO departure, a bankruptcy filing, a material contract, or other events that investors need to know about.
• DEF 14A -- Proxy statement. Filed before the annual shareholders' meeting, this document discloses executive compensation, board of directors information, and proposals being put to a shareholder vote. Want to know how much a CEO makes? It's in the proxy statement.
• Form 4 -- Insider transactions. When company insiders (officers, directors, and significant shareholders) buy or sell company stock, they must disclose the transaction on Form 4 within two business days.
• S-1 -- Registration statement for initial public offerings (IPOs). When a company goes public for the first time, the S-1 is an incredibly detailed document covering virtually every aspect of the business.

EDGAR is completely free and contains filings going back to 1993. The full-text search function (efts.sec.gov/LATEST/search-index) lets you search across all filings for specific terms, which is powerful for investigative research.

County-Level Business Filings

Some types of businesses -- sole proprietorships and general partnerships in particular -- don't file with the Secretary of State at all. Instead, they may file a DBA (Doing Business As) or "fictitious business name" statement with the county clerk. These records link a business name to the individual owner. If you're trying to find out who owns a local business that doesn't appear in state records, the county clerk's office is the next place to check.

Types of Business Entities and What Their Records Reveal

Understanding the different types of business entities helps you know what to expect when you pull up their records.

Corporations (Inc., Corp.)

Corporate filings are among the most detailed. Formation documents typically include the corporate name, formation date, registered agent name and address, number of authorized shares (for stock corporations), incorporator names, and sometimes the initial directors. Annual reports (required in most states) update this information and confirm the corporation's continued existence. Corporations must also list officers and directors in their filings, making it possible to identify who's running the company.

Limited Liability Companies (LLC)

LLC filings include the company name, formation date, registered agent, and the organizer's name. Depending on the state, the articles of organization may also list the members (owners) or managers. However, many states -- including Delaware, Nevada, and Wyoming -- do not require LLCs to disclose their members in public filings, which is why these states are popular choices for privacy-conscious business owners.

Limited Partnerships (LP) and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP)

Partnership filings generally identify the general partners (who manage the business and bear unlimited liability) but may not identify limited partners (who are passive investors). LLP filings are common for professional services firms like law firms and accounting firms.

Sole Proprietorships

Sole proprietorships are the least documented at the state level. They don't file formation documents with the Secretary of State. The only public filing might be a county-level DBA statement. Tax records exist but are not public. As a result, it's harder to research sole proprietorships through public records than any other business type.

What You Can Actually Learn from Business Records

Here's the practical information you can extract from business filings and why it matters.

Is the Business Real and In Good Standing?

The most basic question: does this company actually exist as a legal entity? Secretary of State databases show whether a company is "Active," "Inactive," "Dissolved," "Suspended," or some other status. A company that's been administratively dissolved for failing to file annual reports is a red flag. A company whose registration was just filed last week might warrant closer scrutiny for a large transaction.

Who Are the People Behind It?

Officer and director names from corporate filings, manager names from LLC filings, and registered agent information all help you identify the real people behind a business entity. This is critical for due diligence. You can take those names and search for them in other public records -- court filings, other business registrations, property records -- to build a fuller picture. A people search on OpenDataUSA can quickly surface additional public records tied to business principals.

Where Is the Business Located?

Business filings include the registered agent's address (where legal papers can be served) and often the principal business address. Keep in mind that a registered agent address might be a commercial registered agent service rather than the company's actual office. If you see an address like "1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE" or "1712 Pioneer Ave, Suite 500, Cheyenne, WY," those are well-known registered agent addresses used by thousands of companies.

How Long Has It Been Operating?

Formation dates and annual report filing history establish how long a company has existed and whether it's been continuously operating. A company that was formed 20 years ago and has filed every annual report is generally more established than one formed six months ago.

Are There Related Entities?

By searching for an officer or registered agent name, you can often find other business entities connected to the same individuals. This is useful for identifying corporate families, shell companies, or patterns of business formation by the same group of people.

