Is There a National Business Search? How to Look Up a Company in Any State

Why there’s no national search

In the U.S., companies are created under state law. An LLC or corporation files its paperwork with one state, and that state keeps the record. There’s no federal registry that collects all of them, so there’s no single official search that covers every company.

The federal agencies that do deal with businesses don’t fill the gap either. The IRS issues EINs but doesn’t publish them. FinCEN’s beneficial ownership reports were only ever available to authorized government users, and companies formed in the U.S. are now exempt from filing them.

So a nationwide search is really a two-step job: work out which state, then search that state.

How to find the right state

Try these in order. The first two settle it most of the time.

1. The state where the business operates. Most small businesses are formed in their home state. Search there first.
2. The company’s own paperwork. Contracts, invoices, terms of service and website footers often give the full legal name and the state, as in “Acme Supply LLC, a Texas limited liability company”.
3. Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada. Many companies are formed in one of these and then register in the state where they work. If the company isn’t in its home state, check these next.
4. The home state’s foreign registrations. A company formed elsewhere that does business in a state usually registers there as a “foreign” company. That record often names the state where it was formed.
5. SEC filings, for public companies. The SEC’s EDGAR company search shows filings that list the state of incorporation.
6. Court and UCC records. Lawsuits and lender filings name the company’s legal name and state. See our UCC search by state.

Searching the state

Once you know the state, its own business search is free in almost every state and shows the company’s status, its registered agent, and usually its filing history. Our business search directory has a guide for every state, with the official search link, what each status means, and how to read the record.

Search with the distinctive part of the name and leave off “LLC” or “Inc.”. Most state searches match from the start of the name, so extra words can hide the result you want.

Paid multi-state databases

Some private companies gather records from many states into one search, usually for a subscription or per-search fee. They can save time when you have no idea where a company is registered. Their data is copied from the states, so it can be out of date. Always confirm what you find on the state’s own search before relying on it.