Using Business Records for Due Diligence

If you're about to enter into a significant business relationship -- hiring a contractor for a major project, investing in a company, acquiring a business, or entering into a partnership -- business records are a basic due diligence starting point. Here's a practical checklist.

1. Verify entity existence and good standing. Search the Secretary of State database in the state where the company claims to be organized. Confirm the entity exists, is in good standing, and that the entity name matches what you've been given.

2. Identify the principals. Note the officers, directors, managers, and registered agent. Do the names match what the company has represented to you?

3. Check for litigation. Search court records (both state and federal) for lawsuits involving the company or its principals. A pattern of lawsuits -- particularly breach of contract, fraud, or consumer complaints -- is a significant warning sign.

4. Review financial filings (for public companies). Pull the most recent 10-K and 10-Q from EDGAR. Review the financial statements, risk factors, and legal proceedings sections. Pay special attention to the auditor's opinion -- if it includes a "going concern" qualification, the company may be at risk of failure.

5. Check for liens and UCC filings. Many states include UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) filing searches in their Secretary of State databases. UCC filings indicate that a business has pledged its assets as collateral for a loan. A heavy load of UCC filings might indicate that a company is highly leveraged.

6. Search for regulatory actions. Depending on the industry, check for enforcement actions by relevant regulators -- the FTC, SEC, state attorney general, licensing boards, and others.

7. Cross-reference with people search tools. Take the names of business principals and search for them individually. This can surface additional business affiliations, property ownership, court records, and other relevant background information.

Researching Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3) entities and other tax-exempt organizations) have additional public reporting requirements that make them especially transparent.

The IRS Form 990 is the annual information return that most tax-exempt organizations must file. Form 990s are public records and are freely available through the IRS (irs.gov) and through third-party aggregators like ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer and Candid (formerly GuideStar). A Form 990 discloses the organization's revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, executive compensation, program descriptions, and governance information. If you want to know how a charity spends its money and how much its executives earn, the Form 990 is the document to read.

State attorneys general also maintain charity registration databases in many states, which provide additional information about registered nonprofits operating in that state.

Foreign (Out-of-State) Registrations

When a business formed in one state does business in another state, it's typically required to register as a "foreign" entity in the new state. (In this context, "foreign" means out-of-state, not international.) This creates additional public records. If a Delaware corporation operates in California and Texas, you'll find filings for that company in all three states -- the original incorporation in Delaware plus foreign registrations in California and Texas.

Checking for foreign registrations can reveal where a company actually operates, as opposed to where it's legally organized. Many companies incorporate in Delaware or Nevada for legal and tax reasons but operate primarily in other states.

International Business Records

While this guide focuses on U.S. records, it's worth noting that many countries maintain similar company registries. The UK's Companies House (companieshouse.gov.uk) is one of the most accessible and comprehensive, providing free access to detailed filing information for all UK-registered companies. The OpenCorporates project (opencorporates.com) aggregates business registration data from jurisdictions around the world and can be a useful starting point for international research.

Limitations and Caveats

Business records are invaluable, but they have real limitations.

Timeliness. Annual reports are typically filed once a year. A lot can change between filings. Officers can change, addresses can change, and the company's financial condition can deteriorate significantly between annual report dates.

Completeness. As noted, some states don't require LLCs to disclose their members. Sole proprietorships may have no state-level filings at all. The most useful records tend to be for corporations and publicly traded companies.

Accuracy. Business filings are self-reported. The Secretary of State's office typically doesn't verify the accuracy of the information submitted -- they process filings, they don't investigate them. Fraudulent business registrations do occur.

No financial details for private companies. Unlike public companies that must disclose financial statements through SEC filings, private companies have no obligation to make their financial information public. You can confirm that a private company exists, who runs it, and whether it's in good standing, but you generally can't see its revenue, profit, or balance sheet through public records.

Business records research is a skill that gets better with practice. Once you know where to look and what the filings actually contain, you can quickly assess a company's legitimacy, history, and key personnel. Start with the Secretary of State database in the state of organization, branch out to court records and federal filings as needed, and use people search tools to research the individuals behind the entity. For more on the broader public records landscape, check out our guides on U.S. public data sources and how public records work.